Meaning of “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley

Three Little Birds is a famous song performed by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Lyrically, Three Little Birds gives the listener a message of hope and motivation. According to a close friend of Marley, Tony Gilbert, Marley got the inspiration for the song’s lyrics from three actual birds (pelicans), which Marley used to see very frequently. According to Gilbert, who claimed to be present when Marley was writing the song, the birds were the inspiration behind the song.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Bob Marley's Three Little Birds at Lyrics.org.

However, the reggae group The I Threes, who gained fame for providing backing vocals for Marley claim the song was rather inspired by them. The I Threes consisted of three singers: Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt. According to Griffiths, Marley often called the group the “Three Little Birds”.Three Little Birds

Facts about “Three Little Birds”

  • The song was written by Bob Marley and produced by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
  • It was recorded in 1977 and appeared as the 9th track on the 1977 ninth studio album of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
  • On September 12th, 1980, the song was released as a single and peaked at the 17th position on the UK Singles Chart.
  • Numerous artists including Robbie Williams, Billy Ocean, Ziggy Marley, and Connie Talbot have released cover versions of this song.
  • The song is one of the songs featured on the 1984 compilation album Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The album is regarded as the most successful reggae album of all time.

8 Responses

  1. dalia says:

    believe in yourself don’t give up

  2. jeff says:

    The third little bird is God. Two little birds would be too cute and so sweet the song would have dripped of romantic crap. Three little birds brings God in, it is what actually happens between two loving people. Neither can explain it. You will never listen to this song again without knowing, it’s God that brings all two people together. Three little birds. And I’m not even religious.

  3. Leo says:

    The three little birds are the women that showed up at Jesus’ tomb. Rise up this morning (resurrection) with the message that everything is going to be alright. (Not that I believe in the whole resurrection thing, but that’s beside the point).

  4. Ebony Eyes. says:

    Amazing. I thought of, Father Son & Holy Spirit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like...