Jimmy Cliff - That's The Way Life Goes (example & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a five part series that showcases three African American songs and one Caribbean song that have a "that's life" theme. By "that's life themes" I mean songs which reflect and promote the value that some Black people and some non-Black people have of being stoic when bad things happen to them.

This post showcases Jimmy Cliff's 1969 record "That’s The Way Life Goes".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/nina-simone-it-bes-that-way-sometimes.html for Part I of this series. That post showcases Nina Simone's 1967 record "It Be's That Way" and includes a listing of and comments about "That's life" sayings.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/joe-simon-it-bes-that-way-sometimes.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases Joe Simon's 1974 record "It Be's That Way Sometimes".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-real-meanings-of-breaks-in-kurtis.html for Part IV of this series. Part IV showcases Kurtis Blow's 1980's record "The Breaks" and provides explanations for the various meanings of "the breaks" and other lines including the word "break" that are found in this rap.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/denise-lasalle-it-bes-that-way.html for Part V of this series. Part V showcases Denise LaSalle's 1985 record "It Be's That Way Sometimes".

Those showcased songs are only a sampling of what I call "that's life" songs.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thank to Jimmy Cliff for his musical legacy. Thanks also to also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this example on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JIMMY CLIFF
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Cliff
"Jimmy Cliff, OM (born James Chambers, 1 April 1948)[2] is a Jamaican reggae musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and actor. He is the only living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Cliff is best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Wonderful World, Beautiful People", "The Harder They Come", "Sitting in Limbo", "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Many Rivers to Cross" from the soundtrack to The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae across the world,[3] and his covers of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings. He starred in the film The Harder They Come. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010."

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Jimmy Cliff - That's the Way Life Goes



DeGigantischeSok, Uploaded on Apr 11, 2009

Studio version of That's the Way Life Goes, from Jimmy Cliff's album, Wonderful World, Beautiful People.
-snip-
Here's a commentfrom this example's discussion thread:
dagzine, 2011
"It was first on the LP _Can't Get Enough of It_ on Veep Records, 1969. A&M released it on this album in 1970. It's the penultimate track on Wonderful World and the opening track on Can't Get Enough. Can't Get Enough of It is a brilliant record. Find it."

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LYRICS: THAT'S THE WAY LIFE GOES
(Written by Jimmy Cliff)

As I walk along the street each day
These are the words I hear some people say
Maybe a girl never dig a guy
A deal is riding high
Today you’re up on top
Tomorrow you’re right down flat
Everybody seem to turn their back
You’re all alone on your own
Without a home no place to roam

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

That’s the way life goes tomorrow one never knows
That’s the way life goes today
Don’t you know
That’s the way life goes tomorrow one never knows
That’s the way life goes today

Now another fella told me that
And I believe this for a fact
Nobody knows that when they’re down and out
Make you feel you’re left out
When you get up on your feet again
Everybody wants to be your friend
Telling you on them you can depend
Now you’re a king
Got everything
You’re my friend
You can sing

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

That’s the way life goes tomorrow one never knows
That’s the way life goes today
Don’t you know it
That’s the way life goes tomorrow one never knows
That’s the way life goes today

Don’t you know it
That’s the way life goes tomorrow one never knows
That’s the way life goes today
---
Source: http://www.lyrics.com/thats-the-way-life-goes-lyrics-jimmy-cliff.html

Lyrics submitted by Roland Collins.

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This ends Part II of this series.

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