On November 24, 2025, we lost the legendary Jimmy Cliff. Tributes poured from all corners of the world. A most touching one came from the official Bob Marley Instagram community.

It gratefully recalls how Jimmy was instrumental in the coming up of the reggae legend. As a teenager growing up and singing in Trench Town in 1961, Bob had not yet made considerable waves as his compatriot. The turning point was when he met Leslie Kong, a music producer.

Guess who made it happen. “Yeah,” Bob Marley affirms,  “Jimmy Cliff took me to see him around ’62.” Bob goes on: “Jimmy was big then….I really love Jimmy because he always tries to help people out.” That how it was then, lifting others who may even go higher than yourself.

This is a musician who is famed for singing Johnny Nash’s song ‘I Can See Clearly Now.’ But a song that may not be as popular to our generation is ‘Vietnam’. Released in 1969, the song tells of a letter from an American friend fighting in the Vietnam War. This is what the friend said:

‘Tell all my friends that I’ll be coming home soon

My time it’ll be up some time in June

Don’t forget, he said, to tell my sweet Mary

Her golden lips as sweet as cherries

A combatant in a faraway land. Looking forward to the reunion with his loved ones. Nostalgically.

But the following day, alas, his mother in the US got a telegram from Vietnam. Her son never came back home that June from Vietnam. Ms. Brown would never see him alive. Nor would sweet Mary.

It is at this point in the song that Jimmy Cliff opts, after mentioning Vietnam over and over again, to state categorically what the song’s message is all about: “Somebody please stop that war now.”

He repeats the same line after a couple of stanzas. At the very end, he strongly reiterates his point:

Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam

Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam

What I’m saying now, somebody stop that war

Sweet Mary and Ms. Brown of today may be singing, Iran, Iran, Iran – somebody stop that war.