They’ve raised the bar with Strength to Survive, their fourth full-length album, an intoxicating mix of hot-rod reggae grooves and urgent, zeitgeist-capturing themes. The album, produced by John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer, O.A.R.), is the band’s first for ATO, the label co-founded by Dave Matthews.
Hemphill says the album was greatly inspired by Bob Marley’s Survival. “That’s the greatest reggae album ever made,” he says. “It has the best basslines and the best lyrics ever heard on one record. Marley wrote it after he went to Africa. I was 13 or 14 when I listened to it for the first time and it triggered all these long-forgotten memories of when I lived in Africa as a kid. My dad was an IMF res rep in Liberia in the late 80’s. I remember when the coup first started—- my family had to hide in these iron bathtubs for 3 days because the military was shooting at everything. I was 7 and that was one of my first memories. We made it out on the last flight. So Africa was always a big part of our lives—- it defined our family, in a way. Music came right after that, so, for me, music was always tied to Africa and music was always something powerful.”
Shortly after returning from Africa, Hemphill met Bobby Lee (bass) in the first grade in Virginia. The two instantly became best friends, finding common ground through their love of hip hop, rock and reggae which they performed together at their middle school talent shows. Throughout high school, they met Ryan Berty (drums), Kenneth Brownell (percussion) and Patrick O’Shea (keyboards) and together formed SOJA. The band gigged locally in the DC area while a couple of the guys finished school, all the while making plans to hit the road after graduation. They actually wound up owning the road.
Over the course of the past few years, SOJA has sold more than 200,000 albums, headlined large theaters in more than 20 countries around the world, generated over 40 million YouTube views, amassed nearly 2 million Facebook fans, and attracted an almost Grateful Dead-like international fanbase that grows with each tour, with caravans of diehards following them from city to city. Most impressive of all, they’ve accomplished all this on their own. This 8-piece band has spent the past year and a half grinding it out from venue to venue, playing more than 360 dates, including headlining sold-out tours of North and South America, as well as opening for O.A.R. and sharing stages with everyone from Dave Matthews Band to Matisyahu.
With Strength to Survive, the band makes an impassioned call for unity and change with universally relatable songs about faith, hope and love. “I could go on and on about the horrible damage we’ve done to the earth or the problems that arise when countries compete for money over an imaginary border, but the album has one central theme,” says Hemphill, “and that’s our hope for the world to be one family.”
It’s a concept best exemplified in the song “Everything Changes.” “People out there with no food at night,” sings Hemphill, “And we say we care, but we don’t, so we all lie/But what if there’s more to this, and one day we become what we do, not what we say/Maybe we need to want to fix it. Maybe stop talking, maybe start listening/ Maybe we need to look at this world less like a square and more like a circle.”
Among the album’s many highlights is the ethereal “Let You Go,” about the road not taken, “Mentality,” the disc’s hard-hitting opening track, and the one-two punch of “Be With Me Now” and “When We Were Younger,” the latter bringing together the macro and the micro with the simple yet resonant line, “All of my answers, now that I’m older, turn into questions.”
Hemphill says the band’s simple and honest approach to music is what’s enabled them to break through obstacles of language, distance and culture in amassing an international following. “What’s the alternative – pop music?” he laughs. “Pop music—especially American pop music, is about having money, sleeping with models, living in mansions, spending all of our time in clubs and generally being better than the rest of the world. It’s funny, ‘cuz everyone here is broke. We sing about different things—things that actually matter. I think our fans appreciate that.”
“When I look out in the audience and I see these kids with tears in their eyes, not because I’m singing a love song, but because I’m singing about how the world is dying and we’re the only ones who can stop it, that is huge. I live for that. We played a festival in Brazil in front of 80,000 people, and everybody was singing every word—in English. After one of the songs, I told them, ‘We’re on the road a lot, and people always ask me, “Don’t you ever get homesick? Don’t you miss your family?” I said, ‘It took me awhile to realize this, but this is my home, and you all are my family.’ The place just blew up. It was amazing. But it’s the truth—those are my people and I always want to do right by them. It’s is the only game in town for me.” ❖
I've Got Time
Soldiers of Jah Army Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I go on without you -
Like I've taken all my vows
Without saying "I do"
And I've got no patience,
Well I can barely wait at all
I topple Jericho -
You leave up your walls.
But I've got time
Oh, of anything
Oh, of anything, I've got my time...
It's funny now to see
What goes on when we
Ain't around each other baby.
Now tell me who is bearing the blame
For all your cost and all your pain...
Tell me who is leaving you lonely
When you're waiting in vain.
But I've got time
Oh, of anything
Oh, of anything, I've got my time...
But, I wonder will you mention me...
I sit and wonder will you mention me...
Sometimes I wonder will you mention...
Suffering when you're not near me,
And I can barely move on.
I take all my blessings one by one.
Times moving slowly
Ever since the day that you left
And I left you lonely,
I won't forget...
But I've got time
But, I wonder will you mention me...
I sit and wonder will you mention me...
Mention me...
The lyrics of Soldiers of Jah Army's song "I've Got Time" are about a person who is trying to move on from a relationship that has ended. The first verse showcases how the person has moved on without the other person, without saying "I do," while also expressing impatience and a desire to topple their walls like Jericho. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that the person has time for anything, implying a sense of freedom and independence. The second verse questions who is responsible for the pain and loneliness, and the singer wonders if they will still be remembered by the other person. The final verse describes the suffering of the singer, who misses their former partner, but despite the pain and slowness of time, they still have time to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
It's funny; how I live,
It's ironic how I continue to live without you.
And I go on without you -
I'm still here even though you're not.
Like I've taken all my vows
It feels like I've committed to a marriage without actually saying 'I do.'
Without saying 'I do'
We're not officially committed to each other.
And I've got no patience,
I'm not very patient.
Well I can barely wait at all
I'm very impatient.
I topple Jericho -
I can conquer anything.
You leave up your walls.
You're putting up barriers and not letting me in.
But I've got time
I have plenty of time to figure things out.
Oh, of anything
Of all things.
Oh, of anything, I've got my time...
Of all things, the one thing I have is time.
It's funny now to see
Looking back, it's interesting to see.
What goes on when we
What happens when we are not together.
Ain't around each other baby.
When we are apart.
Now tell me who is bearing the blame
Who's responsible for all the problems?
For all your cost and all your pain...
For all the hurt and pain you are experiencing now.
Tell me who is leaving you lonely
Who's making you feel lonely?
When you're waiting in vain.
When you're waiting for someone who's not coming.
But, I wonder will you mention me...
I wonder if you'll ever think of me at all...
I sit and wonder will you mention me...
I spend time wondering if you'll ever remember me...
Sometimes I wonder will you mention...
Every now and then, I'm curious if you'll remember me...
Suffering when you're not near me,
I feel pain when you're not around.
And I can barely move on.
It's hard to keep going without you.
I take all my blessings one by one.
I'm grateful for everything I have, no matter how small.
Times moving slowly
Time seems to be passing slowly for me.
Ever since the day that you left
Since the day you departed.
And I left you lonely,
I made you feel alone.
I won't forget...
I'll always remember what happened between us.
Mention me...
Think of me from time to time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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