Troubadour
Mahlasela Vusi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Troubadour, troubadour, troubadour)
Oh troubadour
Did they ask you why
You traversed the street
Oh Troubadour
Did they even look at your face
Or ask your name

How did you respond
To the blankness of their eyes
How did you respond
Oh-oh troubadour
How did you respond
To their language of guns, knives
Knuckles and boots
How did you respond
Oh oh troubadour
Oh troubadour
Or did you still stubbornly
Hope the poetics of humanity
Will spread throughout the desert
Of their inhumanity
Brought by the years of cruel
White winter

They might have emptied
Your pockets
But at least they left

The poetry in you
They left the poetry in you

Overall Meaning

In Mahlasela Vusi's song Troubadour, the singer addresses the troubadour and asks him a series of questions. The song is a reflection on the experience of the troubadour as he traverses the streets, navigating the emptiness and brutality of society. The singer inquires if anyone asked him why he was there, if he was acknowledged as a person, or even if his name was known. It seems as though the troubadour has gone unnoticed and unrecognized, and the singer asks how he responded to this lack of acknowledgement. The troubadour's journey is filled with potential danger- from guns to knives, to knuckles and boots- yet he still persists, spreading hope amidst the desert of inhumanity.

The song is an interesting commentary on the power of poetry and art even in the face of extreme violence and brutality. The troubadour is a symbol of resilience in a world that operates on the language of guns, knives, and boots. The fact that the troubadour's pockets may have been empty, but his poetry remains, serves as an allegory for the ability of art to survive in the most challenging of conditions.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh troubadour
Addressing the subject of the song, the troubadour.

Did they ask you why
Did others ever inquire about your motivations or purpose?

You traversed the street
Did you journey through places beyond your own community?

Did they even look at your face
Did others acknowledge or recognize your identity?

Or ask your name
Did others care to know who you were?

How did you respond
What was your reaction or reply to others' indifference?

To the blankness of their eyes
To the empty gazes of those who disregarded you.

To their language of guns, knives
To the violent communication of those who opposed you.

Knuckles and boots
The physical weapons used against you.

Or did you still stubbornly
Despite the hostility you faced,

Hope the poetics of humanity
Did you hold onto the belief in the beauty and goodness of people?