Letta Mbulu (Soweto, 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer born an… Read Full Bio ↴Letta Mbulu (Soweto, 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer born and raised in Soweto, South Africa. She has been active since the 1960s, but left South Africa due to Apartheid in 1965 and moved to the United States. There she worked with Cannonball Adderley and Harry Belafonte. Her singing can also be heard in Roots (TV miniseries), The Color Purple, and she was a guest on a Season 6 episode of Soul Train.

Buza
Letta Mbulu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo
Hayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo

Ndiyabuza (Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)

(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)

Abuyelele mama bo oh isthandwa
Awuyelele mama bo uthando olungaka
Awuyelele mama bo ndizele mang'buza
Awuyelele ma abantu bakudala

Mayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo
Hayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo

Ah ndiyabuza (Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
(Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)

Awuyelele mama bo uthando olungaka
Awuyelele mama bo Sathane kutheni
Awuyelele ma bo amasiko akudala
Awuyelele mama bo kutheni kunjena

Awuyelele mama bo yini kutheni wen' umdaka

Awuyelele mama bo kudala kudala
Awuyelele mama bo kudala kudala

Overall Meaning

The song Buza by Letta Mbulu is sung in the Zulu language and the lyrics speak of a child who is asking questions. The child is curious about why their parents are afraid to have children and why they worry about their future. The repeated phrase "Mayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza, Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo, Hayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza, Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo" (I am asking, asking, Parents fear their offspring, I am asking, asking, Parents fear their offspring) convey the child's confusion and desire for answers.

The next verse mentions the child asking their mother why she is crying and what it is that she is afraid of. The child also asks about the traditions of their elders and why they follow them. The chorus is repeated again, emphasizing the child's repeated questioning.

The song speaks of the universal theme of the innocence and curiosity of children and the need for parents to provide guidance and reassurance. The lyrics also address the importance of cultural traditions and the passing down of values from generation to generation.

Line by Line Meaning

Mayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
I am asking and questioning

Abazali boyoyika inzalo yabo
Parents are afraid of their offspring's future

Hayibo ndiyabuza ndiyabuza
Oh, I am asking and questioning

Abuyelele mama bo oh isthandwa
Return to us, mother, oh beloved one,

Awuyelele mama bo uthando olungaka
Please come back mother, with love for you never fades

Awuyelele mama bo ndizele mang'buza
Please come back mother, so I can ask you questions

Awuyelele ma abantu bakudala
Come back, oh mother of the old people

Ah ndiyabuza (Nidiyabuza bo ndiyabuza)
Yes, I am asking and questioning

Awuyelele mama bo Sathane kutheni
Come back, oh mother, why did Satan take you away?

Awuyelele ma bo amasiko akudala
Come back, oh mother, to the traditions of the elders

Awuyelele mama bo kutheni kunjena
Come back, oh mother, why did it happen this way?