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.
Nomathemba
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lokho-ke (Lokho k'yangimangalisa)
Lokho-ke (Lokho k'yangimangalisa)
Mangi (Mangibon' intandane eyayihleli ngaphansi kom' thunzi)
Lokho-ke (Lokho k'yangimangalisa)
Ngay'buza (Ngay'buz' igama layo)
Yabheka pansi, yaze yakhala izinyembezi (Izinyembezi)
Nomathemba
Nomathemba, wangishiya
Ng'sele ngingedwa, uNomathemba wam'
UNomathemba wam', wangishiya lan' (UseGholi, le)
Ng'sele ngingedwa, uNomathemba wam'
UseGholi uNomathemba
Akasabhali nencwadi encane
Buya Nomathemba (Ng'sem' Mnambithi, Nomathemba)
Buya Nomathemba
Buya Nomathemba
Buya Nomathemba (Awusabhali nom' incwadi encane)
Buya Nomathemba (Hamb' uz' eMnambithi, hayi, Nomathemba)
Buya Nomathemba
Buya Nomathemba (Kodwa yini, saxabana ngan'?)
Buya Nomathemba
Buya Nomathemba (Hamb' uz' eMnambithi, Nomathemba)
Awusabhali nencwadi encane
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba, wam'
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba, wam'
Wobuya Nomathemba, akasabhali nencwadi encane
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba, wam'
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba, wam'
Wobuya Nomathemba, akasabhali nencwadi encane
Uzobhala (Uzobhala)
Uzobhala (Hayi, wena, bo)
Uzobhala, Nomathemba, uzobhala (Hayi, Nomathemba)
Uzobhala (Uzobhala wena)
Uzobhala (Bhala wena)
Uzobhala, Nomathemba, uzobhala (Thina, wena dali)
Thina nawe
Thina nawe
Thina nawe, s'thandwa sami sodliwa zindunduma
Thina nawe
Thina nawe
Thina nawe, s'thandwa sami sodliwa zindunduma
Thina nawe
Thina nawe
Thina nawe, s'thandwa sami sodliwa zindunduma
The lyrics to Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s song Nomathemba tell a story of heartbreak, loss, and longing for a loved one who has left. The song opens with Wangishiya ngingedwa uNomathemba, which roughly translates to “You have left me alone, Nomathemba.” The repeated line Lokho ke emphasizes the shock and surprise the singer feels, as if they can’t believe that their loved one has really gone. The next few lyrics describe a child crying under a tree, emphasizing the image of sorrow and loss.
The chorus repeats the name Nomathemba, which means “hope” in Zulu, and the singer repeats that they have been left alone by their hope. The second verse adds to the sense of desperation, as the singer addresses their loved one directly, begging them to come back. The song ends with the repeated line Thina nawe, which means “me and you” in Zulu, emphasizing the sense of longing for a lost connection.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the pain of losing someone you love and the desire to find hope and connection in the midst of that loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Wangishiya ngingedw' uNomathemba
I was left alone by Nomathemba
Lokho-ke (Lokho k'yangimangalisa)
That is what surprises me
Mangi (Mangibon' intandane eyayihleli ngaphansi kom' thunzi)
I saw a child sitting under a shadow
Ngay'buza (Ngay'buz' igama layo)
I asked for her name
Ayiphendulanga (Ayiphendulanga)
She didn't respond
Yabheka pansi, yaze yakhala izinyembezi (Izinyembezi)
She looked down and tears ran down
Nomathemba
Hope
Nomathemba, wangishiya
Hope, I was left by it
Ng'sele ngingedwa, uNomathemba wam'
I'm alone without my hope
UNomathemba wam', wangishiya lan' (UseGholi, le)
My hope, I was just left alone with it
UseGholi uNomathemba
My hope is something special
Akasabhali nencwadi encane
It doesn't talk about small things
Buya Nomathemba (Ng'sem' Mnambithi, Nomathemba)
Come back hope (I'm in Mnambithi, hope)
Buya Nomathemba
Come back hope
Awusabhali nom' incwadi encane
It doesn't write on small things
Hamb' uz' eMnambithi, hayi, Nomathemba
Go to Mnambithi, no, hope
Kodwa yini, saxabana ngan'?
But why? Are we enemies?
Wobuy' oNtshono, wobuya Nomathemba, wam'
It comes back slowly, my hope
Wobuya Nomathemba, akasabhali nencwadi encane
Hope returns, it doesn't write on small things
Uzobhala (Uzobhala)
(You) will write it (You) will write it
Uzobhala (Hayi, wena, bo)
(You) will write it (No, you, sir)
Uzobhala, Nomathemba, uzobhala (Hayi, Nomathemba)
You will write it, hope, (no) hope
Uzobhala (Uzobhala wena)
(You) will write it (You will write it)
Uzobhala (Bhala wena)
(You) will write it (Write it)
Thina nawe
Us with you
Thina nawe, s'thandwa sami sodliwa zindunduma
Us with you, my love, we are surrounded by darkness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOSEPH SHABALALA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yongamamdiya9781
Wangishiyelani Nomathemba [Why did you leave me Nomathemba?]
Wangishiya ngingedw’ uNomathemba [Nomathemba left me all alone]
(Lokho ke) Lokho kuyang’ mangalisa (Lokho ke) Lokho kuyang’ mangalisa [(That) that amazes me]
Mangibon’ intandane Eyayihleli ngaphansi kwomthunzi Lokho kuyang’ mangalisa Hawu*, hawu, hawu. [when I saw an orphan sitting under the shade, that amazes me]
Ngayibuz’ igama layo Ayiphendulanga Yabheka phansi yaze yakhala iziNyembezi, iziNyembezi. [I asked her name, she didnt answer. she looked down and cried tears, tears]
Nomathemba Wangishiya la Ngisele ngingedwa Nomathemba wam’ [Nomathemba left me here, all alone, my Nomathemba]
uNomathemba wam’ Wangishiya la Ngisele ngingedwa uNomathemba wam’ [my Nomathemba left me here, I'm all alone, my Nomathema]
Usehambile uNomathemba akasabhali nencwad’ encane [Nomathemba is gone, she doesn't even write a letter] (Buya Nomathemba…) [Come back Nomathemba]
UseGoli uNomathemba, akasabhali nencwad’ encane [Nomathemba is in Johannesburg, she doesn't even write a letter] (Buya Nomathemba…) [Come back Nomathemba]
UseMnambithi uNomathemba akasabhali nencwad’ encane [Nomathemba is in Ladysmith, she doesn't even write a letter] (Buya Nomathemba…) [Come back Nomathemba]
[* Hawu is a Zulu interjection when you are surprised.]
A song about an orphan who was left all alone by Nomathemba.
@lombard2692
Finally got to see them live, in Irvine California. It was a dream of mine to see them live and I'm happy now, my favorite song.
@nomathemba5307
My name is Nomathemba lol😍
Love this song
@khanyeen1
I don't even speak this language, but I feel like I understand everything they're saying. It speaks to my soul.
@idfw_ref4039
If you would understand you would see the words are beautiful
@idfw_ref4039
And sometimes funny
@idfw_ref4039
Like when they sing about girls
@idfw_ref4039
Nomathemba is a girl
@collinsnoel6153
True
@gugulethuzwane2200
My heart just melts each time I hear this song
@blacklee_johnson
Rest in peace BabuShabalala, imisebenzi yakho ngempela iyakukulandela. Phumula qhawe laseMzansi Afrika