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.
Hold 'Em Joe
Ziggy Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold him Joe but don't let him go
Hold him Joe, hold him Joe,
Hold him Joe but don't let him go
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Spring 'round the corner, hold him Joe
Donkey want water, hold him Joe
Everybody want water, hold him Joe
We on a journey he don't walk straight
And that is because he is so underweight
Donkey of mine him don't like no weight
I put him on a cart
Him never walk straight
Donkey want water, hold him Joe
Spring 'round the corner, hold him Joe
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Ooma lacka lacka chimba, hold him Joe
Some people say that my donkey's bad
And that's because he's from Trinidad
Donkey of mine he won't work at all
All him wanna do is break out him stall
Donkey want water, hold him Joe
Spring 'round the corner, hold him Joe
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Everybody want water, hold him Joe
Hold him Joe, hold him Joe,
Hold him Joe but don't let him go
Hold him Joe, hold him Joe,
Hold him Joe but don't let him go
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Spring 'round the corner, hold him Joe
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Everybody want water, hold him Joe
Ooma lacka licki chimba, hold him Joe
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
Hold him and ya hold him, hold him Joe
Hold him mek we hold him, hold him Joe
Ro mek we hold him, hold him Joe
Come make we hold him,
Hold him, hold him Joe
You maka mek we hold him, hold him Joe
Say mek we make we hold him,
Hold him Joe
Donkey want water,
Hold him Joe
The donkey want water,
Hold him Joe
Donkey want water, hold him Joe
Hold him and we hold him,
Hold him, hold him Joe
Hold him and we hold him,
Hold him, hold him Joe
Hold him and we hold him,
Hold him, hold him Joe
Oh we hold him, hold him Joe
In Ziggy Marley's song Hold Him Joe, the lyrics depict a situation where a donkey is in need of water and requires assistance. The chorus repeats the phrase "hold him Joe" to emphasize the importance of keeping the donkey close and not letting him go. The verses describe the donkey's condition, with a lack of weight being the reason for his inability to walk straight. The donkey also appears to be stubborn and uncooperative, which can be frustrating to his owner. The lyrics suggest that everyone needs water, and the donkey is no exception.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold him Joe, hold him Joe,
The singer is singing to Joe to hold onto something or someone.
Hold him Joe but don't let him go
The singer wants Joe to keep holding onto something and not let go.
The donkey want water, hold him Joe
The singer wants Joe to hold onto the donkey because it wants water.
Spring 'round the corner, hold him Joe
The artist wants Joe to hold onto something because spring is coming soon.
Everybody want water, hold him Joe
The artist wants Joe to hold onto something because everybody wants water.
We on a journey he don't walk straight
The singer is on a journey with someone who can't walk straight.
And that is because he is so underweight
The person on the journey can't walk straight because they are too thin.
Donkey of mine him don't like no weight
The artist's donkey doesn't like carrying heavy loads.
I put him on a cart Him never walk straight
The artist puts the donkey on a cart because it can't walk straight.
Ooma lacka lacka chimba, hold him Joe
This line doesn't have a specific meaning, it's just a nonsensical phrase used for the song's rhythm.
Some people say that my donkey's bad
Some people say that the singer's donkey is no good or useless.
And that's because he's from Trinidad
People attribute the donkey's bad behavior to the fact that it's from Trinidad.
Donkey of mine he won't work at all
The singer's donkey refuses to do any work.
All him wanna do is break out him stall
The donkey only wants to break out of its stall and not do any work.
Hold him and ya hold him, hold him Joe
The singer wants Joe to keep holding onto something.
Hold him mek we hold him, hold him Joe
The artist wants everyone to help Joe hold onto something.
Ro mek we hold him, hold him Joe
The artist wants someone named Ro to help hold onto something.
Come make we hold him, Hold him, hold him Joe
The singer wants everyone to come and hold onto something.
You maka mek we hold him, hold him Joe
The singer is encouraging someone to also help hold onto something.
Say mek we make we hold him, hold him Joe
The artist encourages everyone to work together to hold onto something.
Oh we hold him, hold him Joe
The artist is singing that they are holding onto something with Joe.
Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC.
Written by: H THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daveparker5541
We sung this in the 6th grade in 1991!!
@cotycole6027
So did we 🤣 my music teacher was awesome! Mr. Agey!
@davidvanscheppingen
I love your music i did love to go to a concert of you man, RESPECT ;)
@mikerafone100
fingers crossed.. see you at boomtown
@bowendyce3lamore192
your bob marley son omg i knew it beeacuse your is marley✨✨✨✨✨✨
@katherinesunita1887
Love this album except you maligned trinidadians, racist comment that should not your escape your concept of brotherhood and love
@frankrusso8179
Katherine Sunita on this song? It’s a Harry belafonte song...
@palootto4021
All in humor.
@katherinesunita1887
@@palootto4021 my little kids dont think it's funny, and now, we have learned that it is a classic bullying technique insulting others and call it a joke.