Ladysmith Black Mambazo, formed by Joseph Shabalala (1941 – 2020) in 1960 i… Read Full Bio ↴Ladysmith Black Mambazo, formed by Joseph Shabalala (1941 – 2020) in 1960 in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a South African male choral group that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards. They have become one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honors, and have come to represent the traditional culture of South Africa. They are regarded as South Africa's cultural emissaries at home and around the world. They are a national treasure of the new South Africa in part because they embody the traditions suppressed in the old South Africa.

It has been years since Paul Simon made his initial trip to South Africa and met Joseph Shabalala, and the other members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in a recording studio in Johannesburg. Having listened to a cassette of their music sent by a DJ based in Los Angeles, Simon was captivated by the stirring sound of bass, alto and tenor harmonies. Simon incorporated the traditional sounds of black South Africa into the Graceland album, a project regarded by many as seminal to today's explosive interest in World music

'60s Africa found the Zulu and Sotho beginning to incorporate the influences of African American R&B, jazz, and blues into their traditional, indigenous music. New styles such as township jazz, pennywhistle street music, Kwela, and marabi were formed. Eventually, these myriad styles coalesced to create a new hybrid pop music that came to be known as mbaqanga. Though mbaqanga employs the traditional instrumentation of Western pop (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals), the approach to song structure and rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrasing is uniquely African.

Recorded between 1981 and 1984, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO is the first (and arguably the best) of a slew of South African pop recordings that soon followed. Characterized by insistent, rhythmically complex beats, elastic, burbling basslines, tight, ska-sounding guitar accompaniment, and thick, multi-part vocals, this music is as intriguing as it is appealing. Groups with such names as Udokotela Shange Namajaha and Amaswazi Emvelo serve up bright, infectious melodies and percussively insistent tracks that are clearly intended for dancing.

Golgotha
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Golgotha

Ngizobambelela kusona (Isiphambano)
Ngize ngizuz' umqhele wami.
(repeat four times)

Ungisizile nkosi yami!
Bengizokubona nini

konke lokhu okuhle ongenzele kona
Ungenyulile nkosi yami!
Bengizokubona nini
konke lokhu okuhle ongenzele kona.

Awubheke ekhaya lami
Kunenhlanhla lami
Inhlanhla yami
Isekhaya yami
Ikhaya lami.

Ungeke wayithola
Ungeke wayithola inhlanhla yami
Amasela awasangeni ekhaya lami
Uvalo alusangeni ekhaya lami
Ungehla unyuka uyifuna
Ungeke wayithola inhlanhla yami

EGolgotha eGolgotha
Entaben' eGolgotha.

Umthwalo wezono zami
wasal' eGolgotha
Umthwalo wezono zami
Ngawushiy' eGolgotha
Amacala ami
Asal' eGolgotha
Sengihamba ngikhululekile
eGolgotha.

EGolgotha eGolgotha.
(repeat)

Inkazimulo!
Kuyakhanya inkazimulo.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Golgotha" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo speak about the trials and tribulations of life, as well as the journey towards finding redemption. The opening lines, "Ngizobambelela kusona (Isiphambano) / Ngize ngizuz' umqhele wami" translate to "I will hold onto the cross / Let me put on my crown." This suggests a willingness to endure the hardships of life and to embrace the spiritual journey ahead.

The song also references the Biblical story of Golgotha, which is thought to be the site where Jesus was crucified. The singer declares that they have left their burdens and sins at Golgotha, and that they have found liberation through their faith: "Umthwalo wezono zami / wasal' eGolgotha / Ngawushiy' eGolgotha / Sengihamba ngikhululekile." This translates to "The burden of my sins / was left at Golgotha / I have been liberated / I am now at peace."

Overall, the song speaks to the human experience of suffering and redemption, and the power of faith in overcoming life's hardships.

Line by Line Meaning

Ngizobambelela kusona (Isiphambano)
I will hold onto the cross until the end (Covenant)

Ngize ngizuz' umqhele wami.
I will sharpen my knobkerrie

Ungisizile nkosi yami!
My king has saved me!

Bengizokubona nini konke lokhu okuhle ongenzele kona Ungenyulile nkosi yami!
When will I see all the goodness that you have done for me, my king?

Awubheke ekhaya lami Kunenhlanhla lami Inhlanhla yami Isekhaya yami Ikhaya lami.
May you look over my home, my happiness, my fortune, my dwelling place, my home.

Ungeke wayithola Ungeke wayithola inhlanhla yami Amasela awasangeni ekhaya lami Uvalo alusangeni ekhaya lami Ungehla unyuka uyifuna Ungeke wayithola inhlanhla yami
You will not find my fortune, my horses have not come home, fear has not passed in my home, may you pass to gain what you seek, you will not find my fortune.

EGolgotha eGolgotha Entaben' eGolgotha.
To Golgotha, to Golgotha, to the hill of Golgotha.

Umthwalo wezono zami wasal' eGolgotha Umthwalo wezono zami Ngawushiy' eGolgotha Amacala ami Asal' eGolgotha Sengihamba ngikhululekile eGolgotha.
The burden of my sins was left at Golgotha, my wounds were healed at Golgotha, my scars were also left at Golgotha, for I have gone free from Golgotha.

Inkazimulo! Kuyakhanya inkazimulo.
Praise! Glory shines brightly.

Writer(s): Joseph Shabalala

Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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