Iron Lion Zion

Album: Songs of Freedom (1992)
Charted: 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was an incomplete Bob Marley track, which was originally written by the reggae legend in 1973 or 74. Ten years after Marley's death, it was completed and released. According to Mojo magazine, Island Records' Trevor Wyatt only discovered Marley's original song by chance, when he left a rehearsal cassette running while he was pouring himself a glass of water.
  • The song's lyrics concern Marley's Rastafarian beliefs, coupled with an anti-violence message. Zion is "the promised land," which for Rastafarians is the African country of Ethiopia. The lion refers to the Lion of Judah, which appears on the Ethiopian flag and represents Haile Selassie I, the former Ethiopian emperor that Rastas regard as their Messiah.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.