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.
Free Like We Want 2 B
Ziggy Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some time you want to get off
Leave the work and take off
But the boss man say you gonna lose you pay
No chain on your feet now
9 to 5 got you beat now
You working hard to save
Inflation like a tidal wave
Are we free like we want to be
Tell me are we free like we want to be
Are we free like we want to be
Tell me are we free like we want to be
Racist get defeat
Black Man vote and take you seat
Now them think we gonna quiet
Maybe we start a riot
Whan happen to the diamond they stole
The innocent blood run cold
Do we still have to live in poverty
Now they say we're free to be poor
But are we free like we want to be
Black Man are we free like we want to be
Tell me are we free like want to be
Are you free are you free
Kept in emotion
Will cause an explosion
Let your love go
Let me know
Some people expect
That's not what them get
Become no slave
Of them evil and wicked ways
Are we free like we want to be
Are we free like we want to be
Are you free like you want to be
Are we free like we want to be
Can't walk the streets late at night
Without fear of parasite
Everyone has a inborn right
A inborn right to live
Who gave us the reason to fight
By promoting negative vibes
Who taught us of drugs and crime
Now they say we're free to homicide
Committing geoncide
We freely homicide committing genocide
Man we free like we want to be
Black Man we free like we want to be
Tell me we free like we want to be
Are you free like you want to be
We want to be free
Free like we want to be
Ziggy Marley's song "Be Free" is a call for freedom, both politically and personally. The verses of the song paint a picture of the frustrations and limitations that can come with working a 9 to 5 job, with the boss man holding power over the employee's time and resources. The lyrics also touch on issues of racism and poverty, referencing the diamond trade and the systemic oppression of Black people. The chorus repeatedly asks the question, "Are we free like we want to be?" as the singer muses on the different forms of oppression that can hold individuals or entire groups back from true freedom.
The lyrics are also reflective of Marley's own personal views on the concept of freedom. The son of Bob Marley, one of the most famous reggae musicians of all time, Ziggy has always been heavily influenced by his father's music and message of peace and freedom. In an interview with the Guardian, he stated that he hope his own music will help spread his father's message to a new generation.
Overall, "Be Free" is a message of hope and empowerment, urging listeners to examine their own lives and the systems that hold them back, and to work towards true freedom and equality for themselves and others.
Line by Line Meaning
Free like we want to be
Being free like we want to be
Some time you want to get off
Sometimes you just want to take a break
Leave the work and take off
Leave work and get some rest
But the boss man say you gonna lose you pay
But the boss says you'll lose your pay if you leave
No chain on your feet now
There's no chain on your feet, you are not a slave
9 to 5 got you beat now
Working from 9 to 5 is exhausting
You working hard to save
You're working hard to save money
Inflation like a tidal wave
Inflation is rising uncontrollably
Are we free like we want to be
Are we really free like we want to be
Tell me are we free like we want to be
Tell me if we're really free like we want to be
Racist get defeat
Racists are getting defeated
Black Man vote and take you seat
Black people voted and took their place/seat in society
Now them think we gonna quiet
Now they think we will remain silent
Maybe we start a riot
Maybe we will start a riot/protest
Whan happen to the diamond they stole
What happened to the diamonds they stole from us
The innocent blood run cold
The innocent blood they shed is haunting us
Do we still have to live in poverty
Are we still living in poverty
Now they say we're free to be poor
Now they say we're free to live in poverty
But are we free like we want to be
But are we really free like we want to be
Black Man are we free like we want to be
Black people, are we really free like we want to be
Tell me are we free like want to be
Tell me if we're really free like we want to be
Are you free are you free
Are you really free
Kept in emotion
Suppressed emotions
Will cause an explosion
Will cause a mental breakdown/eruption
Let your love go
Let love prevail
Let me know
Share your thoughts and feelings with me
Some people expect
Some people have expectations
That's not what them get
But they don't always get what they expect
Become no slave
Don't become a slave
Of them evil and wicked ways
Of their evil and wicked ways
Can't walk the streets late at night
Can't walk the streets at night without fear
Without fear of parasite
Without fear of being attacked/harmed
Everyone has a inborn right
Everyone has the right to live safely
A inborn right to live
Everyone is born with the right to live
Who gave us the reason to fight
Who gave us a reason to fight
By promoting negative vibes
By promoting negativity
Who taught us of drugs and crime
Who taught us about drugs and crime
Now they say we're free to homicide
Now they say we're free to commit murder
Committing geoncide
Committing genocide
We freely homicide committing genocide
We are committing genocide through committing murder freely
Man we free like we want to be
Man, are we really free like we want to be
Black Man we free like we want to be
Black people, are we really free like we want to be
Tell me we free like we want to be
Tell me if we're really free like we want to be
Are you free like you want to be
Are you really free like you want to be
We want to be free
We truly want to experience freedom
Free like we want to be
We want to experience freedom in the way we want it
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVID MARLEY, ZIGGY MARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aldi Septian
on Love Is My Religion
steady
Aldi Septian
on True To Myself
steady.
Oznir Selbor
on Changes
best of the the best
Metin Karamanoğlu
on True To Myself
seni hep dinliyorum.
Sigrid Pauline
on True To Myself
���
James Bryan C Quipanes
on True To Myself
nice cool music Jah rastafarai :)
James Bryan C Quipanes
on True To Myself
yes man .
Joseni Dias
on Never Deny You
ziggi marlei so pedra curte so
Christopher McGrowder
on A Lifetime
love this so much
Christopher McGrowder
on Melancholy Mood
gwaan foodie respect