Story Behind The Song
I came up with the main rhythm and riff while playing guitar on my couch and watching John Wayne in the Shootist. In a scene where Ron Howard is showing off his FAST draw to Wayne shooting bottles in the yard, John Wayne explains that it isn't about how fast you are. Being FAST means nothing if you aren't WILLING to follow through and kill. I wrote two verses and the bridge and Mark wrote the more uplifting 3rd verse and last chorus. It was a pretty dark tune before Mark added his lines.
Song Description
Catchy hooks galore, an abundance of body-swaying grooves, and a marvelous sense of melody, "Got To Be Willing" is a fantastic slice of style drenched reggae-rock that showcases both a great amount of flair and songwriting maturity. Zap & The Wires have done a sterling job of capturing the spirit of classic reggae whilst equally managing to inject some generous sprinkles of contemporary rock and pop stylings into the mix for good measure, the result is an undeniably engaging and highly listenable piece of flair infused modern reggae that is well written, arranged, and performed, and I'm sure a broad range of music lovers will enjoy what it has to offer.
| Song Length |
4:48 |
Genre |
World - Reggae/Caribbean, Rock - Classic |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Nonviolent, Poignant |
Subject |
Justice, Courage |
| Similar Artists |
Ziggy Marley,, Sublime |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
Got to be willing
You don't have to be fast
Got to be willing
If you want to last
Got to be willing to die
Got to look death in the eye
'Cause that's what sets men free
Whoever they may be.
And if they ask for some reason why
All I can say is, stare up to that starry sky
Some men die for money
Some men they die for the law
Some men die for religion
Some die for nothing at all
Some men die at peace
Some men die at war
The ones who die for nothing
Their the most dangerous of all
But they're all so willing
All so willing to die
Sometimes it makes me wonder
Wonder about the reason why, hey...
Jesus Christ, and Gandhi,
Martin Luther King
Every kind of color
Every human being
They didn't need a gun
Or a sharpened sword
Love was their weapon
Along with a peaceful word
And if they ask
Love is the reason why
Peace is an olive branch
Carried into the sky
Got to be willing
You don't have to be fast
Got to be willing
If you want to last
Got to be willing to die
Got to look death in the eye
'Cause that's what sets men free
Whoever they may be.
And if they ask
Love is the reason why
Peace is an olive branch
Carried into the sky