At the age of 14, Clegg met Zulu street musician Charlie Mzila, who taught him Zulu music and dancing over the following two years. In 1969 Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu met in Johannesburg when young sipho went there to find work. The 18-year-old Mchunu challenged the 16-year-old Clegg to a guitar contest, and the two became friends. Soon, they were performing together on the streets and in what few other unofficial venues a multi-racial band could safely play in under apartheid. They were forced to keep a low profile and their success came from word of mouth instead of through traditional publicity. Clegg himself was arrested and beaten up by the police on several occasions for his activities and also for the band's lyrics. For some commentators, Juluka was the band that had the greatest success in challenging the racial separateness of Apartheid. When performing, both black and white band members would appear on stage in traditional Zulu dress and perform the traditional Zulu war dance together while singing in Zulu and English.[1]
In 1976, they released their debut single, "Woza Friday", followed three years later by a critically acclaimed album, Universal Men.[2] The album's poetic lyrics were strongly influenced by John Berger's A Seventh Man as well as Pablo Neruda and Jean-Paul Sartre.[citation needed] Expanding to a quintet, they released a second album, African Litany, in late 1981. The album's lead single, "Impi", with its pointedly political lyrics about a defeat of the colonial British army by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana, was banned by South African radio but became an underground hit. In contemporary South Africa it is often associated with national sports teams. The album garnered them their first international attention, and they were able to successfully tour in Europe and North America in 1982 and 1983. However, in June 1983, the British music magazine, NME, reported that they were initially banned by the Musicians Union as, ..."since it would not be possible to approve one of our bands working in South Africa, there is no possibility of an exchange". The ban was eventually lifted, with the group donating their fees to charity.[3]
In South Africa, Juluka was also banned by Radio Bantu, a government approved radio station for the black population, which allegedly refused to play Juluka's music, because Clegg's efforts were seen as "an insult to the Zulu and their culture".[4]
The group disbanded in 1985 when Mchunu moved back to the farm where he was born in Natal to take care of his family. Clegg went on to form a new band, Savuka, with whom he achieved even greater international success. In 1997, however, the two friends came back for a final album together. It did not receive the critical acclaim of early Juluka albums like Universal Men, African Litany, Work for All and Scatterlings.
Old Eyes
Juluka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I asked myself: Brother Joseph, how've you been?
Then I met an old man who knew me as a boy
I said, Father, where're the people, where're the homesteads gone?
And he said, Son, I'll be old untill I die now
And then I will join our people in the sky
I am not the one to ask the reasons why
Your brothers and your sisters have been scattered in the wind
And he said old eyes (mehlomadala)
You've got old eyes, boy
You've seen much too much for one so young
He said old eyes (mehlomadala)
You've got old eyes, boy
Child, from whence have you come? When I left that mountain land so gold and green
I was a sturdy sixteen years
Work was hard and the wage was low
And the seasons passed me by one by one
And I dreamed, Maria, you would wait for my return
We'd build a home upon the rock beneath the smiling sun
But as the old man used to say when I was young
People come and people go, but the mountain still remains
Zulu chorus
Repeat English chorus
Repeat Zulu chorus
The song "Old Eyes" by Juluka starts with the singer asking himself how he has been and wondering where the people and homesteads have gone. He meets an old man who recognizes him from when he was a boy, and when he asks the old man about the whereabouts of the people, the old man tells him that his brothers and sisters have been scattered in the wind. The old man further explains that he will be old until he dies and then he will join their people in the sky, leaving the singer to ask himself why his family and people have been scattered.
In the second verse, the singer talks about leaving his homeland when he was a young man with dreams of building a home with his lover, Maria. However, life had other plans for him, and he had to work hard with little pay as time passed him by. The singer recalls the old man's saying, "People come and people go, but the mountain still remains", illustrating that while people may leave, the land and the memories of it remain.
The song is a poignant reflection on the effects of displacement and the longing for a sense of home. It speaks to the human condition of searching for a home and familiarity, as well as the acceptance that things may not always go as planned. The use of Zulu lyrics and the inclusion of African instruments like the marimba and the cowbell add a layer of authenticity to the song, making it a cultural and emotional exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
I was the only one who witnessed my homecoming
No one was there to welcome me home but myself.
So I asked myself: Brother Joseph, how've you been?
I spoke to myself as I wondered how life has been.
Then I met an old man who knew me as a boy
I encountered an elderly man who knew me when I was young.
I said, Father, where're the people, where're the homesteads gone?
I inquired about the missing people and their homes.
And he said, Son, I'll be old untill I die now
The old man stated that he will always be old until his death.
And then I will join our people in the sky
He went on to elucidate that he will rest in peace in the afterlife with our ancestors.
I am not the one to ask the reasons why
The old man declared that he is not knowledgeable about the reasons for this event.
Your brothers and your sisters have been scattered in the wind
He expressed that my siblings have gone their separate ways and scattered like the wind.
And he said old eyes (mehlomadala)
The elderly fellow referred to me as having matured eyes.
You've got old eyes, boy
He reiterated I have experienced more than my age warrants.
You've seen much too much for one so young
He commented that I've encountered an excessive amount for an individual of my age.
Child, from whence have you come?
He addressed me as a child and asked where I originated from.
When I left that mountain land so gold and green
When I departed from that golden and green hilly location.
I was a sturdy sixteen years
At that time, I was a robust and strong sixteen-year-old.
Work was hard and the wage was low
Work was laborious, and the pay was insufficient.
And the seasons passed me by one by one
Time elapsed as one season passed after another.
And I dreamed, Maria, you would wait for my return
I fantasized that Maria would anticipate my arrival.
We'd build a home upon the rock beneath the smiling sun
Together, we would construct a house on the rock under the sun's warm rays.
But as the old man used to say when I was young
As the elderly man used to tell me when I was a kid,
People come and people go, but the mountain still remains
Individuals move and depart, but the mountain remains unmoved.
Repeat English chorus
Repeat the English version of the chorus.
Repeat Zulu chorus
Repeat the Zulu version of the chorus.
Contributed by Tristan R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nelebhebhe8604
went back to Bulawayo the city of my youth and found nothing but empty echoes of a deem and distant past where we laughed and cried in the shadows of the Jacaranda trees -just memories and nothing else left there -thank you Juluka for helping me express what mere words cannot RIP Johnny
@joshuasacco1017
This is my Favourite song by Johny Clegg.. it makes me think of my youth... RIP Mdhara ....
@mthokozisimazibuko2969
REST IN PEACE JOHHNY REST IN PEACE AFRICAN HERO
@mthokozisimazibuko2969
this song makes me cry ...RIP JOHNNY
@pandastylearmy5938
excellent