Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
This somber, horn-laden song from Jamiroquai’s second album, The Return of the Space Cowboy is about the slave trade.
The speaker (presumably JK) is taking a look at the truth of the ideas that supported slavery, “the shame of [his] ancestry”, and trying to make sense of the horrible practice.
[Verse 1]
As I remember
It was 400 years or more
Since you came to crucify
And they were taken far away from home
There were promises of paradise
But if they had been told that they
That they would be sold this way
To satisfy the souls of chosen men
See, I had to look carefully
At the shame of my ancestry
To redefine the storyline again
[Chorus]
Hey, if I was taken for a day
And shown another way
Now every child can learn a different thing
See, I tried a million times
But I had to change my mind, oh
Sadness was the best thing I could bring
On the inside he was dead
And this is what he said
As he took away the blue above the clouds, oh
"Superiority was clearly meant to be
So destiny will manifest in time"
[Verse 2]
So where has the love all gone?
A troubled trail of tears will tell the tale
Of how I was put down where I don't belong, oh
Woman, child and man for sale
For ethical slavery is just an absurdity
How can you be alive when you are dead?
With these chains of hypocrisy
The shame of my ancestry
Forever stained by blood in which you tread (hey, yeah)
[Chorus]
If I was taken for a day
And shown another way
Now every child can learn a different thing
See, I tried a million times
But I had to change my mind, oh
Sadness was the best thing I could bring
On the inside he was dead
And this is what he said
As he took away the blue above the clouds, oh
"Superiority was clearly meant to be
So destiny will manifest itself in time", yeah
[Break]
So where has the love all gone?
Said I wanna know, I wanna know
I wanna know, I wanna know, I
Oh, somebody tell me where the love has all gone
Said I want to know why
Hey!
[Instrumental breakdown and vocal riffing]
Manifest Destiny was written by Toby Smith & Jay Kay.
Manifest Destiny was produced by Mike Nielsen & Al Stone.
Jamiroquai released Manifest Destiny on Mon Oct 17 1994.