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.” ❖
Revolution
Soldiers of Jah Army Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
as if I'm not a part of this world.
for all of it's representatives
are so secretive.
So far, there's very little love,
and an abundance of hatred.
Now is this the legacy
I leave for my children?
Peace and safety,
that's when you know
it's a sudden destruction.
Living in Rome there is no security
One God, One Aim, (move forward)
One Destiny.
(Chorus )
Revolution Cry
No, Jah will never forsake I
Freedom isn't freedom if you force it
And peace achieved through war
is no peace. Equality don't mean nothing
if you fake it, and we already know
more than they believe.
How many of us feel superior
To others in some part of our lives
See, man has always strived
to be the better, and from his brothers
his true feelings hide.
Revolution
in the form of love and unity
That's the way we'll finally be free
From the system that's been holding us down
We'll rise up and stand our ground.
The lyrics of Soldiers of Jah Army's song "Revolution" speak about their dissatisfaction towards the state of the world - a world where representatives are "secretive," where hate prevails over love and where there is no sense of security. The songwriter wonders what kind of world they will leave for their children, and highlights the sudden destruction that can occur in times of peace and safety. The lyrics call on listeners to move forward with one aim and one destiny and to initiate a revolution through love and unity. The chorus reassures that Jah, a term for God in Rastafarianism, will never forsake them in their quest for freedom. The song highlights the importance of genuine equality and how striving to be superior to others only creates barriers to true freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
For so long InI feel
It's been a long time since I've felt connected to this world
as if I'm not a part of this world.
Feels like an outsider
for all of it's representatives
All the leaders and authorities
are so secretive.
They don't share the truth
So far, there's very little love,
People are mostly hateful
and an abundance of hatred.
There's a lot of animosity in the world
Now is this the legacy
Is this what I'm leaving behind?
I leave for my children?
What am I passing on to the next generation?
When they think that it's
When kids assume it's
Peace and safety,
Everything is okay
that's when you know
That's actually when
it's a sudden destruction.
Something terrible happens without warning
Living in Rome there is no security
The world is not a safe place, even in developed areas like Rome
One God, One Aim, (move forward)
We should all focus on the same goal and keep moving forward
One Destiny.
Our futures are intertwined
(Chorus )
Refrain
Revolution Cry
The call for change
No, Jah will never forsake I
God will never abandon us
Freedom isn't freedom if you force it
Freedom doesn't come from coercion
And peace achieved through war
Violent methods don't bring real peace
is no peace. Equality don't mean nothing
True equality cannot be superficial
if you fake it,
It's not genuine
and we already know
We're aware
more than they believe.
We know more than we let on
How many of us feel superior
How many of us think we're better
To others in some part of our lives
In some aspect of life
See, man has always strived
Humans have always aimed
to be the better, and from his brothers
To be superior, even to those closest to them
his true feelings hide.
They hide their true emotions
Revolution
The need for societal change
Contributed by Adam P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
hector castro
everything you put up is good, nice job man..keep it up
Paco Skahn
révolution !!!!
jasonsaravia13
sojaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!
Victor almaguer
Actually this is there old version....