Ismaël Lô is a versatile singer and artist, he plays the guitar and the har… Read Full Bio ↴Ismaël Lô is a versatile singer and artist, he plays the guitar and the harmonica. He was born in Dogondoutchi in Niger on 30 August 1956 to a Senegalese father and a Nigerian mother. Shortly after Lô's birth the family returned to Senegal where they settled in the town of Rufisque, near the capital Dakar.

In the 1970s, Lô studied at the School of Art in Dakar later joining the popular Super Diamono. He left the group in 1984 to start a solo career. Over the next four years Lô recorded five popular solo albums.

In 1990 Lô signed a recording deal with Barclay and recorded in France his sixth solo album, Ismaël Lô. Thanks to the success of the single Tajabone the album became a hit in the European charts. The album launched his international career.

Iso was recorded and released in 1994, and also became a success. The album contains soft guitar melodies and traditional senegalese mbalax. The following year Lô toured in Africa. The compilation album Jammu Africa was released in 1996.

In 1999, Tajabone was featured in Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother.

Tadieu Bone
Ismaël Lô Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ta.....tajabone de nuy tajabone
Ta.....tajabone de nuy tajabone
Abdu u iambaar gniari malaykala
Ch'awé étchiko daan si séroo
Muomu muhnilda degëm du lingaan
Muomu muhnila degëm woor nga-am
Ch'awé etchiko daanu si seroo
Muomu muhnida degem du lingaam

Muomu muhnida degem woor nga-am
Tajabone de nuy tajabone
Tajabone de nuy tajabone
Wou leij Wou leij
Wou leij Wou leij
Abdu jambaar gniari malaykala
chico woley juge daanu si sero

Muhnila degem du linga'n
Muhnila degem woor nga-am

Overall Meaning

The lyrics for Ismaël Lô's song Tadieu Bone speak of a person's longing for their homeland and loved ones. The repeated phrase "Tajabone de nuy tajabone" can be interpreted as a cry or lamentation, expressing the emotions of sadness, longing, and missing something dearly. The next line which translates to "Abdu u iambaar gniari malaykala" can be understood as a call to God to intervene and bring aid to the person's situation. In the following lines, the singer talks about a friend or companion who has left for a long time and wonders where they are.

The verse "Ch'awé étchiko daan si séroo // Muomu muhnilda degëm du lingaan // Muomu muhnila degëm woor nga-am" can be translated as "We used to sit together under the baobab tree // That same tree I am under now // It's you I am waiting for." The lyrics create a powerful image of the singer alone, longing for a lost friend or family member, sitting under a baobab tree which represents the connection to the land and the roots of tradition.

Line by Line Meaning

Tajabone de nuy tajabone
The feeling of love and longing is so intense, it's almost suffocating

Abdu u iambaar gniari malaykala
The pain of separation is felt so deeply that it feels like a punishment from God

Ch'awé étchiko daan si séroo
The heart aches and yearns for the one who is far away

Muomu muhnilda degëm du lingaan
The soul is restless and cannot find peace without the beloved

Muomu muhnila degëm woor nga-am
The soul feels incomplete and lost without the other half

Tajabone de nuy tajabone
The feeling of love and longing is so intense, it's almost suffocating

Wou leij Wou leij
The desire to be reunited with the beloved is overwhelming

Abdu jambaar gniari malaykala
The pain of separation is felt so deeply that it feels like a punishment from God

chico woley juge daanu si sero
The desire to hold and be with the beloved is so strong that it consumes the heart

Muhnila degem du linga'n
The soul cannot find contentment or joy without the other half

Muhnila degem woor nga-am
The soul feels incomplete and lost without the other half