He sang in the languages of his youth, Swahili and Acholi, the languages of the lost country, the 'clear green land' of Uganda, and he also sang in English and French.
Oryema earned his international reputation on the release of his second album, Beat the Border. He had collaborated with Peter Gabriel and others, and was backed by French musicians including Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar) and Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, backing vocals), touring with WOMAD in Australia, the USA, Japan, Brasil and Europe. In 1994 the band performed at Woodstock 94 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the legendary festival.
Gabriel's record label, Real World, helped with the first three of Oryema's albums, before his move to Sony International, a label established in France, where Oryema had lived since his exile.
In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall, and with 1 Giant Leap at the Live 8 Edinburgh concert.
Discography
Exile (1990)
Beat the Border (1993)
Night to Night (1996)
Spirit (2000)
The Odysseus/Best Of (2002)
Words (2004)
From The Heart (Released on Long Tale Recordings) (2010)
Tyena Rem
Geoffrey Oryema Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Awinyo tyena rem
Your distant voice cries for me
I can hear your heart beat for me
Do you feel the thorn inside my love?
Awinyo tiena rem
It hurt so much it burn my brain
Awinyo Cwinyi
Awinyo
I really miss you by my tears
Awinyo tiena rem
It deems my eyes i lose your light
Try to escape the gost of night
Do you feel the fears inside my love?
Awinyo tiena rem
I've been shadind tears for you
I've tried to fill your eyes with blue
Awinyo Cwinyi
Irealy know that you are my love
Awinyo tiena rem
Your distant voice cries for me
I can hear your heart beat for me
Awinyo Cwinyi
The lyrics of Geoffrey Oryema's Tyena Rem express the deep love and longing of the singer for their distant lover. The opening lines establish the certainty of their love, stating "I really know that you are my love." Despite the physical distance between them, the singer can hear the cries and heartbeat of their lover, reinforcing the strength of their emotional connection.
However, the lyrics also allude to the pain and suffering that come with long-distance love. The line "Do you feel the thorn inside my love?" suggests that the distance is causing the singer physical pain, and that this pain is so great that it "burn[s] [their] brain" and lasts "all night and day." The subsequent line, "It hurt so much it burn my brain," reinforces this idea of physical and emotional anguish.
Later in the song, the lyrics also touch on the fear and sadness that come with missing a loved one from afar. The line "Do you feel the fears inside my love?" hints at the anxiety and worry that the singer experiences as a result of the distance. They reveal that they have been "shading tears for you" and trying to "fill your eyes with blue" in order to keep their own spirits up and stay connected to their lover.
Overall, Tyena Rem is a poignant and emotional expression of love and longing, as well as the pain and sacrifice that can come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I really know that you are my love
The singer is certain that his companion is the one he truly loves
Awinyo tyena rem
This is the chorus of the song, which translates to 'my beloved, I miss you'
Your distant voice cries for me
The singer can feel the emotional pain conveyed through his companion's voice, even from far away
I can hear your heart beat for me
The singer feels truly connected to his beloved as he senses her love for him through her heartbeat
Do you feel the thorn inside my love?
The singer is asking his companion if she can sense the pain and suffering caused by their distance
It hurt so much it burn my brain
The pain of being apart is so intense it feels like a physical burn in the singer's mind
I can feel the pain all night and day
The singer's pain is constant - he cannot escape feelings of longing and despair
I really miss you by my tears
The singer misses his beloved to the point of tears
It deems my eyes i lose your light
The singer's tears are blinding him and causing him to lose sight of his hope for being reunited with his beloved
Try to escape the gost of night
The singer is trying to find relief from the emotional weight of his relationship woes
Do you feel the fears inside my love?
The singer is once again asking if his beloved can sense his anxiety and trepidation
I've been shadind tears for you
The singer has been crying in sadness for his loved one
I've tried to fill your eyes with blue
The singer has tried to ease his beloved's sadness by metaphorically soothing her with a calming color
Irealy know that you are my love
The singer understands and is certain of his love for his companion
Your distant voice cries for me
This line repeats the intensity of emotion conveyed earlier in the song - the singer can feel his beloved's sorrow from miles away
Awinyo Cwinyi
This phrase is repeated throughout the song as part of the chorus - it is a term of endearment and longing
Contributed by Aaliyah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Acholi Princess
on Land Of Anaka
The Lyrics are Real !
Art is spiritual insight from the spiritual realm by those who are Talented!
The land of Anaka was a place of Darkness! Death! Despair! Even the Dead did not die! They wandered spiritually within the land!
He is asking Obiga to show him the way in this Darkness!
Rest In peace Ladin!
Acholi Princess
on Kel Kweyo
Great Great Master of the Spiritual Music of Acholi
Acholi Princess
on See Me Lakayana
Spiritual Sounds!
Spiritual Art!
Spiritual feels!
Rest in Peace!