Fatima
K.NAAN Lyrics


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Picture the morning taste and devour
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
No chance of a probable shower

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

Overall Meaning

In K'NAAN's song Fatima, the artist tells the story of a young girl named Fatima who was taken away from him by a gunman. The song is characterized by its use of African music and instruments, such as the kora, while also incorporating hip-hop and electronic elements. The lyrics are profound, as they delve into themes of love, loss, and hopelessness.


The song starts with a description of the busy early morning streets and the sweet and sour experiences of life. It transitions to the artist's love for his neighbor's daughter, Fatima, and his desire to protect and support her, as well as his dreams of going beyond the border. However, the mood changes as the artist questions the validity of love and the idea that children have rights to be free when many have experienced the tragedy of having their loved ones taken away.


Throughout the song, there is a sense of hopelessness, as Fatima is taken away from the artist by a gunman. The artist expresses his anger and frustration towards the shooter, the building that hid the blood, and the country that is good at killing. In the end, the artist cautions against shedding tears and encourages celebration rather than mourning, as Fatima lives on in the memories of all those who loved her.


Line by Line Meaning

Picture the morning taste and devour
The early morning is bustling with activity and flavor


We rise early pace up the hour
We wake up early to make the most of the day


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


You can't have the sweet with no sour
Life has its ups and downs, both good and bad times


Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower
The air is filled with the aroma of spices and flowers


We came out precisely the hour
We planned our outing at the perfect time


Clouds disappear the sun shows the power
The sun shines brightly with no chance of rain


No chance of a probable shower
There is no possibility of it raining


I fell in love with my neighbors daughter
I developed feelings for the girl next door


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 for us


I had dreams beyond our border.
My aspirations went beyond our own community and country


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


What about those who have loved
What about those who have experienced love in their lives?


Only to find that it's taken away
Only to have that 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 the right to freedom?


To be free
To experience life without restrictions or limitations


What about those who I've known
What about those I've lost, whose memory still lives on?


Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Whose memory I still carry with me, even though they are gone


Fatima,
The name of a woman who was important to the artist


What did the Young Man say
What did the man who took Fatima say to her?


Before he stole you away
Before he took her away from her loved ones


On that fateful day Fatima
The day that changed everything for the singer


Did he know your name
Did the man who took her know her by name?


Or the plans we made,
Did he know about our plans for the future?


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


And after school we studied the lessons
After finishing school, we continued to learn and grow


I ask God to slow down the seconds
I wished for time to slow down so I could savor every moment


He does the opposite that's what I'm guessing
Time seems to move faster than I want it to


I better chill and count my own blessings
I need to calm down and appreciate what I have in life


How come you ain't come up the ladder
Why haven't you come up to see me?


So we can be like there's no tomorrow
So we can spend time together as if there's no tomorrow


Damn you gonna make me wait until tomorrow
I can't wait any longer to see you


She spoke Arabic and Swahili
Fatima was multilingual and could speak both Arabic and Swahili


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


Anta Habibi (Arabic for, you are my love, dearest friend)
Fatima would also say the Arabic phrase for 'you are my love, dearest friend'


You so bright, you shine like my TV
Fatima saw something special in the singer, comparing him to a bright TV screen


Then one day she never came to meet me
One day, Fatima didn't show up as planned


If beauty was in the eyes of beholder
If beauty was subjective and up to personal interpretation


How come everyone hushed when she walked by
Why did everyone become quiet when Fatima walked by?


How come girls would look just to scold her
Why did other girls look at her with disdain?


How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Why did the singer see Fatima as an angel who he wanted to hold?


Fatima, Fatima I'm in America
The singer has moved to America and is reminiscing about Fatima


I make rhymes and I make them delicate
The artist is a rapper and takes care to craft his rhymes thoughtfully


You would have liked the parks in Connecticut
The artist thinks Fatima would have enjoyed visiting the parks in Connecticut


You would have said I'm working too hard again.
The artist imagines that Fatima would tell him he's working too hard


Damn you shooter, Damn you the building
The singer curses the shooter and the building where the shooting happened


Whose walls hid the blood she was spilling
The walls of the building concealed the bloodshed that was happening inside


Damn you Country so good at killing
The singer is critical of the country's culture of violence and killing


Damn you feeling, for persevering
The singer feels frustrated with his own emotions for persisting despite the pain


What did the Gun Man Say
The singer repeats the question of what the gunman said to Fatima


Before he took you away on that fateful day
The artist is reflecting on the day that changed everything for him


Now I just want to make it clear, I don't want you to shed a tear.
The artist wants to make it clear that this is a celebration of Fatima's life, not a tragic mourning


Because this here, is a celebration,
The singer reiterates that this is a celebration


We're not mourning,
The singer emphasizes that they are not mourning Fatima's death


We're celebrating
Instead, they are celebrating her life and memory


Please don't let the tears fall
The artist doesn't want anyone at the celebration to cry


So don't cry
The artist once again urges everyone to refrain from crying




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEINAN WARSAME

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

rere taj

I’m from Sudan and I love Somalis very much 😍😍😍😍😍

Dennis Bergkamp

Love you too brother ❤️

Superhero channel

Somalia ❤❤

Wellington Sears

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Knaan is probably the most underappreciated artist of all time.

Patricia Marin

2021 and I'm loving the song and the artiste.....it's spoken word in song......realistic song of what's happening today.

SomaChica Sincity

As sad as it is the story behind this song...But I can't help but be happy every time I play it simply because my name is also Fatima and I am Somali. So it is almost he is singing it for me :)

ScoobyJr

@dustyfoot philosopher sure thang 🙏🏾

dustyfoot philosopher

@ScoobyJr you dont look on the negative side
Chill and count your own blessings😊❤

ScoobyJr

But Fatima got shot and dead

Juleybeeb Afrax

Keep your Head up baby gyal this is your anthem

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