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.

Now We May Begin
Letta Mbulu Lyrics

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Now we may begin
All over again
To build the dream we sought
Oh what a bad start

Now we may begin
From where we left off
To find that groove we lost

No matter the cost

I've grown a little stronger
As you live you learn
I've learnt the ways of wisdom
What a fool I was

It took a little longer
To put it all together
I should have known better
A bad dream always ends

Now we may begin
It's just like before
We're on a sad and lonely road
With a long way to go

I've grown a little stronger
As you live you learn
I've learnt the ways of wisdom
What a fool I was

It took a little longer
To put it all together
I should have known better
A bad dream always ends

Now we may begin
It's just like before
We're on a sad and lonely road
With a long way to go

With a long, long way to go
With a long, long, long way to go

Overall Meaning

The song "Now We May Begin" by Letta Mbulu is a beautiful representation of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The lyrics talk about starting over again, building the dream that was once sought, and finding the groove that was lost, no matter what the cost. The singer admits to being a fool in the past and having to learn the ways of wisdom the hard way. However, with time, the singer has grown stronger and wiser, and is ready to begin again.

The repetition of the phrase "now we may begin" emphasizes the importance of starting over and moving forward. The singer acknowledges that the road ahead is sad and lonely, but they are willing to walk it, knowing that a bad dream always ends. As the song progresses, the lyrics become more optimistic, with the singer emphasizing that they have grown stronger and wiser, and are ready to face whatever challenges may come their way.

Overall, the song "Now We May Begin" is a powerful reminder that even when we face setbacks and failures, there is always the possibility of starting over again and building the life we want.

Line by Line Meaning

Now we may begin
We are now at a point where we can start over

All over again
Starting from scratch, with nothing from the past

To build the dream we sought
Our goal is to create the vision we wanted to achieve

Oh what a bad start
Our previous attempt was not successful

From where we left off
We will continue from where we last stopped

To find that groove we lost
We want to regain the rhythm we once had

No matter the cost
We will do it at any expense

I've grown a little stronger
Through my experiences, I have become more resilient

As you live you learn
We acquire knowledge and skills as we go through life

I've learnt the ways of wisdom
I have gained wisdom from past mistakes

What a fool I was
I now realize how foolish I was in the past