Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 - 23 February 2019) was a South African ja… Read Full Bio ↴Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 - 23 February 2019) was a South African jazz singer.

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".

Malle Shebeen
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics

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Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni

Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami
Hmm imali yami

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni

Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami
Imali yami, imali yami

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni

Hmm imali yami (Imali yami)
Hmm imali yami (Imali yami)

Hmm imali yami (Imali yami)
Iphelelel'eSheebini

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dorothy Masuka's song "Malle Shebeen" are mainly repetitive and focus on the theme of money. "Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni" translates to "My money is finished in the shebeen." The word "shebeen" refers to a township tavern or drinking establishment in South Africa.

In the song, Dorothy sings about her money running out in the shebeen, emphasizing its repetition to convey the frustration and perhaps a sense of resignation. The use of "hmm" adds an element of contemplation or reflection to her words.

The repetition of the phrase "imale yami" reinforces the financial struggle and highlights the importance of money in the context of the shebeen. It suggests that money is a central concern in the social environment portrayed in the song.

Overall, "Malle Shebeen" reflects the realities of everyday life in a shebeen, where financial constraints and the consequences of spending all the money are inevitable. The repetition of the lyrics gives the song a catchy and memorable quality, drawing attention to the struggles faced by individuals in such settings.

Line by Line Meaning

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
My money is finished in the shebeen

Imali yami
My money

Hmm imali yami
Hmm my money

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
My money is finished in the shebeen

Imali yami, imali yami
My money, my money

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
My money is finished in the shebeen

Hmm imali yami
Hmm my money

Imali yami, imali yami
My money, my money

Imali yam'iphelel'eSheebeni
My money is finished in the shebeen

Hmm imali yami (Imali yami)
Hmm my money (My money)

Iphelelel'eSheebeni
It's finished in the shebeen