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.” ❖
True Love
Soldiers of Jah Army Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like the land that bear the name Africa,
Love is on my mind.
It's for everyone no matter where you're from,
Love, it cross all lines.
Like the feeling of all the seasons changing,
Love is a memory
And in these last days, when iniquity blazing,
Chorus:
I need true love
Do you know what you mean to me
Does it show as I live and I breath
In the valley of the shadow, I know you'll be.
I defense, I conquer death
I conquer the enemy (envy).
v.2
What is love really if it only affects, one aspect of life?
That's like a musician who only accepts, his own musical type.
That's like a preacher who only respects Sunday morning, and not Saturday night
That's how a soldier can come to reflect,
That Love is more than a man and a wife.
Chorus
v.3
In a time of plenty, Jah gonna keep me strong.
Things get hard and I keep cool, yeah,
Jah gonna keep me strong.
When InI cup is empty,
Jah gonna keep I strong.
When InI cup is full, yeah,
Jah keep I from their temptation
The song "True Love" by Soldiers of Jah Army is a concise reflection on the theme of love. The lyrics suggest that love is a universal emotion that is not confined by borders or ethnicity. The first verse compares love to Africa, a continent with diverse cultures but united by the love for their country. Similarly, love is for everyone, irrespective of where they come from. Love transcends all barriers and like the changing seasons, it brings warmth and fond memories. But in these last days, when sin and wickedness prevail, love speaks the truth.
The second verse questions the meaning of love if it only affects one aspect of life. Comparing it to a musician who only listens to one genre of music, or a preacher who only preaches on Sundays, and not on Saturdays. Likewise, the love of a couple is not the only form of love. Love is more than just being married or in a romantic relationship.
The chorus expresses the desire for true love, the kind of love that goes beyond just words. It is a love that one can feel in the valley of the shadow of death, a love that defends and conquers enemies, even envy. The third verse affirms the belief that in times of both plenty and poverty, Jah will keep the singer strong, and protect them from temptation.
Line by Line Meaning
Just like the land that bear the name Africa,
Love is like Africa, vast and beautiful
Love is on my mind.
Love is always on my mind
It's for everyone no matter where you're from,
Love knows no boundaries or limits of nationality
Love, it cross all lines.
Love transcends all barriers
Like the feeling of all the seasons changing,
Love is a feeling that changes with time
Love is a memory
Love is a nostalgic feeling
And in these last days, when iniquity blazing,
In a world full of immorality and sin
Truth Love Speaks.
Love speaks only the truth
I need true love
The singer wants genuine and pure love
Do you know what you mean to me
Do you understand how much you mean to me?
Does it show as I live and I breath
Can you see it in my actions and in my life?
In the valley of the shadow, I know you'll be.
I know you will be there for me even in the most challenging times
I defense, I conquer death
Love gives me strength to defeat death
I conquer the enemy (envy).
Love helps me overcome my insecurities and jealousy
What is love really if it only affects, one aspect of life?
Is love not complete if it doesn't affect every aspect of life?
That's like a musician who only accepts, his own musical type.
That's like a musician who won't listen to anything outside his own genre.
That's like a preacher who only respects Sunday morning, and not Saturday night
That's like a preacher who only does religious things in church, and not outside of it.
That's how a soldier can come to reflect,
That's how a soldier can realize
That Love is more than a man and a wife.
Love is more than just a romantic relationship
In a time of plenty, Jah gonna keep me strong.
In good times, love keeps me firm
Things get hard and I keep cool, yeah,
I remain calm even in tough times
Jah gonna keep me strong.
Love gives me strength
When InI cup is empty,
When I have nothing
Jah gonna keep I strong.
Love gives me strength even in times of scarcity
When InI cup is full, yeah,
Even in times of abundance
Jah keep I from their temptation
Love saves me from the temptation of others
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hazrairahman8595
Just like the land that bear the name Africa
Love is on my mind
It's for everyone no matter where you're from
Love, it cross all lines
Like the feeling of all the seasons changing
Love is a memory
In these last days, when iniquity blazing
Truth love speaks
True love
How do you know, what you mean to me
True love
Where does it show as I live and I breath
True love
In the valley of the shadow
I know that you'll be
(True love) I defense, I conquer death and I conquer the enemy
What is love really if it only affects, one aspect of life?
That's like a musician who only accepts, his own musical type
That's like a preacher who only respects Sunday morning, and not Saturday night
That's how the soldier can come to reflect
That love is more than a man and a wife, I mean
I need true love
Where do you know it, well what you doin' to me (true love)
And does it show as I live and I breath (true love)
In the valley of the shadow, I know you'll be
I defense, I conquer death and I conquer envy
In a time of plenty, Jah gonna keep I strong
Things get how and I keep cool, yeah
Jah gonna keep me strong
When InI cup is empty
Jah gonna keep I strong
When InI cup is full, yeah
Jah keep I from their temptation, come one
True love
Babe do you know what, what you mean to me
True love
Where does it show as I live and I breath
True love
In the valley of the shadow-dow
You'll be
(True love) I defense, I conquer death and I conquer the enemy
@meeckcardelly5047
Minha adolescência já passou , amores fracos ficaram para trás, já curti todo tipo de vibe, conheci mulheres lindas outras chatas e complicadas ,já trabalhei em vários lugares conheci todo tipo de gente já passei por diversas situações triste , e essa música com o passar dos anos sempre esteve me acompanhando, hoje sou marido de uma bela mulher e pai de um garoto muito alegre . E não importa o tempo essa música sempre vai esta comigo .
@mirelabarral6805
Que lindo. Parabéns por sua família
@henriquemattos723
Parabéns !
@aaronfarr927
👌
@gustavinho6832
muito obrigado por esse comentário vc abriu minha cabeça para muitas coisas, felicidades para voce e sua familia
@juniormeganha2609
uma bela reflexão, a gente tem que de alguma forma expor nosso propósito ou situação, mais agindo com ambos, mesmo com advertência, resolvendo. problema veio pra ser resolvido .
@lei6000
Pra mim essa Música é uma das melhoras. Só eu que sinto uma sensação boa que ela trás ? Sensação de viver a vida, de conhecer esse Mundão Lindo, parar no tempo Olha tudo que Deus criou apreciar. Essa Música é tudo de bom. QUE VIBE
@dayanaoliveira3022
É um poema
@murilosantos33
Sai dai crente
@BrunoEduardo-uw1lf
Um poema esse som !
Tenho tatuado no peito 🙌❤