David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born October 17, 1968 in Saint Ann Parish, ghet… Read Full Bio ↴David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born October 17, 1968 in Saint Ann Parish, ghetto of Trenchtown, Jamaica), composer, singer and guitarist, is a multiple Grammy-winning (reggae) Jamaican musician. He is known for songs like "Tomorrow People", "Love Is My Religion" and "A Lifetime", He is the oldest son in the marriage between the singer Rita Anderson (Marley) and late legendary reggae Bob Marley. David's father Bob nicknamed him "Ziggy". A ziggy is a big marijuana spliff on Jamaiaca.

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.

Goo Goo Ga Ga
Ziggy Marley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Goo, goo, goo, goo

I know a monkey, his name is Goo Goo Ga Ga (Goo Goo Gaga)
He climbs up your leg and try to touch your head (touch your head)
I know a lion, her name is Koo Koo Ka Ka (Koo Koo Ka Ka)
She lives in the jungle and her hair is red (her hair is red)

I know a kangaroo, his name is Poo Poo Pa Pa (Poo Poo Pa Pa)

He lives in the land way down under (way down under)
I know a mongoose, her name is Ju Ju Ja Ja (Ju Ju Ja Ja)
Lives in my hometown Jamaica (Jamaica)

I know a horse and his name is Who Who Wha Wha (Who Who Wha Wha)
He's always laughing hee hee ha ha (hee hee ha ha)
I know a cat and her name is Meow Meow (Meow Meow)
Her friend is a dog called Peace Now Peace Now (Peace Now Peace Now)

These are some animals I know, yeah
The snail and the turtle likes to take things slow
The cheetah is fast and the elephant is mighty
Hey these are some animals I know

I know a monkey, his name is Goo Goo Ga Ga (Goo Goo Gaga)
He climbs up your leg and try to touch your head (touch your head)
I know a lion, her name is Koo Koo Ka Ka (Koo Koo Ka Ka)
She lives in the jungle and her hair is red (her hair is red)

I know a kangaroo, his name is Poo Poo Pa Pa (Poo Poo Pa Pa)
He lives in the land way down under (way down under)
I know a mongoose, her name is Ju Ju Ja Ja (Ju Ju Ja Ja)
Lives in my hometown Jamaica (Jamaica)

I know a horse and his name is Who Who Wha Wha (Who Who Wha Wha)
He's always laughing hee hee ha ha (hee hee ha ha)
I know a cat and her name is Meow Meow (Meow Meow)
Her friend is a dog called Peace Now Peace Now (Peace Now Peace Now)

These are some animals I know, yeah
The snail and the turtle likes to take things slow

The cheetah is fast and the elephant is mighty
These are some animals I know

Overall Meaning

Ziggy Marley's song "Goo Goo Ga Ga" is a playful ode to animals, with each verse introducing a new creature and their unique characteristics. The song opens with the line "I know a monkey, his name is Goo Goo Ga Ga," and proceeds to describe a lion with red hair, a kangaroo from down under, a mongoose from Jamaica, and a horse with an infectious laugh, among others. The chorus repeats the animal introductions and emphasizes the diversity of the animal world.

On the surface, "Goo Goo Ga Ga" may seem like a simple children's song, but there are deeper layers of meaning present. The song celebrates the wonder and variety of the natural world, reminding listeners to appreciate the diversity of life around them. Additionally, the song hints at the interconnectedness of all living things, as evidenced by the friendships between the cat and dog mentioned at the end of the song.

Overall, "Goo Goo Ga Ga" is a joyful, upbeat song that encourages children and adults alike to explore the world around them and appreciate the beauty and diversity of nature.

Line by Line Meaning

Goo, goo, goo, goo
The song begins with a nonsensical repetition of syllables.

I know a monkey, his name is Goo Goo Ga Ga (Goo Goo Gaga)
The singer knows a monkey named Goo Goo Ga Ga.

He climbs up your leg and try to touch your head (touch your head)
Goo Goo Ga Ga climbs up people's legs to try and touch their heads.

I know a lion, her name is Koo Koo Ka Ka (Koo Koo Ka Ka)
The singer knows a lion named Koo Koo Ka Ka.

She lives in the jungle and her hair is red (her hair is red)
Koo Koo Ka Ka lives in the jungle and has red hair.

I know a kangaroo, his name is Poo Poo Pa Pa (Poo Poo Pa Pa)
The singer knows a kangaroo named Poo Poo Pa Pa.

He lives in the land way down under (way down under)
Poo Poo Pa Pa lives in Australia, also known as the land down under.

I know a mongoose, her name is Ju Ju Ja Ja (Ju Ju Ja Ja)
The singer knows a mongoose named Ju Ju Ja Ja.

Lives in my hometown Jamaica (Jamaica)
Ju Ju Ja Ja lives in the singer's hometown of Jamaica.

I know a horse and his name is Who Who Wha Wha (Who Who Wha Wha)
The singer knows a horse named Who Who Wha Wha.

He's always laughing hee hee ha ha (hee hee ha ha)
Who Who Wha Wha is a very happy horse who is always laughing.

I know a cat and her name is Meow Meow (Meow Meow)
The singer knows a cat named Meow Meow.

Her friend is a dog called Peace Now Peace Now (Peace Now Peace Now)
Meow Meow's friend is a dog named Peace Now Peace Now.

These are some animals I know, yeah
The singer is sharing a list of animals he knows.

The snail and the turtle likes to take things slow
The snail and the turtle are both slow-moving animals.

The cheetah is fast and the elephant is mighty
The cheetah is a very fast animal, while the elephant is very large and strong.

Hey these are some animals I know
The singer is still sharing his list of known animals.

I know a monkey, his name is Goo Goo Ga Ga (Goo Goo Gaga)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the monkey named Goo Goo Ga Ga.

He climbs up your leg and try to touch your head (touch your head)
The monkey tries to touch people's heads by climbing up their legs.

I know a lion, her name is Koo Koo Ka Ka (Koo Koo Ka Ka)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the lion named Koo Koo Ka Ka.

She lives in the jungle and her hair is red (her hair is red)
The singer again notes that Koo Koo Ka Ka lives in the jungle and has red hair.

I know a kangaroo, his name is Poo Poo Pa Pa (Poo Poo Pa Pa)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the kangaroo named Poo Poo Pa Pa.

He lives in the land way down under (way down under)
Again, the singer notes that Poo Poo Pa Pa lives in Australia, also known as the land down under.

I know a mongoose, her name is Ju Ju Ja Ja (Ju Ju Ja Ja)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the mongoose named Ju Ju Ja Ja.

Lives in my hometown Jamaica (Jamaica)
Again, the singer notes that Ju Ju Ja Ja lives in his hometown of Jamaica.

I know a horse and his name is Who Who Wha Wha (Who Who Wha Wha)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the horse named Who Who Wha Wha.

He's always laughing hee hee ha ha (hee hee ha ha)
Again, the singer notes that Who Who Wha Wha is a happy horse who always laughs.

I know a cat and her name is Meow Meow (Meow Meow)
The singer repeats his earlier mention of the cat named Meow Meow.

Her friend is a dog called Peace Now Peace Now (Peace Now Peace Now)
Again, the singer notes that Meow Meow's friend is a dog named Peace Now Peace Now.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David Marley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS