Fatima
K'naan Lyrics

Picture the morning taste and devour
Take a moment to appreciate the taste of the morning and enjoy it fully

We rise early pace up the hour
We wake up early and use the time to our advantage

Streets is bustling hustling their heart out
The streets are lively with people working hard

You can't have the sweet with no sour
You can't have the good without the bad

Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower
The air is filled with delightful smells of spices, herbs, and flowers

We came out precisely the hour
We arrived at the perfect time

Clouds disappear the sun shows the power
The clouds have cleared and the sun is shining bright and strong

No chance of a probable shower
There's no chance of it raining

I fell in love with my neighbors daughter
As a young boy, I had a crush on my neighbor's daughter

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 had big dreams and ambitions for the future

I had dreams beyond our border.
I had aspirations beyond my own community and wanted to explore the world

Is it true when they say all you need is just love,
People often say that all you need is love, but is that really true?

What about those who have loved
What about those who have experienced love and still lost it?

Only to find that it's taken away
Only to have love taken away from them

And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
Why do people say that children have a right to be free?

What about those who I've known
What about those I've known who have been denied their freedom?

Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Whose memory still haunts me to this day

Fatima,
Addressing his lost love, Fatima

What did the Young Man say
What did the young man who took Fatima away say?

Before he stole you away
Before he abducted you and took you from me

On that fateful day Fatima
On the day that changed our lives forever

Did he know your name
Did he even know your name, the person he took from me?

Or the plans we made,
Did he know about the dreams and plans we had for our future together?

To go to New York City, Fatima
Our dream was to travel to New York City together

And after school we studied the lessons
After school, we worked hard to learn and better ourselves

I ask God to slow down the seconds
I prayed to God to make each moment last longer and to cherish the time with Fatima

He does the opposite that's what I'm guessing
God didn't answer my prayers and I felt like time went by too quickly

I better chill and count my own blessings
Instead of lamenting on what I don't have, I should count the blessings that I do have in life

Fatima, Fatima what is the matter
Addressing his lost love again, asking what happened to her

How come you ain't come up the ladder
Why haven't you come up to see me and spend time together?

So we can be like there's no tomorrow
So we can live in the moment and enjoy each other's company without worries of the future

Damn you gonna make me wait until tomorrow
Expressing frustration and impatience with waiting until the next day to see his love

She spoke Arabic and Swahili
Describing Fatima's multilingual abilities in speaking Arabic and Swahili

She'd say Upendo (Swahili for love)
Fatima would say 'Upendo', a Swahili word for love

Anta Habibi (Arabic for, you are my love, dearest friend)
She would also say 'Anta Habibi', an Arabic phrase that means 'you are my love, dearest friend'

You so bright, you shine like my TV
Complimenting Fatima's brightness and comparing her to a shiny TV screen

Then one day she never came to meet me
Then suddenly, she didn't show up to our meeting place as usual

If beauty was in the eyes of beholder
Suggesting that beauty is subjective and varies among individuals

How come everyone hushed when she walked by
Despite the belief that beauty is subjective, everyone seemed to recognize her beauty

How come girls would look just to scold her
Jealous girls would look at her just to ridicule her

How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Asking why even an angel would be compelled to hold her

Fatima, Fatima I'm in America
Addressing Fatima again, stating that he's now living in America

I make rhymes and I make them delicate
I create delicate and intricate words and lyrics in my music

You would have liked the parks in Connecticut
Telling Fatima that she would have enjoyed the parks in Connecticut, where he now lives

You would have said I'm working too hard again.
Anticipating Fatima's response, knowing that she would think he's working too hard on his music

Damn you shooter, Damn you the building
Blaming not only the shooter who took Fatima's life, but also the building where it happened

Whose walls hid the blood she was spilling
The walls of the building concealed the violence and bloodshed

Damn you Country so good at killing
Damning the country for being so skilled at killing

Damn you feeling, for persevering
Expressing frustration with unresolved emotions and feelings that persist despite his efforts to move on

Now I just want to make it clear, I don't want you to shed a tear.
Clarifying that he doesn't want Fatima to be mourned with tears

Because this here, is a celebration,
This is a celebration of Fatima's life and memory

We're not mourning,
Contrasting mourning with the idea of celebration

We're celebrating
Clarifying that this is a celebration of Fatima's life

Yeah
A brief affirmation

So baby don't cry,
Addressing Fatima again, encouraging her not to cry

Please don't let the tears fall
Asking her to try her best not to cry

So don't cry
Reiterating the message not to cry