Benjamin Zephaniah (born Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Springer in Handsworth, Bir… Read Full Bio ↴Benjamin Zephaniah (born Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Springer in Handsworth, Birmingham, on 15 April 1958; died 7 December 2023) was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. He was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela.

One Little Indian Records released the 'Naked' album on 2006. Previous records by Benjamin Zephaniah are Dub Ranting, Rasta LP, Free South Africa and Back to Roots.

He is also quite famous for rejecting an OBE in November 2003, stating that getting one would remind him of 'how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised'.

Zephaniah released a total of seven albums of original music.

Touch
Benjamin Zephaniah Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Birth to this emptiness conception in lovelessness.
Spiritless hands show no caress. There was no embrace from tearstained faces.
Environment bottomless compassion was motionless.
Weary eyes will only see the depths of captivity here in this perpetual misery.
Hate's piercing sound disfigures the soul in the stream of my tears
I lay in their mold!

Do you got any love in your heart? Unfeeling! Unfeeling! Unfeeling!

I touched my innermost self with its healing.
Threw myself down at the feet of its mercy
the stone of my heart met its defeat love emptied me filling me with serenity.
It's a light that want to embrace me,
I was not of love still it accepted me whole
and where there was nothing left there is love in the soul. Love is not weakness!
Love is power!
Love is truth!
Love is endless!
Love is your forgiveness!
Love is your sacrifice!
Love is your faith!

Love is your trust!
Love is your hope!

Overall Meaning

The song "Touch" by Benjamin Zephaniah is a powerful and moving exploration of the effects of lovelessness on the human spirit. The lyrics describe a world that is devoid of love, where even the act of birth is marked by emptiness and lack of compassion. The hands that should be cradling and nurturing are spiritless and show no caress. There is no embrace for the tears of those who suffer, and compassion is motionless. The environment is bottomless and the weary eyes of those who live in perpetual misery can only see the depths of their captivity. The piercing sound of hate disfigures the soul, leaving it trapped and moldy.

Despite this bleak picture, the song also offers a message of hope. The singer discovers that there is love in the world, and that it has the power to heal and transform. The stone of their heart meets its defeat as they throw themselves down at the feet of love's mercy, and they find themselves filled with serenity. Through the power of love, even the most broken and empty soul can be transformed and filled with hope and purpose.

Overall, the song is a powerful reminder that love is not weakness, but is in fact the most powerful force in the universe. It is a force for truth, for forgiveness, for sacrifice, and for hope, and it has the power to heal even the most broken and despairing heart.

Line by Line Meaning

Birth to this emptiness conception in lovelessness.
I was born into a loveless world, where emptiness prevails.

Spiritless hands show no caress. There was no embrace from tearstained faces.
I have never felt the warmth of love or compassion from those around me, just emptiness and tears.

Environment bottomless compassion was motionless.
The world around me is devoid of any compassion, it feels bottomless and unhospitable.

Weary eyes will only see the depths of captivity here in this perpetual misery.
I am stuck in a place of constant misery and my tired eyes can only see the depths of my captivity.

Hate's piercing sound disfigures the soul in the stream of my tears.
Hate has scarred my soul, its piercing sound still echoes in my tears.

I lay in their mold!
I am a product of the mold that society has cast for me.

Do you got any love in your heart? Unfeeling! Unfeeling! Unfeeling!
Asking if anyone around me has love in their heart, because everyone seems unfeeling and cold.

I touched my innermost self with its healing.
I found healing when I connected with my true inner self.

Threw myself down at the feet of its mercy
I humbled myself and submitted to the mercy of my inner self.

the stone of my heart met its defeat love emptied me filling me with serenity.
The hardness in my heart melted away when I embraced love, bringing me peace and tranquility.

It's a light that want to embrace me,
Love is a warm light that beckons to embrace me.

I was not of love still it accepted me whole
Even though I was never shown love, it accepted me completely.

and where there was nothing left there is love in the soul. Love is not weakness!
Love filled the void in my soul where there was nothing left. It is not a weakness, but a strength.

Love is power!
Love is a powerful and transformative force.

Love is truth!
Love is a fundamental truth that connects us all.

Love is endless!
The capacity for love is boundless and infinite.

Love is your forgiveness!
Love has the power to forgive and bring healing.

Love is your sacrifice!
Love demands sacrifice and selflessness.

Love is your faith!
Love is a faith that must be practiced every day.

Love is your trust!
Love requires complete trust in yourself and others.

Love is your hope!
Love gives us hope for a better future.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DILLON O'BRIAN, WILL OWSLEY, AMY GRANT, KEITH THOMAS, JEROME MC PHERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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