In The Beginning
K´naan Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

So!

In the beginning there was a hum
From a poet whose pulse fell dRUM DRUM DRUM!

He would perform prayers and all
Till one day he heard a voice call
COME COME COME! Sus'pi'cious he moved
With vicious caution dismisses
He thinks is a little often
People get held back by the void inside 'em

YO!

The void said
I'm poised to speak inside you
"Rejoice then please let me invite you
To evil, greed and lies too"

YEAH!

Confused and dazed he moved in ways
He soon became "Hakuna" bOOM BOOM BOOM

A knock on his door, his heart is no more
A knock on his door, his soul is no more

Yeah that was in the beginnin'
As the story goes on so -

The poet's got a proposal
He would always hope but never know
What it feels to be free
He would be the frozen imposed as the chosen
All laws oppose him but it would be greed

That's got him there he's power hungry
And proud too

People don't care, he will just care
Evil don't care, he will just prayer

Yeah that was In the beginning

There was a hum

Then things changed

They say- it is better to light a candle
Than to curse the dark
In the eyes of the youth
There are question marks

Like freedom freedom for the mind and soul

We don't see them
See them for their worth at all

That's why we lead em

Lead em to these wars
And what is it we feed em

Feed em our impurities
And who it is we treat em

Treat em like the enemy
Humanity will need em

Need em like the blood we spill
And we're freedom

Freedom for the hearts we fill we mislead em

They hunger for the love we give
But we cheat em

The guys beat him and all he wants
Is his freedom

So they defeat him whatever spirit he's got

"beat him"

And they teach him
The rest of the world don't need him

And he believes
In the disease that he's heathen

Put up your fists if all you want is freedom
Put up your fists if all you want is -

That was in the beginning
Then things changed

Yeah

And we keep holdin' on




And we keep bein' strong
And we keep goin' on and on and on and on

Overall Meaning

The song "In The Beginning" by K'naan starts with the idea of a poet who hears a voice and dismisses it at first, thinking that it is holding him back. However, he eventually listens to the voice, becomes power-hungry, and loses his soul in the process. The song then speaks about the importance of fighting for freedom and how society often fails to see the worth of individuals.


The first verse of the song describes how the poet hears a voice and dismisses it as something that is holding him back. However, he soon realizes that the voice is inviting him to do evil things, and he becomes "Hakuna," which means "nothing" in Swahili. The repetition of "Drum drum drum!" in the first verse signifies the repetitive beat of the poet's pulse, which is mentioned in the second line. The chorus speaks about how this was just the beginning of the story.


In the second verse, the poet is offered a proposal to become "the frozen" and be imposed as someone who is chosen. He becomes power-hungry and proud, and his focus turns to greed. The following lines speak about how freedom for the mind and soul is essential, but society often fails to recognize its worth. The last line, "And we keep holdin' on, and we keep bein' strong, and we keep goin' on and on and on," is a message of hope that encourages the audience to keep fighting.


Line by Line Meaning

In the beginning
The story starts with the beginning of this person's journey or experience.


There was a hum
The person started with a simple hum which symbolizes their initial existence or presence in the world.


From a poet whose pulse fell
The person was a poet and this line indicates that they were emotionally drained or not feeling alive.


Drum drum drum!
The repetition of 'drum' emphasizes that something big or important is about to happen.


He would perform prayers and all
The person was religious and performed daily prayers.


Till one day he heard a voice call
One day, the person heard a voice calling to them.


Come come come!
The voice was inviting the person to go somewhere or do something.


Suspicious he moved
The person was hesitant and unsure of the voice's intentions.


With vicious caution
The person approached the voice with a fierce and aggressive demeanor.


Dismisses, He thinks is a little often
The person often dismissed things that they thought were not important enough.


People get held back, By the void inside 'em.
People often hold themselves back because of something missing inside them which they perceive as a 'void'.


The void said, I'm poised to speak inside you
The 'void' spoke to the person and told them that it was willing to speak through them.


"Rejoice then please, let me invite you
The 'void' was inviting the person to experience things that they may not have experienced before and to be happy about it.


To evil, greed and lies too."
The 'void' was inviting the person to experience negative things like evil, greed, and lies as well.


Confused and dazed, He moved in ways
The person was confused and disoriented, so they moved randomly and aimlessly.


He soon became "Hakuna"
The person became known as 'Hakuna' which could symbolize freedom, but also means 'nothing' in Swahili.


A knock on his door, his heart is no more
Someone came to the person's door and made them feel like they had lost their heart or emotions.


That was in the beginning, As the story goes on
This is a repetition of the first line that emphasizes that this was just the beginning of the person's story.


The poets got a proposal
The person, who was a poet, received a proposal or suggestion.


He would always hope but never know
The person wanted to hope for something but never knew if it would come true.


What it feels, To be free.
The person wanted to experience what it was like to be free.


He would be the frozen, Imposed as the chosen,
The person would be frozen or stuck in their current situation that they were told was their 'chosen' path.


All laws oppose him, But it would be greed.
The person's situation was unlawful, but they continued out of their own greed.


That's got him there
This line means that the person's greed has led them to where they are now.


He's power-hungry, And proud too.
The person is not only greedy, but they are also hungry for power and proud of their actions.


People don't care, people just care
This line is a repetition of itself with different emphasis, and it means that people do not care about others, but only themselves.


Evil don't care, evil just care
This line also repeats itself, emphasizing that evil does not care about anything but itself.


They say, It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark in the eyes of the youth
This line is a saying that means it is better to do something positive than complain or do something negative about a situation.


There are question marks, Like freedom.
The person is not sure what freedom really means or if they can achieve it.


Freedom for the mind and soul, We don't see them.
People do not realize that freedom can be achieved in the mind and soul, not just physically.


See them for their worth at all, That's why we lead'em
People do not see the true value in freedom, which is why they are led by those who take advantage of them.


Lead'em to these wars, And what is it we feed 'em.
People are led into wars and conflicts, and are fed harmful ideas or propaganda.


Feed em our impurities, And who it is we treat 'em
People are fed negative and unclean things, and those who lead them treat them poorly.


Treat em like the enemy, Humanity will need'em.
People are treated like the enemy, but humanity will eventually need them.


Need 'em like the blood we spill, And we're freedom
We need people like we need blood, and freedom itself is like a spill of blood.


Freedom for the hearts we fill, We mislead 'em.
People are misled into thinking they are receiving freedom, but in reality, their hearts are being filled with false ideas.


They hunger for the love we give, But we cheat 'em.
People crave the love that they are promised, but they are ultimately cheated out of it.


The guys beat him and all he wants, Is his freedom,
The person is beaten, but all they want is the freedom that they were promised.


So they defeat him, Whatever spirit hes got.
The people who beat him are trying to defeat his spirit or soul.


And they teach him, The rest of the world don't need him
The people who beat him are also teaching him that the world does not need him.


And he believes. In the disease that hes heathen
The person believes in the negative and harmful beliefs that he is told and considers himself unworthy or a heathen.


Put up your fists if all you want is freedom
This is a call to action, asking the listener to raise their fists if they want freedom.


And we keep holdin' on, And we keep bein' strong, And we keep goin' on And on and on and on
This is a repetition of lines that indicate that even though people face difficult situations, they must keep moving forward and remain strong.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@sayno_0137

12 years later and this still warms my heart up...

@fireinfireout

15 years after I first heard it in 2008...still good, still underrated

@notsure7060

@@fireinfireoutI just saw Harold and Kumar G.Bay as the president called it and i fell in love with this awesome tune ....

@grahamburrows7570

sitting on the back of my pickup truck in the middle of southern Ontario. you don't need to be Somali to absolutely love K'naan! the man is a genius...

@zakariyaabdullahi2350

True that bro

@anonymoussincebirth9977

Facts

@abshir44

You're a real guy Graham!

@JJ-rb4rx

Facts

@nasser2169

1 More Replies...

@tomdeming

Whether you were brought here by two stoners, porno vampires or appreciation for Somali-Canadian music, this is awesome!

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