One, two, three, four!
Wake up and live, y’all
Wake up and live!
Wake up and live now!
Wake up and live!
Life is one big road with lots of signs
So when you riding through the ruts, don’t you complicate your mind:
Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy!
Don’t bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality, yeah!
All together now:
Wake up and live (wake up and live, y’all)
Wake up and live (wake up and live)
Wake up and wake up and live, yeah! (wake up and live now)
Wake up and (wake up and live) – wake up and live!
Rise ye mighty people, ye-ah!
There’s work to be done
So let’s do it-a little by little:
Rise from your sleepless slumber! Yes, yeah! Yes, yeah!
We’re more than sand on the seashore
We’re more than numbers
All together now:
Wake up and live now, y’all!
(Wake up and live) Wake up and live!
Wake up and live, y’all!
(Wake up and live) Wake up and live now!
You see, one – one cocoa full a basket
Whey they use you live big today: tomorrow you buried in-a casket
One – one cocoa full a basket, yeah, yes!
Whey they use you live big today: tomorrow you bury in-a casket
W’all together now:
(Wake up and live now!) Wake up and live! Oh! Yeah-eah!
(Wake up and live!) Uh!
(Wake up and live now!) Wake up and live!
(Wake up and live) Keep on playin’!
(Wake up and live, y’all) Uh! Yeah! Yeah!
(Wake up and live!)
(Wake up and live now!)
(Wake up and live!) Break it down!
Come on, man!
How is it feelin’ over there?
(Wake up and live now) All right!
(Wake up and live!) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Uh!
Come on, man!
You gotta wake up and live!
Life is one big road in hands of time
So when you ride into the rust don’t you complicate your mind
Free from the hate yeah
And even jealousy
Come bury your thought put your dreams to reality yeah
W’all together now:
(Wake up and live, y’all)
(Wake up and live!) Wake up and live, yea-eah!
(Wake up and live now!)
(Wake up and live!)
Wake up and live now!
(Wake up and live) Wo-oh!
Wake up and live now!
Wake up and live
Empowerment Through Awareness
“Wake Up And Live” by Bob Marley is a stirring anthem urging listeners to rise above negativity and complacency. The song’s repeated call to “wake up and live” serves as a powerful reminder to be active participants in our own lives. Marley’s lyrics highlight the importance of freeing the mind from hatred, jealousy, and unnecessary complications, encouraging a focus on positivity and real action. He paints life as a journey littered with signs and choices, urging his audience to turn dreams into reality and to remember that even small, consistent efforts—like “one cocoa full a basket”—can lead to meaningful change.
Collective Action and Unity
Marley’s message extends to the collective, urging “mighty people” to rise together and address the work that needs doing. The song is both a call to individual consciousness and a rallying cry for unity and progress. By emphasizing that people are “more than sand on the seashore,” he reminds us of our strength in numbers and the potential for greatness when we work together.
Song Credits
- Artist: Bob Marley
- Songwriters: Bob Marley, Anthony “Sangie” Davis
- Release Year: 1979
- Label: Island Records