Hugh Masekela was an old collaborator of Abdullah Ibrahim. He is reported to have been initially inspired in his musical growth by Trevor Huddleston, a British priest working in the South African townships who financed Masekela's first trumpet. Masekela played his way through the vibrant Sophiatown scene with The Jazz Epistles and to Britain with King Kong, to find himself in New York in the early 1960s. He had hits in the United States with the pop jazz tunes "Up, Up and Away" and the number one smash "Grazin' in the Grass".
A renewed interest in his African roots led him to collaborate with West and Central African musicians, and finally to reconnect with South African players when he set up a mobile studio in Botswana, just over the South African border, in the 1980s. Here he re-absorbed and re-used mbaqanga strains, a style he has continued to use since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s, he toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon's then controversial, but highly critically acclaimed, album Graceland, which featured other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Ray Phiri, and other elements of the band Kalahari, which Masekela recorded with in the 1980s. He also collaborated in the musical development for the Broadway play, Sarafina! He previously recorded with the band Kalahari.
In 2003, he was featured in the documentary film Amandla!, about how the music of South Africa aided in the struggle against apartheid. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Grazin' in The Grass: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela, which thoughtfully details his struggles against apartheid in his homeland, as well as his personal struggles against alcohol addiction from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, a period when he migrated, in his personal recording career, to mbaqanga, jazz/funk, and the blending of South African sounds to an adult contemporary sound through two albums he recorded with Herb Alpert, and notable solo recordings, Techno-Bush (recorded in his studio in Botswana), Tomorrow (featuring the anthem "Bring Him Back Home"), Uptownship (a lush-sounding ode to American R and B), Beatin' Aroun' de Bush, Sixty, Time, and most recently, "Revival".
Essential recordings include:
* "Bring Him Back Home"
* "Coal Train (Stimela)"
* "Ziph'nkomo"
* "Don't Go Lose It Baby"
* "Ha Le Se Li De Khanna (The Dowry Song)"
* "Bajabule Bonka"
* "Grazing in the Grass"
* "U-Dwi"
* "The Joke of Life"
* "The Boy's Doin' It"
His song, "Soweto Blues", sung by his former wife, Miriam Makeba, mourns the carnage of the Soweto riots in 1976.
Hugh Masekela is the father of Sal Masekela, host of American channel E!'s Daily 10 show, along with Debbie Matenopoulos.
Bring Him Back Home
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking down the streets of South Africa
Tomorow
Bring back Nelson Mandela
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking hand in nand withi Winnie Mandela
Mayibuye
Mayibuye
Buya Mandela isizwe sikulindile
Buya Mandela isizwe sikulindile
Buya Mandela
Bring back Nelson Mandela
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking hand in hand with Winnie Mandela
Bring back Nelson Mandela
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking hand down the streets of South Africa
Bring back Nelson Mandela
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking down the streets of South Africa
Tomorow
Bring back Nelson Mandela
Bring him back home to Soweto
I want to see him walking hand in hand with Winnie Mandela
After tommorow
Mayibuye
Mayibuye
Buya Mandela isizwe sikulindile
The lyrics of Hugh Masekela's song Bring Him Back Home is a tribute to Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader who fought tirelessly to end racial segregation and injustice in his country. The song expresses Masekela's longing for Mandela's return to his home in Soweto after being imprisoned on Robben Island for 27 years. The refrain "Bring back Nelson Mandela, bring him back home to Soweto" is a call to action for the South African authorities to release Mandela and allow him to return to his people.
The lyrics of the song also express Masekela's desire for peace and unity in his country. The line "no more war zone" speaks to the violence and unrest that characterized South Africa during the apartheid era. Masekela's wish to see Mandela walking hand in hand with his wife Winnie is a symbol of the love and solidarity that exists within the South African community.
The use of the Zulu word "Mayibuye" in the song is significant as it means "let us bring it back" and was a popular slogan used during the anti-apartheid struggle. The repetition of the phrase "Buya Mandela isizwe sikulindile" at the end of the song further emphasizes the urgency of Mandela's release and the need for him to return to his people so that they can rebuild their nation and move forward in unity.
Line by Line Meaning
Bring back Nelson Mandela
The artist wants Nelson Mandela, who is currently in prison, to be released and returned to his home country of South Africa.
Bring him back home to Soweto
The artist wants Nelson Mandela to specifically return to the township of Soweto in South Africa.
I want to see him walking down the streets of South Africa
The artist wants to witness Nelson Mandela walking on the streets of South Africa as a free man, as he has been unjustly imprisoned for many years.
Tomorow
The artist wants Nelson Mandela to be returned to South Africa as soon as possible.
I want to see him walking hand in nand withi Winnie Mandela
The artist believes that it is important for Nelson Mandela to reunite with his wife, Winnie Mandela, and for them to be recognized as an important couple in the history of Africa.
No more war zone
The artist hopes that the return of Nelson Mandela will promote peace and unity within South Africa, and that the country can move beyond its history of violence and unrest.
Mayibuye
This is a Zulu word that means 'let it [that which was lost] return.' The artist is using this word as a rallying cry for the people of South Africa to demand the return of Nelson Mandela.
Buya Mandela isizwe sikulindile
This is another Zulu phrase that means 'Return Nelson Mandela, the nation is waiting.' It echoes the artist's desire for the people of South Africa to unite and demand the release of Nelson Mandela.
After tommorow
The artist is reminding the listener that the fight for justice and equality in South Africa is ongoing, and that the return of Nelson Mandela is just the beginning of a long journey towards a more just and equitable society.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@okoiiwara8612
Still listening to this song
In 2024
@georgecolesiii2717
I still feel it in my soul
@kdub1242
And not only did Nelson Mandela get to walk down the street again, but he did it as President of South Africa!
@jerrelldompig3234
Greath performance
@georgeofori75
These are the songs that made our childhood days great. Rest well Hughes. Rest well Mandela
@darkwalls247
2021 and I came here to see the energy and strength of Hugh Masekela. As a young Nigerian, I grew up loving the people of South Africa, it was all we could do to brothers and sisters suffering oppression. I look at the camaraderie Africa seemed to enjoy back then and when I remember that my Nigerian brothers were being hacked in South Africa just a few years back I struggle to hold back tears for the low level of understanding of our common history displayed by the arrant promoters of Xenophobia over there. May the great departed souls of these Pan Africanists continue to rest well with our Ancestors.
Mandela returned!
@neumillennium6025
I am of Samoan descent and my father bought the DVD recording of this specific concert Paul Simon held in South Africa when I was around 9/10 years old. I don’t think he realises just how much of a blessing it was to be able to grow up hearing and watching such amazing talents perform these songs. Wow.
@vangirayinicholasdzinotyiw811
It was in Zimbabwe
@nicholasadams838
This concert is in Zimbabwe as the apartheid government banned it due its multiracial collaboration
@vusumuzidennis3906
This was Rufaro Harare Zimbabwe