Ziggy learned Rastafari faith from his parents and had access to some of the world's best reggae musicians in the comp band of his father – the legendary reggae Wailers. Ziggy Marley first sat in on recording sessions with Bob Marley and the Wailers when he was around 10 years old. Joining with his three siblings to become The Melody Makers, Ziggy crafted his own soulful sound blending blues, RnB, hip-hop and roots reggae.
After their first two albums, Play The Game Right (1985) and Hey World! (1986), The Melody Makers earned their first Grammy (Best Reggae Recording) for Conscious Party (1988), an album produced by Talking Heads Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth which included the hit songs "Tomorrow People" and "Tumbling Down."
Subsequent albums included the Grammy-winning One Bright Day (1989), Jamekya (1991), Joy and Blues (1993), Free Like We Want 2 B (1995), their third Grammy winner Fallen is Babylon (1997), Spirit of Music (1999) and Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Live, Vol 1 (2000), which featured some of their biggest hits as well as a cover of Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved."
While selling records by the millions and selling out countless concerts with the Melody Makers, including a recent European tour, Ziggy Marley has never lost sight of his foundation of faith, fellowship and family.
After two decades as the driving creative force behind The Melody Makers, Ziggy stepped out on his own with his first solo album, Dragonfly (2003). Never content to rehash the success of his past, Ziggy uses Dragonfly to explore new ground and create his own distinctive musical identity as a solo artist.
"Working on my own gave me a chance to take my time and experiment a lot," Ziggy says of the material on Dragonfly." It took one year to finish this record. It's the longest I've ever worked on a album. It's different when you on your own. At some point it's scary and then at another it's a drive that makes you focus more."
Although the members of the most close-knit musical families often yearn to step out on their own, for Ziggy, a solo debut was not a long-awaited goal. "It's not something that I wished for since I began doing music," he says. "It was just the circumstances, and I wanted to be true to myself and what I feel. The record has strong messages and it feels good."
In addition to being Ziggy's first album of solo material, for Dragonfly he felt it was time for a change of scene. "Usually we record in Kingston. These songs were written in Jamaica and recorded in America. I did the first set of recordings in a house in Miami and then went to L.A. rented a house, set up my equipment and basically did the rest there. I left Jamaica for a while, because as an artist I need to experience different things, to see the world and have different energies. Living in one place is not good for me and I was tired of making music in a studio setting. I wanted it to be more like everyday life a part of me.
"As an individual, I've opened up more by traveling outside Jamaica, and I've been more able to be open to people and ideas. It helps me to grow as a person to be outside of my element; to be on my own in a strange place meeting people. That's good for me not to be in my secure domain."
The evidence of that growth is everywhere on Dragonfly.
On July 2nd, 2006, Ziggy released his second album, Love is My Religion. He states "This album is from my heart," and he feels that he embraces his spiritual and emotional side of life. This album show Ziggy coming into his own as an artist, as he wrote all of the songs for the album and played nearly all of the instruments.
Love is My Religion is a testament to Ziggy Marley's talent as he follows in the footsteps of his father, the Legend.
Everyone Wants to Be a cowboy
Ziggy Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone wants to be the superstar live like a star and driving the fancy car
Everyone wants to get some fame playing the man's game
Everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Capone said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Hey yo warning to informers and traitors first one die will be the instigator
Who died and left you commentator outer body experience see it's not all good
Look into the eyes of who was once Clint Eastwood
Fire koombaya for back up call Libya soldiers hold your fire I see Ethiopia
I hear you boast about who you toast around the coast
But once you hear the fire you vanish like human ghost sucker
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Sandokas said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Jesse James said him rough and no one is gonna back down
The lyrics of "Everyone Wants to Be" by Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers touch on the theme of people's desire for power, fame, and admiration. The first two lines of the song mention how everyone wants to live the life of a cowboy or an outlaw. These are historical American figures who are associated with a sense of rebellion and freedom, and Romero's lyrics suggest that people aspire to this sense of autonomy.
As the song develops, the lyrics describe how everyone wants to be a superstar and achieve fame. It is clear that the song is pointing towards the modern obsession with celebrity culture and the desire for success. The song includes a nod to Al Capone, a notorious gangster from the Prohibition era, who embodies the sense of power and authority that many people crave.
The lyrics also include a call to those who seek to betray others. The song warns that those who betray others will be the first ones to die, placing a clear emphasis on the importance of loyalty and trust. Later in the song, Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers refer to a spiritual experience, suggesting that there is more to life than the pursuit of power and wealth.
Overall, the song "Everyone Wants to Be" highlights the human desire for power, fame, and fortune, but also acknowledges the importance of spirituality and human connection. The lyrics suggest that these two desires may be at odds, and that a balance needs to be struck in order to live a fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
People aspire to live a life like a cowboy, with adventure and risk-taking, like in the wild west.
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
People aspire to be lawbreakers, to live life on their own terms, unbound by the constraints of society.
Well everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone pretends to be tough and won't back down in the face of adversity.
Everyone wants to be the superstar live like a star and driving the fancy car
People aspire to be rich, famous and drive fancy cars, like a superstar.
Everyone wants to get some fame playing the man's game
People want to gain fame by playing a game that is predominantly men's, in a world where men dominate.
Capone said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Capone declared that he was tough and unyielding.
Hey yo warning to informers and traitors first one die will be the instigator
A warning is issued to those who betray and inform on others, that they will face the consequences, and be held accountable for their actions.
Who died and left you commentator outer body experience see it's not all good
A rhetorical question is asked about who gave authority for the individual to criticize, followed by a statement that having an out-of-body experience, one can see that things are not always good.
Look into the eyes of who was once Clint Eastwood
One should look into the eyes of someone who was once like Clint Eastwood, a strong and tough character.
Fire koombaya for back up call Libya soldiers hold your fire I see Ethiopia
A call for back up is made, followed by a warning to Libyan soldiers to hold their fire, as the singer sees Ethiopia, and conflict is escalated.
I hear you boast about who you toast around the coast
The singer has heard others boasting about who they congratulated along the coast.
But once you hear the fire you vanish like human ghost sucker
Once one hears the sound of gunshots, they disappear like ghosts, showing that their bravado was only a facade.
Sandokas said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Sandokas declared that he was tough and would never yield in the face of opposition.
Jesse James said him rough and no one is gonna back down
Jesse James claimed that he was rough and no one could make him give up.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: EUGENE RECORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mateus Giacobbo Aristimunho
Be
Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE LYRICS
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone wants to be the superstar live like a star and driving the fancy car
Everyone wants to get some fame playing the man's game
Everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Capone said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Hey yo warning to informers and traitors first one die will be the instigator
Who died and left you commentator outer body experience see it's not all good
Look into the eyes of who was once Clint Eastwood
Fire koombaya for back up call Libya soldiers hold your fire I see Ethiopia
I hear you boast about who you toast around the coast
But once you hear teh fire you vanish like human ghost sucker
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Sandokas said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Jesse James said him rough and no one is gonna back down
Project 876 Brogad
I remember listening to this son when I was about 5 years old. Now 27 years later at age 32 I suddenly started singing this son one morning. Haven't seen or hear anything about it in 27 years... funny how our brains work... I had to come YouTube it
Eli Cuthbert
À
Mateus Giacobbo Aristimunho
Be
Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE LYRICS
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone wants to be the superstar live like a star and driving the fancy car
Everyone wants to get some fame playing the man's game
Everyone tough and no one is gonna back down
Capone said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Hey yo warning to informers and traitors first one die will be the instigator
Who died and left you commentator outer body experience see it's not all good
Look into the eyes of who was once Clint Eastwood
Fire koombaya for back up call Libya soldiers hold your fire I see Ethiopia
I hear you boast about who you toast around the coast
But once you hear teh fire you vanish like human ghost sucker
Everyone wants to be the cowboy living life the wild wild west style
Everyone wants to be the outlaw
Well everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Everyone's tough and no one is gonna back down
Sandokas said him tough and no one is gonna back down
Jesse James said him rough and no one is gonna back down
M.E. Summer
Excellent song
richardlyew
it feels as if this is Jamaica's theme song today in 2022
diplomatic Immunity
Jus talking to my nephew about stuff n this jus popped up in my head...so i told him everyones wants to be da cowboy...minutes later youtube have it to rassclaat...thanks fi di upload👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
goa
I had this in VHS recorded from MTV
Jan Brien
This is the song from a strange, funny movie called Gunslinger's Revenge starring Harvey Keitel and David Bowie.
Maxx Laurenzi
Strange and mediocre italian movie.
Samba Nelly
Wyclef Jean and Jerry Wonda Production. 🇭🇹💯