It is 44 years since Robert Nesta Marley aka Bob Marley passed on aged 36. The man came to this earth with a revolutionary mind. When I first listened to his music in the 1980s, it blew my mind and I knew that the man was a born philosopher.
Up to now, Bob Marley’s message of peace and love continues to touch hearts around the world. Though Marley’s life was cut short at the age of 36 by a rare form of skin cancer, his revolutionary message continues to spread through his songs.
Bob Marley’s words embody love, freedom, and resilience, making them timeless and universally impactful. I am yet to come across any Zimbabwean aged 30 or above who has never heard about Bob Marley.
With his band, The Wailers, Marley popularized reggae music and the Rastafarian religion far beyond his home country of Jamaica.
Below, are some of the many iconic Bob Marley quotes that continue to inspire and resonate with me and with people all over the world. If you have not come across any of the lyrics below, then you do not know who this iconic musician is:
“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul / Wisdom is better than silver and gold.” — ( from the album Bob Marley and the Wailers, Zion Train)
“One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain.” — Bob Marley, Trench Town Rock.
“None but ourselves can free our minds.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Redemption Song “Let righteousness cover the earth like the water cover the sea!” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Revolution
“There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air. If you listen carefully now, you will hear.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Natural Mystic
“One love, one heart / Let’s get together and feel alright” — Bob Marley, All in One.
“When the morning gathers the rainbow / Want you to know I’m a rainbow too.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Sun is Shining.
“If you know your history / Then you would know where you coming from / Then you wouldn’t have to ask me / Who the heck do I think I am.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Buffalo Soldier
“Two thousand years of history (history) Could not be wiped away so easily’’- Bob Marley Zion Train...
“Prejudice is a chain, it can hold you. If you prejudice, you can’t move, you keep prejudice for years. Never get nowhere with that.” — Bob Marley
When the morning gathers the rainbow / Want you to know I’m a rainbow too.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Sun is Shining. Reggae has to be inside you... Reggae music is simple, all the while ... Cannot be taught, that’s a fact.” — Bob Marley
“Everything in life got its purpose / Find its reason in every season.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Forever Loving Jah
“If you get down and you quarrel everyday / You’re saying prayers to the devils, I say.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Positive Vibration.
“Get up, stand up / Stand up for your right / Get up, stand up / Don’t give up the fight.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Get Up, Stand Up.
“Possession make you rich? I don’t have that type of richness. My richness is life, forever.” — Bob Marley.
“Today, people struggle to find what’s real. Everything has become so synthetic that a lot of people, all they want is to grasp onto hope.” — Bob Marley
“My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever.” — Bob Marley
“Won’t you help to sing / These songs of freedom?” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Redemption Song.
“So, come with me, to a land of liberty, / Where we can live, live our lives and be free.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, 400 years.
“Sun is shining, the weather is sweet, yeah / Make you wanna move your dancing feet now.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Sun is Shining.
They don’t want to see us unite / All they want us to do is /Keep on fussing and fighting / They don’t want to see us live together / All they want us to do is / Keep on killin’ one another.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Top Rankin.
“Live for yourself and you will live in vain / Live for others, you will live again” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Pass It On.
In this bright future you can’t forget your past / So dry your tears I say.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, No Woman, No Cry.
“But we won’t worry, we won’t shed no tears / We found a way to cast away the fears.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Forever Loving Jah.
“You say dabble in politics, I don’t know what that is. You say stand up and talk for my rights — I know what that is.” — Bob Marley
“Rise up this morning, smiled with the rising sun.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Three Little Birds.
“Hear the children crying / But I know they cry not in vain / Now the times are changing / Love has come to bloom again.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, Hallelujah Time.
That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation / Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes / Me say war.” — Bob Marley and the Wailers, War.
More quotes from different albums:
“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.”
“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold.”
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.”
“When one door is closed, don’t you know, another is open.”
“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?”
.“In this bright future, you can’t forget your past.”
“Live for yourself and you will live in vain; live for others, and you will live again.”
“Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!”
In a 1973 interview. with Billboard, Marley spoke of his intention to spread his music worldwide:
“My music gets my message across, so we are touring for more than commercial reasons ... Reggae is for everyone, and we hope we can help everyone with our music.”
Indeed, his music spread throughout the world. It even reached Zimbabwe during the country’s Independence celebrations in 1980 and this is one reason Zimbabweans will never forget Bob Marley. Since then, his music has always played a ubiquitous role in our society even among those who were born after 1980.
While many have heard classic Marley tunes like Three Little Birds and All in One, some of his more radical songs are less widely known.
In songs like War and 400 Years, Marley advocated for racial justice, spoke out about poverty, and promoted worldwide liberation.
The Bob Marley influence upon various populations remains unparalleled, irrespective of race, color or creed. His revolutionary yet unifying music, challenging colonialism, racism, “fighting against ism and scism” as he sang in One Drop, has had profound effects even in countries where English or Jamaican Patois isn’t widely spoken.
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