Growing up in Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) in Sou… Read Full Bio ↴Judith Sephuma
Growing up in Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) in South Africa's Limpopo Province, Judith knew that she wanted to be a singer from an early age. After matriculating at Khagiso High School, she attended Johannesburg's legendary FUBA Academy music school in 1993, where she received her Grade 5 Music Diploma. One of her fellow students was an ambitious young guitarist who she knew from Polokwane, one Selaelo Selota, a man who would play a major role in her career. Other achievements included reaching the finals of the Shell Road to Fame contest in 1994, and the finals in SABC's Jam Alley Search For Talent that year. In 1994 she made a significant move to Cape Town to study music at the University of Cape Town, graduating in 1997 with a Performer's Diploma in Jazz. Judith then gained her Honours Degree in Jazz Performance, majoring in Jazz Singing, under the supervision of Prof. Mike Campbell, in 1999. While studying Jazz singing, she was also classically trained by Virginia Davids for five years.
During her years in the Cape, Judith's reputation as a vocalist blossomed, and she had the opportunity to work in bands like (fellow UCT music student) Selaelo Selota's Taola, Meropa, UCT's Big Band, The C-Base Collective and The Cape Symphonic Orchestra. She also performed with Jimmy Dludlu, Loading Zone and Ian Smith's Virtual Jazz Reality, as well as alongside musicians such as Jack van Poll and Gerry Spencer, and sang at many a cocktail party and private functions. In 1996 JUDITH SEPHUMA was invited by Spencer to travel on the Symphony cruise ship for two months, visiting exotic places like Bazaruto, Mauritious, Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Reunion. Later the same year she performed, with the band Meropa, in Nantes, France at the Fin de Siecle Festival - her first overseas visit 1998/1999 with the assistance of pianist van Poll, Judith gained much experience performing in Europe, and among her gigs was being invited by the South African government to perform in Holland for the Mandela's Children Trust Fund.
Judith was invited by Jimmy Dludlu to perform at Thabo Mbeki's presidential inauguration in Pretoria, June 1999. In that year she also had the honour of meeting former president Nelson Mandela and sang a special song to him and his wife, Graca Machel, at the Cape Sun hotel. Another highlight of that year was singing at the Miss SA beauty pageant in Sun City. The young singer was certainly paying her music industry dues, developing skills like confidence, versatility, patience and professionalism, and all the while laying the secure foundations for her future success.
Having previously entered a number of music competitions, a pivotal moment came when Judith was awarded first prize for Best Jazz Vocalist at the Old Mutual Jazz Into The Future competition in June 1999 and she was signed to (then) BMG Africa’s imprint, Giant Steps, shortly afterwards. At the North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town in 2000, Judith formed her own backing band and performed under her own name and in 2001 she recorded her debut, A Smile, A Cry, A Dance.
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A Cry A Smile A Dance
Judith Sephuma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
For you
Fly away my heart don't despair
The world is full of joy
You cry, you smile, then you dance, hey
Even though sometimes it's a drag
To toil without a gain
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Celebrating life is real
But not without a cry, no
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile
Celebrating life is good
But not without a dance, no, no
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings
Fly away my heart, don't despair
The world is full of joy
You smile, you cry and you dance
North, East, South, West I can see
People of the world
They cry, they smile and they dance
Smile though you heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are times in the sky
You get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun will come shining through
Oh, oh
Celebrating life is real
But not without a cry (Without a cry)
Celebrating life is good (Celebrating)
Not without a smile
Celebrating life is sweet
But not without a dance
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings
Won't you
Smile though you heart is aching (Don't despair)
Smile even though it's breaking (The world is full of joy)
When there are times in the sky (You cry, you smile and you dance)
You'll get by
Smile through your fear and sorrow (North, East, South, West I can see)
Smile and maybe tomorrow (People of the world)
You'll see the sun will come shining through
For you
Celebrating life is real (Real)
Not without a cry (A cry)
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile (A smile)
Celebrating life is sweet
But not without a dance (A dance)
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings (It brings)
Though your heart is breaking
We smile and cry again
Fly away my love, don't despair (Don't despair)
Smile though your heart is aching (Fly away my heart)
(Fly away my heart) Don't despair
Smile, you cry and you smile
And you dance
The world is full of joy (You cry)
You smile and you dance
You smile (You smile)
And you dance (Even though it's breaking)
Though your heart is breaking (Though your heart)
Fly away my love (Fly away my love)
You cry, you smile and you dance
Fly away
You cry, you smile and you dance
You cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
You cry, you smile and you dance
The lyrics to Judith Sephuma's song A Cry A Smile A Dance convey the message of embracing all aspects of life - the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow, the triumphs and the struggles. The line "smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it's breaking" encourages the listener to find the strength to maintain their positivity in the face of adversity. The song highlights that life is a journey that includes moments of celebration, but those celebrations are not meaningful without acknowledging the hardships that came before them.
The chorus emphasizes that celebrating life involves experiencing the full spectrum of emotions: crying when things are tough, smiling when things are good, and dancing to celebrate. Through the lyrics, the song encourages the listener to never give up and to keep moving forward with hope for the future. The final lines "you cry, you smile, and you dance" are repeated multiple times, emphasizing that these three actions are an important part of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Smile though you heart is aching
Even if you are feeling emotional pain or distress, it is important to stay positive and smile.
Smile even though it's breaking
Despite experiencing a broken or damaged heart, force yourself to smile and remain optimistic.
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by
Even during tough times, it is possible to persevere and overcome struggles.
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
For you
Maintaining a positive attitude in the face of fear and sadness can lead to a brighter future.
Fly away my heart don't despair
The world is full of joy
Even if you are feeling down, know that there is happiness to be found in the world.
You cry, you smile, then you dance, hey
Even though sometimes it's a drag
To toil without a gain
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Life is a series of ups and downs, and it is important to embrace all emotions and find joy even when faced with challenges.
Celebrating life is real
But not without a cry, no
Life is worth celebrating, but it is important to recognize that experiencing sadness and tears is a normal part of the human experience.
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile
Even during times of celebration, maintain a happy disposition and enjoy the moment.
Celebrating life is good
But not without a dance, no, no
To truly celebrate life, it is important to let go and enjoy the moment by dancing and having fun.
Fly away my heart, don't despair
The world is full of joy
Even if you are feeling down, know that there is happiness to be found in the world.
You smile, you cry and you dance
North, East, South, West I can see
People of the world
They cry, they smile and they dance
Emotions and celebrating life are not limited to one region or group of people, as people all over the world experience joy, sadness, and celebrate in their own way.
Smile though you heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are times in the sky
You get by
Even during difficult times when your heart is hurting, force yourself to smile and remain positive in order to keep moving forward.
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun will come shining through
Oh, oh
Maintaining a positive outlook and actively smiling can lead to a brighter tomorrow and better days ahead.
Celebrating life is real (Real)
Not without a cry (A cry)
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile (A smile)
Celebrating life is sweet
But not without a dance (A dance)
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings (It brings)
To fully celebrate life, one should experience and embrace all emotions, including tears, smiles, and joyous dancing.
Though your heart is breaking
We smile and cry again
Fly away my love, don't despair (Don't despair)
Smile though your heart is aching (Fly away my heart)
(Fly away my heart) Don't despair
Smile, you cry and you smile
And you dance
Even if you have experienced heartbreak, there is still hope for joy and happiness. Smile, embrace all emotions, and dance with joy.
The world is full of joy (You cry)
You smile and you dance
You smile (You smile)
And you dance (Even though it's breaking)
Though your heart is breaking (Though your heart)
Fly away my love (Fly away my love)
You cry, you smile and you dance
Fly away
You cry, you smile and you dance
You cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
Cry, you smile and you dance
You cry, you smile and you dance
The world is filled with a variety of emotions and experiences, and it is important to embrace them all by crying, smiling, and dancing with joy.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SELAELO SELOTA, JUDITH SEPHUMA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kholi2590
Lyrics:
Fly away my heart don’t despair
The world is full of joy
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Even though sometimes it's a drag
To toil without a gain
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Celebrating life is real
But not without a cry
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile
Celebrating life is sweet
But not without a dance
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings
Fly away my heart, don't despair
The world is full of joy
You cry, you smile, then you dance
North, East, South, West I can see
People of the world
They cry, they smile, then they dance
@retrorecords7343
when life was beautiful and simple....the world we live in now is so crazy
@kholi2590
Lyrics:
Fly away my heart don’t despair
The world is full of joy
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Even though sometimes it's a drag
To toil without a gain
You cry, you smile, then you dance
Celebrating life is real
But not without a cry
Celebrating life is good
But not without a smile
Celebrating life is sweet
But not without a dance
Celebrating life with you
With everything it brings
Fly away my heart, don't despair
The world is full of joy
You cry, you smile, then you dance
North, East, South, West I can see
People of the world
They cry, they smile, then they dance
@onkewakaba8274
Sometimes my heart longs for a very peaceful environment far away from here in a farm listening to such songs. I often imagine life without all this pain, destruction, loss, unemployment, crime, murder etc...I often imagine a very peaceful life and one day I see all people who worship and believe in God leaving areas of civilisation , going to farms in search of that peaceful life
@monicagwebecimele82
My brother how I long for that right now, I would do anything for that sort of peace.
@giovanniwalters1034
This song is a proud South African treasure
@otherpatrickgill
things aren't always so beautiful in South Africa right now.
This song reminds me that there are things beyond the problems we are experiencing.
@andilenkabinde1191
2023🙌🏽
@oarabileraseroka200
This song reminds me of the days i was still in primary school.❤My aunt used to play them everyday morning🔥❤
@boichokophiri7867
We share a similar memory♨️
@oarabileraseroka200
@@boichokophiri7867 Good memories🫶