 The Harder They Come (1972) [ larger cover art ] |
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Well, they tell me of a pie up in the sky
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day you're born and when you die
They never seem to hear even your cry
So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine
And then the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Ooh, the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Well, the oppressors are trying to keep me down
Trying to drive me underground
And they think that they have got the battle won
I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done
'Cause, as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine
And then the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Ooh, the harder they come
Harder they fall, one and all
And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave
So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine
And then the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Ooh, the harder they come
Harder they fall, one and all
Hey, the harder they come
Harder they fall, one and all
What I say now
What I Say now
What I say now
What I say, one time
The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all
The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all
| Boy_Wonder (Bath, back in the UK) | Posted: May 17, 2013 - 06:19 Dinges,_the_Dude wrote: Nice, but I like Joe Jacksons version best... Eeekkk!!! JJ's good, but not that good! |
| Boy_Wonder (Bath, back in the UK) | Posted: May 17, 2013 - 06:19 Dinges,_the_Dude wrote: Nice, but I like Joe Jacksons version best... Eeekkk!!! JJ's good, but not that good! |
| barryboy (Sussex by the sea.) | Posted: Apr 06, 2013 - 01:30 Just noticed date. Must of been 70's (memory not so good.  ) |
| barryboy (Sussex by the sea.) | Posted: Apr 06, 2013 - 01:24 Good memories of travelling fairs in the 60's.. They'd play this on the big rides. |
| Proclivities (Paris of the Piedmont) | Posted: Feb 26, 2013 - 06:30  |
| walk (SF) | Posted: Jan 30, 2013 - 22:18 I'd rather be a free man in the grave, than living as a puppet or a slave!  |
| mostling | Posted: Jan 22, 2013 - 12:19 I love this entire album. This movie introduced me to reggae even before Bob Marley. Pressure Drop! |
| Dinges,_the_Dude (below sea-level, N52°37', E4°88') | Posted: Dec 30, 2012 - 14:07 Nice, but I like Joe Jacksons version best... |
| mikerinella (Trieste ( Italy)) | Posted: Oct 20, 2012 - 10:31 Oh yeah!!! |
| drsteevo (Location Location) | Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 08:17 wlpendley wrote: This song has a very special, magical quality: It will erase any unwanted song that is "stuck in your head". I'm serious. If you ever find some crap song playing on a "closed loop" over and over in your mind, just hum a few bars of this. Presto! You are free :-) I am going to try to remember this advice next time that happens to me. I will let you know if it works. |
| haresfur (Bendigo Australia) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 15:35 Great tune for a Friday. Thanks Bill, for accounting for the International Date Line in you play list! |
| neuticle (fog fog fog) | Posted: May 15, 2012 - 14:49 The best soundtrack , possibly ever. |
| wlpendley (New Mexico) | Posted: Apr 22, 2012 - 11:17 This song has a very special, magical quality: It will erase any unwanted song that is "stuck in your head". I'm serious. If you ever find some crap song playing on a "closed loop" over and over in your mind, just hum a few bars of this. Presto! You are free :-) |
| Snoopy2 (Earth) | Posted: Mar 21, 2012 - 18:39 OH YEAH!!!!  |
| toterola (Further) | Posted: Jan 25, 2012 - 19:08 Respect to Tim Armstrong for giving props to and old school master. Here's a clip of Jimmy covering a Rancid song.  |
| cohifi (Denver) | Posted: Jan 25, 2012 - 19:06 Roots Reggae.....and everything else in between.....this is why RP rules. |
| ZiegZeon (Tulsa, OK) | Posted: Nov 23, 2011 - 07:31 Ahhhh. Nice classice Reggae. Always nice to hear this. |
| bluecshells (EARTH) | Posted: Nov 23, 2011 - 07:29 I love you Jimmy Cliff! |
| alux (atop the pyramid) | Posted: Oct 22, 2011 - 17:16 Sasha2001 wrote: Ok, so I just got back from a wedding in Turks and Caicos (living on ramen now) in the Caribbean and all they played was Jimmy Cliff everywhere. Now I know there's a handful of reggae songs that get trotted out for American tourists but there's so much good reggae out there, let alon island music that never gets played in America except on West Indian radio stations in cities like New York. Maybe RP could put aside the Jimmie Cliff and Bob Marley for a while and pull out the Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and Toots among others. No worries, they are in the rotation too. But if you think any of them are/were as sublimely influential as Marley, well, its not even close. |
| bokey (Left of Centerfield) | Posted: Sep 13, 2011 - 18:12 Good early roots music.Worth an 8 for the pioneer aspect. |
| DoofusGeezer (Pilvimaa) | Posted: Jul 15, 2011 - 05:40 Sasha2001 wrote: Ok, so I just got back from a wedding in Turks and Caicos (living on ramen now) in the Caribbean and all they played was Jimmy Cliff everywhere. Now I know there's a handful of reggae songs that get trotted out for American tourists but there's so much good reggae out there, let alon island music that never gets played in America except on West Indian radio stations in cities like New York. Maybe RP could put aside the Jimmie Cliff and Bob Marley for a while and pull out the Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and Toots among others. Yes - let's hear Peter Tosh! Saw him in concert once - absolutely <##!!***>awseome |
| nagsheadlocal (North Carolina, the new New Jersey) | Posted: Jul 15, 2011 - 05:39 ziakut wrote: Good segway from Jimi Hendrix...!! I certainly hope we don't get like a Bob Marley track after this...I really hope not...HOPE NOT! Me too, brother (or sister, as the case may be). This is reggae before the stoners and the Church of Marley got hold of it. |
| Lazy8 (The Gallatin Valley of Montana) | Posted: Jun 13, 2011 - 13:42 Rabid_Engineer wrote: I can match all but one of your achievements - I have not yet seen the movie. I shall, though. One more to add: see him sing it in his rec room accompanied only by a bass player on the video archive at EMP in Seattle. Sings his heart out even then. Converted my too-cool-for-school teenager to a Jimmy Cliff fan on the spot. |
| ziakut (A place with air, water and chocolate.) | Posted: Jun 13, 2011 - 13:35 Good segway from Jimi Hendrix...!! I certainly hope we don't get like a Bob Marley track after this...I really hope not...HOPE NOT! |
| thefoodoflove (Sydney) | Posted: Jun 11, 2011 - 08:44 What an awesome song! |
| Sasha2001 (Where the last of the union men run free) | Posted: Jun 02, 2011 - 19:44 Ok, so I just got back from a wedding in Turks and Caicos (living on ramen now) in the Caribbean and all they played was Jimmy Cliff everywhere. Now I know there's a handful of reggae songs that get trotted out for American tourists but there's so much good reggae out there, let alon island music that never gets played in America except on West Indian radio stations in cities like New York. Maybe RP could put aside the Jimmie Cliff and Bob Marley for a while and pull out the Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and Toots among others. |
| Rabid_Engineer (Europa!) | Posted: Jan 05, 2011 - 00:23 OlafofIsland wrote: Absolutely one of my favorite albums. Got it on vinyl, got it on cd, got it in MP3, got it memorized in my brain. Tried to watch the movie without subtitles and couldn't understand a word but sang all the songs.  I can match all but one of your achievements - I have not yet seen the movie. I shall, though. |
| OlafofIsland (Montreal, lodged in an everlasting snow bank) | Posted: Dec 06, 2010 - 14:04 Absolutely one of my favorite albums. Got it on vinyl, got it on cd, got it in MP3, got it memorized in my brain. Tried to watch the movie without subtitles and couldn't understand a word but sang all the songs. |
| Businessgypsy (Deepest, Darkest Florida) | Posted: Dec 04, 2010 - 09:16 scrubbrush wrote: cool movie. amazing that the Jamaican speaking accent (Jimmy's too) is so strong as to require subtitles (done in white on the VHS version i saw in the 80s) but singing is clear as any other English speaker. Not just an accent - the patois (not Rastafarian English, a completely different subject) spoken by the majority of Jamaicans differs from English sentence structure and uses words and combinations of words that aren't found in US mainland English. It's very prosaic and beautiful to hear. Living nearby, I visit and work often enough to understand somewhat when spoken to, but probably will never attempt speaking. Any Jamaican that deals with tourists or works in business can switch in a heartbeat. |
| fredriley (Nottingham, UK) | Posted: Oct 25, 2010 - 04:13 This takes me back to high school. Unfortunately, Jimmy's message was at, erm, 'variance' with my life lessons at that place (think Lord of the Flies). The harder they came, the worse the beating to come, so the faster you ran :( |
| treatment_bound (Duluth to Madison) | Posted: Sep 23, 2010 - 11:53 Synth80s wrote: I like Joe Jackson's remake of this song better than the original because it's a bit more rockin' and, well, I just like anything JJ touches. Well then, you just may like this extreme close-up of Joe wailing on a sax in '82.  |
| vit | Posted: Jul 21, 2010 - 12:41 Albert1967 wrote: Cool album cover. Reminds me of the Super Fly poster. |
| scrubbrush | Posted: Jul 21, 2010 - 12:41 Albert1967 wrote: Cool album cover. cool movie. amazing that the Jamaican speaking accent (Jimmy's too) is so strong as to require subtitles (done in white on the VHS version i saw in the 80s) but singing is clear as any other English speaker. |
| Albert1967 (Leusden, the Netherlands) | Posted: Jun 28, 2010 - 04:09 Cool album cover. |
| Synth80s (*Beautiful* Southern California (cough, choke, honk)) | Posted: Jun 19, 2010 - 15:44 I'm not a big fan of reggae, but I've always appreciated this tune. That said, I'll admit my sacreligious thought: I like Joe Jackson's remake of this song better than the original because it's a bit more rockin' and, well, I just like anything JJ touches. |
| haresfur | Posted: May 18, 2010 - 20:37 keller1 wrote: Obviously the people on this string who saw the movie liked it. I saw the live theatre version this week in Toronto and didn't like it. Maybe the fact that there were no "party favors" was part of the problem. I'll have to see if I can lay my hands on a copy of the movie. Hmm, I saw the movie when I was in Toronto a long time ago. Certainly part of the charm was the Jamaicans in the audiance talking at the screen. I don't think it was a perfect film, but well worth seeing and gave me some appreciation of the cultural context. |
| treatment_bound (Duluth to Madison) | Posted: Mar 17, 2010 - 09:53 Mugro wrote: I FINALLY got the movie this week from Netflix!!! Almost TWO YEARS after I put it on my queue!! Patience rewarded, as this is a great movie!! Thanks for playing this song, Bill!! They showed some clips of it on Monday night before's Jimmy's H-O-F induction...Ya MON! |
| marko86 (North TX) | Posted: Mar 16, 2010 - 12:16 Someone actually worthy of the Hall of Fame,, Congrats. |
| nate917 (2,815 miles from home) | Posted: Jan 12, 2010 - 11:25 Bat wrote: This verse is from "The Guns of Brixton" by the Clash, which played a couple hours ago: Hmm. Same thing today: "Guns of Brixton" 3 hours ago. Is BillG recycling whole mornings and not just sets? (Not that there's anything wrong with that....) |
| WayUpNorth (Windswept Exile) | Posted: Jan 12, 2010 - 11:24 Makin' it lots warmer on this 14 degree day ... thanks!  |
| Typesbad (Not quite Orange County CA) | Posted: Nov 10, 2009 - 16:54 Wouldn't that be a 1970 Mercury Cougar stretch limo on the cover? That would be interesting. |
| Bat (Austin) | Posted: Sep 08, 2009 - 16:20 This verse is from "The Guns of Brixton" by the Clash, which played a couple hours ago: |
| keller1 (In A Gadda Da Vida, Baby) | Posted: Jul 23, 2009 - 13:33 Obviously the people on this string who saw the movie liked it. I saw the live theatre version this week in Toronto and didn't like it. Maybe the fact that there were no "party favors" was part of the problem. I'll have to see if I can lay my hands on a copy of the movie. |
| SweTex (Swede living in Texas) | Posted: Jul 23, 2009 - 12:56 YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..... |
| ScottFromWyoming (Powell) | Posted: Jul 07, 2009 - 11:42 Time for another brand-new musical biscuit. |
| dnicholson6 | Posted: Jun 16, 2009 - 11:44 Saw the movie for free back in '79 at Moore Auditorium on the FSU campus. NORML put it on and they provided party favors. Best movie experience I've ever had. |
| jadewahoo (Beautiful Earth) | Posted: Jun 16, 2009 - 11:41 Quintessential! |
| Zep (Home plate) | Posted: Jun 03, 2009 - 09:03 JC is welcome any day, any time. |
| sonofpick (SoCal, Small College, My Office) | Posted: Apr 03, 2009 - 10:19 Mugro wrote: I FINALLY got the movie this week from Netflix!!! Almost TWO YEARS after I put it on my queue!! Patience rewarded, as this is a great movie!! Thanks for playing this song, Bill!! Mannywood. |
| sonofpick (SoCal, Small College, My Office) | Posted: Apr 03, 2009 - 10:18 Friday!!! |