Fatima
KNaan Lyrics
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We rise early pace up the hour
Streets is bustling hustling their heart out
You can't have the sweet with no sour
Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower
We came out precisely the hour
Clouds disappear the sun shows the power
I fell in love with my neighbors daughter
I wanted to protect and support her
Never mind I'm just 12 and a quarter
I had dreams beyond our border.
Is it true when they say all you need is just love,
Is it true
What about those who have loved
Only to find that it's taken away
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
To be free
What about those who I've known
Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Fatima,
What did the Young Man say
Before he stole you away
On that fateful day Fatima
Fatima,
Did he know your name
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City, Fatima
And after school we studied the lessons
I ask God to slow down the seconds
He does the opposite that's what I'm guessing
I better chill and count my own blessings
Fatima, Fatima what is the matter
How come you ain't come up the ladder
So we can be like there's no tomorrow
Damn you gonna make me wait until tomorrow
She spoke Arabic and Swahili
She'd say Upendo (Swahili for love)
Anta Habibi (Arabic for, you are my love, dearest friend)
You so bright, you shine like my TV
Then one day she never came to meet me
Is it true when they say all you need is just love,
Is it true
What about those who have loved
Only to find that it's taken away
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
To be free
What about those who I've known
Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Fatima,
What did the Young Man say
Before he stole you away
On that fateful day Fatima
Fatima,
Did he know your name
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City, Fatima [Repeats]
If beauty was in the eyes of beholder
How come everyone hushed when she walked by
How come girls would look just to scold her
How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Fatima, Fatima I'm in America
I make rhymes and I make them delicate
You would have liked the parks in Connecticut
You would have said I'm working too hard again.
Damn you shooter, Damn you the building
Whose walls hid the blood she was spilling
Damn you Country so good at killing
Damn you feeling, for persevering
Is it true when they say all you need is just love,
Is it true
What about those who have loved
Only to find that it's taken away
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
To be free
What about those who I've known
Whose memory still lives inside of me.
[Repeats]
Fatima,
What did the Gun Man Say
Before he took you away on that fateful day
Fatima
Did he know your name, or the plans we made
To go to New York City
Fatima
Now I just want to make it clear, I don't want you to shed a tear.
Because this here, is a celebration,
We're not mourning,
We're celebrating
Yeah
So baby don't cry,
Please don't let the tears fall
So don't cry
The lyrics of K'Naan's song Fatima tell a story of a young love that tragically comes to an end, set against the backdrop of East African culture and the realities of life in a war-torn country. The song begins by painting a vivid picture of the bustle and energy of the streets, with the singer expressing his love for his neighbor's daughter, Fatima. Despite being just 12 years old, he dreams of a future beyond their borders with her. However, the song takes a darker turn as Fatima is taken away by a gunman, and the lyrics shift between the singer's memories of their love and his anger and heartbreak over her loss.
The song's chorus poses a series of questions about love, loss, and freedom, asking whether it's true that love is all you need and what happens to those who have loved and lost. The chorus also questions the idea that children have a right to be free and raises the issue of those who have been taken away, including Fatima. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer celebrating Fatima's life rather than mourning her death and asking her not to cry.
Overall, the lyrics of Fatima are a poignant and powerful expression of the pain and tragedy of losing a loved one in violent circumstances, set against the backdrop of the beauty and resilience of East African culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture the morning taste and devour
Take a moment to savor the morning and enjoy it fully
We rise early pace up the hour
We wake up early and get started with our day
Streets is bustling hustling their heart out
The streets are busy and people are working hard
You can't have the sweet with no sour
Life has both good and bad parts; you can't have one without the other
Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower
The air is filled with the pleasant aromas of spices, herbs, and flowers
We came out precisely the hour
We came out at exactly the right time
Clouds disappear the sun shows the power
The clouds have cleared and the sun is shining brightly
No chance of a probable shower
It is unlikely to rain today
I fell in love with my neighbors daughter
I developed feelings for the daughter of my neighbor
I wanted to protect and support her
I wanted to take care of her and be there for her
Never mind I'm just 12 and a quarter
Despite being young, I still had big dreams
I had dreams beyond our border.
I had aspirations beyond the confines of our hometown
Is it true when they say all you need is just love,
Some say that love is all you need
What about those who have loved
What about those who have experienced love
Only to find that it's taken away
Only to have it taken away from them
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
Why do they say that children deserve to be free
What about those who I've known
What about those whom I have known
Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Whose memory I still hold onto
Fatima,
Addressing a person named Fatima
What did the Young Man say
Asking what someone said to Fatima
Before he stole you away
Before he took her away from me
On that fateful day Fatima
On that day that changed our lives forever
Fatima,
Addressing a person named Fatima
Did he know your name
Did he know Fatima's name
Or the plans we made,
Or the plans that Fatima and I made together
To go to New York City, Fatima
Plans to travel to New York City
And after school we studied the lessons
After school, we would study our lessons
I ask God to slow down the seconds
I prayed for time to slow down
He does the opposite that's what I'm guessing
It seems like time has been moving even faster
I better chill and count my own blessings
I need to calm down and appreciate what I have in my life
How come you ain't come up the ladder
Why haven't you come up the ladder to see me
So we can be like there's no tomorrow
So we can hang out and have a good time
Damn you gonna make me wait until tomorrow
You're making me wait until tomorrow
She spoke Arabic and Swahili
Fatima spoke both Arabic and Swahili
She'd say Upendo (Swahili for love)
She would say 'love' in Swahili
Anta Habibi (Arabic for, you are my love, dearest friend)
She would say, 'you are my love, dearest friend' in Arabic
You so bright, you shine like my TV
You're so bright and cheerful, you light up my day
Then one day she never came to meet me
One day she didn't show up to meet me
If beauty was in the eyes of beholder
If beauty was subjective
How come everyone hushed when she walked by
Why did everyone fall silent when she walked by
How come girls would look just to scold her
Why did girls look at her just to criticize her
How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Why did the angel want to embrace her
Fatima I'm in America
Addressing Fatima, who is now in America
I make rhymes and I make them delicate
I write rap lyrics and I'm careful with my words
You would have liked the parks in Connecticut
I think you would have enjoyed the parks in Connecticut
You would have said I'm working too hard again.
You would have teased me for working too hard
Damn you shooter, Damn you the building
Expressing anger towards the shooter and the building where the shooting occurred
Whose walls hid the blood she was spilling
The walls of the building concealed the blood that Fatima was bleeding
Damn you Country so good at killing
Expressing frustration towards the country's culture of violence
Damn you feeling, for persevering
Expressing frustration towards the feeling of grief and the difficulty of moving on
What did the Gun Man Say
Asking what the gunman said
Before he took you away on that fateful day
Before the gunman took Fatima away
Now I just want to make it clear, I don't want you to shed a tear.
Clarifying that this is not a sad song and asking listeners not to cry
Because this here, is a celebration,
This song is a celebration of Fatima's life
We're not mourning,
We are not grieving
We're celebrating
We are showing our love and respect for Fatima
So baby don't cry,
Asking Fatima not to cry
Please don't let the tears fall
Asking Fatima to hold back her tears
So don't cry
Repeating the request not to cry
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEINAN WARSAME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind