Ba was born in 1967 in the west African state of Guinea-Bissau. Although his father was a prominent kora player with the Djoliba ballet, Ba seemed to show no interest in the instrument which he considered old-fashioned. When Ba was 14, obsessed with football and struggling at school, his uncle and kora maestro M’Baty Kouyaté offered to teach him the instrument. Ba’s musical education involved touring local villages to play at weddings and baptism parties as well as tours to neighbouring countries. After his initial disinterest in the kora, Ba’s enthusiasm finally was sealed when he encountered other teenagers studying the instrument at a kora school in Casamance, Senegal. He spent several months at the school, learning kora tradition.
In 1983 Ba joined the National Children’s Theatre in Conakry, Guinea where he continued his apprenticeship. Two years later he joined the National Instrumental Ensemble of Guinea which was directed by M’Baty Kouyaté. However, Ba was keen to perform his own compositions and he left the group after six months. After an initial struggle to find regular work in hotels and restaurants, he was invited to play at a hotel where he expanded his repertoire by playing requests for guests, switching between blues, jazz, reggae and pop.
Ba formed Tamalalou (The Traveller) in 1992 with Gilles Poizat, a French soldier doing his military service in west Africa. The group performed in Guinea and several times at the French festival Nuits Métisses.
When Tamalalou split up in 1999, Ba joined forces with M’Baty Kouyaté’s sons Kourou and Sékou, and the trio began working under the name Ba Cissoko. Ibrahim Bah, a street child in Conakry who played djembe on the city’s beaches, was later recruited as a member of the group. Sékou Kouyaté plays electric kora, tamani (talking drum), balafon and djembe; Kourou performs on bolon (African bass), electric bass and kora. Ibrahim Bah is the group’s percussionist. Their songs draw from reggae, blues and rock, and the lyrics are in Guinean languages Malinké, Susu and Peul.
Ba Cissoko released their first album, Sabolan (Marabi) in October 2003. They performed at WOMEX in 2004 and made it through to the finals of the RFI World Music Awards in the same year. They were nominated in the Newcomer category of the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2005.
The kora is reputed to be one of the most complex and difficult instruments to play. It is made from half a calabash gourd which is covered with a cowhide that stretches over the open half of the gourd, which is then left in the sun to dry tight and hold the handposts in place. A hardwood post runs through the calabash and the strings are attached to this. A tall bridge mounted on the skin face separates the strings into two planes. The musician supports the instrument with the third, fourth and fifth fingers and plays the notes with the thumbs and forefingers of both hands. There are 21 strings in a traditional kora, but a 22-string kora is common in the Yenyengo ('get up and dance') style. In the Cassamance region of southern Senegal, where Ba Cissoko studied, the kora can have 25 strings.
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Ba Cissoko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
Tonight
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Sunday, Bloody Sunday (alright)
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
(Tonight, tonight) Sunday, Bloody Sunday (let's go)
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
I'll, wipe your tears away (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
I'll, wipe your blood shot eyes (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday) the real battle just begun
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday) to claim the victory Jesus won
On
Sunday Bloody Sunday, yeah
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Ba Cissoko's cover of the classic U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" brings new life to the lyrics while also maintaining the powerful message. The song starts off with a somber reflection on the news of the day, leaving the singer unable to close their eyes and ignore the violence happening around them. The lyrics ask how long must we continue to sing this song, showing frustration that the violence never seems to end. The line "broken bottles under children's feet," brings a specific image of violence and destruction to the listener's mind, while the following line "bodies strewn across the dead end street," adds to the horror of the situation. Despite this, the singer won't heed the battle call as it "puts my back up against the wall," implying that violence is not the answer.
The chorus of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is a powerful refrain that echoes the frustration and pain of those affected by violence. The lyrics question who has won the battle, with many lost, and a trench dug within our hearts. The consequences of violence, with mothers, children, brothers, and sisters being torn apart, are clearly depicted. The second verse brings up the contrast between the sense of immunity we feel in our daily lives while others cry and die. The line "when fact is fiction and TV reality" evokes the idea that we are living in a world where our only source of information is often biased or twisted. The phrase "we eat and drink while tomorrow they die" implies that too often, we are disconnected from the "other" and the reality of their situation.
Ba Cissoko's version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" maintains the emotional weight of the original with a fresh take. The West African kora player adds an intricate instrumental layer, bringing a new layer of intensity to the song. The political message behind this song is still very relevant in today's world, especially with the continued prevalence of violence worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe the news today
The news is so horrible that it's hard to comprehend
Oh, I can't close my eyes
The singer can't ignore or avoid the news
And make it go away
The singer wishes that the news was not true
How long?
The singer is asking how much longer the conflict will go on for
How long must we sing this song?
The singer is asking how much longer must they protest and fight for peace
How long, how long?
The singer repeats the previous question for emphasis
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
The singer believes that tonight they can unite and work towards peace
Broken bottles under children's feet
There is violence on the streets that is harming innocent children
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
There are dead bodies on the streets, implying that violence is rampant
But I won't heed the battle call
The singer will not contribute to the violence
It puts my back up
The violence and conflict makes the singer angry
Puts my back up against the wall
The singer feels trapped and unable to escape the violence and conflict
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
The singer is referring to the Bloody Sunday massacre in Ireland, which was a violent conflict between the British army and civilian protesters
And the battle's just begun
The conflict between groups is ongoing and has not yet been resolved
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The conflict has resulted in many casualties, but there is no clear winner. Rather, everyone has lost something
The trench is dug within our hearts
The singer is using a metaphor to suggest that the conflict has divided people and created emotional wounds that will be difficult to heal
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
The conflict has harmed and separated families and loved ones
How long must we sing this song?
The singer repeats the earlier question, emphasizing that the fighting and violence must end
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
The singer believes that tonight they can come together and work towards peace
Wipe the tears from your eyes
The singer is asking people to stop crying and take action to stop the violence
Wipe your tears away
The singer is using the same metaphor to ask people to try to forget their emotional wounds and work towards resolution
I'll, wipe your tears away
The singer is expressing empathy and willingness to help others heal
I'll, wipe your blood shot eyes
The singer is acknowledging that people are struggling and trying to help them despite the difficulty of the situation
And it's true we are immune
People have become desensitized and apathetic to the violence and conflict because it has been going on for so long
When fact is fiction and TV reality
The media has blurred the lines between reality and fiction, so it is hard to know what to believe
And today the millions cry
Many people are suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
The singer is criticizing people who are enjoying their lives and ignoring the suffering of others
The real battle just begun
The conflict is ongoing and will continue to be difficult to resolve
To claim the victory Jesus won
The singer is suggesting that if people work together and sacrifice for peace, they can succeed like Jesus did in his battles
On Sunday Bloody Sunday, yeah
The singer is invoking the history and legacy of Bloody Sunday to inspire people to work towards resolution
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dcornelle
What a great rendition to pay tribute a legendary rock band. U2 forever!