In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
If the rebel in me
Can touch the rebel in you
And the rebel in you
Can touch the rebel in me
And the rebels we be
Is gonna set us free
Then it would bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel in me
If the lover in you
Can touch the lover in me
And the lover in me
Can touch the lover in you
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in me
My love is deeper than the ocean
Our love is in need of sweet devotion
Come on, because you got the potion
To bring out the love in me
And I would bring out the love in you
Let the lover in you
Touch the lover in me
And the rebel in me
Will touch the rebel in you
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in us
My love is deeper than the ocean
Our love is in need of sweet devotion
Come on, because you got the notion
To bring out the love in me
And I would bring out the love in you
Let the rebel in me
Touch the rebel in you
And the rebel in you
Will touch the rebel in me
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in us
Bring out the love
Said I want to bring out the love
Bring out the love
Said I want to bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in me
Bring out the rebel
Said I want to bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel
Said I want to bring out the rebel
Can touch the rebel in you
And the rebel in you
Can touch the rebel in me
And the rebels we be
Is gonna set us free
Then it would bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel in me
If the lover in you
Can touch the lover in me
And the lover in me
Can touch the lover in you
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in me
My love is deeper than the ocean
Our love is in need of sweet devotion
Come on, because you got the potion
To bring out the love in me
And I would bring out the love in you
Let the lover in you
Touch the lover in me
And the rebel in me
Will touch the rebel in you
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in us
My love is deeper than the ocean
Our love is in need of sweet devotion
Come on, because you got the notion
To bring out the love in me
And I would bring out the love in you
Let the rebel in me
Touch the rebel in you
And the rebel in you
Will touch the rebel in me
And the lovers we be
Will bring sweet harmony
Then it would bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in us
Bring out the love
Said I want to bring out the love
Bring out the love
Said I want to bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out the love
Bring out all the love in me
Bring out the rebel
Said I want to bring out the rebel
Bring out the rebel
Said I want to bring out the rebel
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Rebel in Me Lyrics as written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.