She was born in Bulawayo, (Southern Rhodesia, nowadays Zimbabwe), the fourth of seven children, and her mother was Zulu while her father was a Zambian hotel chef. Still, she attended a Catholic school deemed good by the standards of education allowed blacks. Her family moved to South Africa when she was 12 due to her health. By the time she was 19 she was touring in South Africa with singers she had admired as a girl.
Masuka's music was popular in South Africa throughout the 1950s, but when her songs became more serious, the government began questioning her. Her song "Dr. Malan," mentioning difficult laws, was banned and in 1961 she sang a song for Patrice Lumumba, which led to her exile. This exile lasted 31 years in total during which she lived in Zambia and worked as a flight attendant. She returned to Zimbabwe in 1980 after independence. Many of her songs are in the Ndebele language or Sindebele languages.
In August 2011, Dorothy Masuka and Mfundi Vundla, creator of the popular South African soap opera Generations, confirmed plans to make a film of Masuka's life. The film would concentrate on the years 1952 to 1957.
On 27 April 2017 she featured in the concert "The Jazz Epistles featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya" at The Town Hall, New York City, opening the show and delivering "one passionate performance after another, warming up and winning over the crowd".
Impi
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Impi kayihlome (Oh singabowenzani)
Impi kayihlome(Oh nants'impi)
Impi kayihlome madoda (Oh singabowenzani)
Impi kayihlome mama (Oh nants'impi)
Impi kayihlome eh (Oh singabowenzani)
Bath'impi kayihlome (Oh nants'impi)
Vuman'ihlombe (Awo naz'izimpi)
Vuman'ihlombe madoda (Oh singabowenzani)
Bath'emhlabeni mama eh (Oh nants'impi)
Kanti emhlabeni mama (Hayi singabowenzani)
Bathi emhlabeni (Ah nants'impi)
Bath'emhlabeni mama (Oh singabowenzani)
Impi kayihlome (Oh nants'impi)
Impi kayihlome madoda (Oh singabowenzani)
Bath'impi kayihlome (Hayi nants'impi)
Impi kayihlome eh (Oh singabowenzani)
Bathi emhlabeni (Oh nants'impi)
Bathi emhlabeni (Hayi singabowenzani)
Impi kayihlome (Emhlabeni nants'impi)
Impi kayihlome madoda (Oh singabowenzani)
Impi kayihlome (Oh nants'impi)
Vuman' nihlome madoda (Oh singabowenzani)
Bathi emhlabeni mama (Hayi nants'impi)
Emhlabeni ma (Ooh singabowenzani)
Hayi emhlabeni (Hayi nants'impi)
Bathi emhlabeni ma (Hayi singabowenzani)
Emhlabeni ma (Helele nants'impi)
Emhlabeni (Hayi singabowenzani)
Hayi emhlabeni ma (Hayi nants'impi)
Bathi emhlabeni ma (Hayi singabowenzani)
"Impi" is a song by Dorothy Masuka that speaks about a group of soldiers going to war. The title "Impi" translates to "war" in English. The song begins with the repetition of the line "Oh nants'impi, impi kayihlome" which means "here comes the war, the war is coming fiercely." This line is repeated throughout the song to signify the rising tension and danger of the situation.
The lyrics highlight the devastating impact of war. The phrase "Bath'emhlabeni mama eh" means "they are killing people on earth." The song expresses the pain and grief of a community that loses its sons and daughters to war. The line "Vuman'ihlombe madoda" means "stand firm, men" and encourages the soldiers to be brave despite the danger they face. In the end, the song calls for an end to war with the repeated phrase "Hayi emhlabeni ma" meaning "no more on earth” signifying a desire for peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh nants'impi
Oh, here comes the regiment
Impi kayihlome
The regiment is coming with its war cry
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Impi kayihlome
The regiment is coming with its war cry
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Impi kayihlome madoda
The regiment is coming with its war cry, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Impi kayihlome mama
The regiment is coming with its war cry, women
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Impi kayihlome eh
The regiment is coming with its war cry, yeah
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Bath'impi kayihlome
They say the regiment is coming with its war cry
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Vuman'ihlombe madoda
Stop and listen, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Vuman'ihlombe
Stop and listen
(Awo naz'izimpi)
(Here are the soldiers)
Vuman'ihlombe madoda
Stop and listen, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Bath'emhlabeni mama eh
They say they will rule the world
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Kanti emhlabeni mama
But in the world, you will find
(Hayi singabowenzani)
(No, who are we to undermine them?)
Bathi emhlabeni
They say in the world
(Ah nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Bath'emhlabeni mama
They say they will rule the world
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Impi kayihlome
The regiment is coming with its war cry
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Impi kayihlome madoda
The regiment is coming with its war cry, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Bath'impi kayihlome
They say the regiment is coming with its war cry
(Hayi nants'impi)
(No, here comes the regiment)
Impi kayihlome eh
The regiment is coming with its war cry, yeah
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Bathi emhlabeni
They say in the world
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Bathi emhlabeni
They say in the world
(Hayi singabowenzani)
(No, who are we to undermine them?)
Impi kayihlome
The regiment is coming with its war cry
(Emhlabeni nants'impi)
(In the world, here comes the regiment)
Impi kayihlome madoda
The regiment is coming with its war cry, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Impi kayihlome
The regiment is coming with its war cry
(Oh nants'impi)
(Oh, here comes the regiment)
Vuman' nihlome madoda
Stop and listen, men
(Oh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Bathi emhlabeni mama
They say they will rule the world
(Hayi nants'impi)
(No, here comes the regiment)
Emhlabeni ma
In the world
(Ooh singabowenzani)
(Oh, who are we to undermine them?)
Hayi emhlabeni
No, in the world
(Hayi nants'impi)
(No, here comes the regiment)
Bathi emhlabeni ma
They say in the world
(Hayi singabowenzani)
(No, who are we to undermine them?)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daliwami
on Into Yami (Ngiyayithanda)
Could anyone please share lyrics?