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In The Beginning
K’Naan Lyrics
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In the beginning
There was a hum
From a poet whose pulse fell
Drum drum drum!
He would perform prayers and all
Come come come!
Suspicious 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"
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 beginning
As the story goes on
So
The poets 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, people just care
Evil don't care, evil just care
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 hes got.
Beat him!
And they teach him
The rest of the world don't need him
And he believes.
In the disease that hes 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
The lyrics to K’Naan's song In The Beginning are rich in metaphor and imagery, painting a picture of a poet who is at first content with his art until one day he hears a voice that convinces him to embrace greed and lies. The voice that speaks to the poet represents the void that many people feel inside of themselves, causing them to pursue materialistic desires and other vices that lead them away from inner peace and contentment. The poet's transformation shows how easily people can be swayed by the temptation of power and material wealth, ultimately leading to their downfall. The lyrics explore themes of temptation, pride, and the dangers of pursuing material wealth at the cost of personal integrity.
The use of metaphor in the lyrics is particularly striking, with the void inside people being personified as a voice that is enticing but ultimately destructive. The lyrics suggest that this voice is what drives people towards evil and greed, causing them to lose sight of what is truly important in life. This is seen in the way the poet is convinced to pursue power and money, leading to his downfall and the loss of his soul. At the same time, the lyrics suggest the possibility of redemption and the importance of holding on to personal values in the face of adversity. The closing lines of the song emphasize the importance of resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges, conveying a message of hope and encouragement.
Line by Line Meaning
In the beginning
At the start of this story
There was a hum
There was a quiet sound that filled the air
From a poet whose pulse fell
From a writer who felt his heartbeat slow down
Drum drum drum!
But his heart still beat, drumming along with his music
He would perform prayers and all
He would express his hopes and fears through his art
Till one day he heard a voice call
Until he was interrupted by a strange voice
Come come come!
The voice urged him to come closer
Suspicious he moved
Feeling wary, he approached the voice carefully
With vicious caution
He was aggressive in his approach, ready to fight if needed
Dismisses,
He refused to believe what he was hearing
He thinks is a little often
He is skeptical of many things
People get held back
He noticed how others become stuck in their past
By the void inside 'em.
He recognized the emptiness that consumed others
The void said,
The voice spoke again
I'm poised to speak inside you
It promised to reveal something unknown inside him
"Rejoice then please let me invite you
It urged him to feel happy before revealing its secrets
To evil, greed and lies too."
It tempted him with negative things, like wrongdoing and dishonesty
Confused and dazed
Overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next
He moved in ways
He continued on, taking actions despite feeling lost
He soon became "Hakuna"
He took on a new name, but its meaning is unknown
A knock on his door, his heart is no more
Someone arrived and shattered his heart with bad news
A knock on his door, his soul is no more
The same person then took away his spirit, leaving him empty
The poets got a proposal
He was offered a deal
He would always hope but never know
He would be promised things but never sure if they'd be delivered
What it feels
What it's like to experience something
To be free.
To live without any constraints or limitations
He would be the frozen
He would be trapped and unable to move
Imposed as the chosen,
He'd be forced into a position of power
All laws oppose him
The rules of society would not be in his favor
But it would be greed.
Despite this, he would still pursue wealth and power
That's got him there
That ambition had brought him success
He's power-hungry,
He's obsessed with obtaining more control and influence
And proud too.
He's confident in his abilities and accomplishments
People don't care, people just care
People are often indifferent or selfish
Evil don't care, evil just care
Bad things only care about causing destruction
They say
It's often said
It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark in the eyes of the youth
It's more helpful to provide guidance than to scold someone who doesn't know better
There are question marks
There are many uncertainties
Like freedom.
One of these uncertainties is what it truly means to be free
Freedom for the mind and soul,
True freedom encompasses every aspect of our being
We don't see them.
We often overlook the importance of the intangible
See them for their worth at all,
Recognize their value
That's why we lead'em
That's why we're in charge
Lead'em to these wars
We guide people into conflicts and battles
And what is it we feed 'em.
We give them violence and cruelty
Feed em our impurities
We share our negative qualities
And who it is we treat 'em
How we treat people
Treat em like the enemy
We treat them like they're our adversaries
Humanity will need'em.
Our society requires every individual to function properly
Need 'em like the blood we spill
Our society requires the sacrifice of its citizens
And we're freedom
We're supposed to be promoting freedom
Freedom for the hearts we fill
Freedom that should extend to everyone's innermost thoughts and feelings
We mislead 'em.
But we often betray that trust
They hunger for the love we give
People crave affection and care
But we cheat 'em.
We refuse to offer those things
The guys beat him and all he wants
His attackers injured him, but his greatest desire right now is
Is his freedom,
Freedom he's been denied
So they defeat him,
His oppressors overpower him
Whatever spirit hes got.
Whatever fighting spirit he still possesses
Beat him!
They physically assaulted him again
And they teach him
And now they use this abuse as a lesson for him
The rest of the world don't need him
The rest of the world won't miss his presence
And he believes.
And he internalizes that belief
In the disease that hes heathen
He now sees himself as sick, unworthy of love or kindness
Put up your fists if all you want is freedom
Fight back against those who would deny you your rights
And we keep holdin' on,
We continue to persevere
And we keep bein' strong
We don't give up, even when things are hard
And we keep goin' on
We persist, no matter what
And on and on and on
Endlessly
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERALD EATON, BRIAN WEST, KEINAN WARSAME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind