1. A Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW) band from Düsseldorf, Germany. They released two singles, "Auf Der Jagd" (7"), "Herzschlag" (7"), and one full-length, Kraft on Polydor in 1982.
2. A Turin-based Italian band. The band was formed in 1991 on the initiative of Luca Morino, Fabio Barovero and, from Cameroon, Bienvenu Tatè Nsongan. The musical project is a link of the African and South American rhythms. The name is based on the Kenyan movement against British colonial administration. But Mau Mau in the Piedmontese indicates those people who come from far, often with cheap difficulties.
In 1992 they publish their first discographer work in Piedmontese: the EP Soma la macia (We are the scrub). Peter Gabriel notices them and he invites the band to his Real World Studios to prepare the first album: Sauta Rabel (Let's Jump, Let's Make Such a Row). After the album, a tour begin and the band frequents important festivals. The band plays to the "Palestine International Dance & Music Festival" and to the "International Festival of Babylon", in Iraq.
3. A Portuguese punk band
ellis island
Mau Mau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
noi i soma 'n pòpol 'na rassa ch'a l'ha sempre viagià
deserti, aquasse e ostacoj impossibil superà
e varie strasordinarie ingiustissie consumà
A l'è parej, pija l'esempi dij primi ani dël secol
quand ij nòstri viagiator a s'as ciamavo pionieri
famije ëd mil pais dëspaisà
a fasìo tapa forsà a Ellis Island
Chicanos, macarones, cinesi a Little Italy!
Ellis Island cit isolòt e cancher 'd Nueva Yòrk
limbo disperà dla neuva America
tanti milion, tante speranse
speranse d'ambrochè
l'intrada për la piramida malefica
Chicanos, macarones, cinesi a Little Italy
What's your name, what's your name?
welcome to America, do you understand me?
where do you come from, where do you wanna go?
Andoma bin, che le strà a son bin longhe
e che 'l travaj a nobilita l'argheui
s'as ciama boom boom boom boom economico
ch'a saria l'invension
l'invension la pì perfida
A l'è parej, a son passà pì che otant'ani
e le aventure 'd cola gent
a son profonde eredità
a son deli deli deli delicatësse
mës-cià a la naftalin-a dij nòstri armari
Chicanos, macarones, cinesi a Little Italy
What's your name, what's your name?
welcome to America
do you understand me?
where do you come from,
where do you wanna go?
Welcome....
The lyrics to Mau Mau's song Ellis Island describe the experiences of immigrants coming to America through Ellis Island. The song acknowledges the struggles and hardships of these immigrants and celebrates their resilience and determination. The opening lines state that the immigrants are a people who have traveled through deserts, waters, and impossible obstacles, dealing with incredible injustices.
The lyrics then turn to the history of Ellis Island, which isolated and evaluated immigrants before they were granted entry into the United States. The song recognizes this limbo as a place of desperation and hope, as millions of immigrants entered through this gateway with aspirations of a promising future in America. The chorus brings attention to the many different cultures and nationalities that passed through Ellis Island, using the words "Chicanos, macarones, cinesi a Little Italy" to emphasize the diverse backgrounds of the immigrants.
The song moves on to acknowledge the economic boom and the impact it had on the immigrants who came to America to seek more stable lives. It ends by highlighting the experiences of immigrants as both delicate and profound, celebrating their journey to America as a significant part of their personal history and a part of American history.
Line by Line Meaning
A 'lè parej, i lo savia ch'a l'è propi parej
We are equal, and we know that we are really equal
noi i soma 'n pòpol 'na rassa ch'a l'ha sempre viagià
We are a people, a race that has always travelled
deserti, aquasse e ostacoj impossibil superà
Deserts, waters and impossible obstacles to overcome
e varie strasordinarie ingiustissie consumà
And various extraordinary injustices endured
A l'è parej, pija l'esempi dij primi ani dël secol
We are equal, let's take the examples of the early years of the century
quand ij nòstri viagiator a s'as ciamavo pionieri
When our travellers were called pioneers
famije ëd mil pais dëspaisà
Families from a thousand countries displaced
a fasìo tapa forsà a Ellis Island
Were forced to stop at Ellis Island
Chicanos, macarones, cinesi a Little Italy!
Chicanos, macaronis, Chinese in Little Italy!
Ellis Island cit isolòt e cancher 'd Nueva Yòrk
Ellis Island was an isolated corner of New York
limbo disperà dla neuva America
Limbo of the dispersed new America
tanti milion, tante speranse
So many millions, so many hopes
speranse d'ambrochè
Hopes of succeeding
l'intrada për la piramida malefica
The entrance to the evil pyramid
What's your name, what's your name?
What is your name, what is your name?
welcome to America, do you understand me?
Welcome to America, do you understand me?
where do you come from, where do you wanna go?
Where do you come from, where do you want to go?
Andoma bin, che le strà a son bin longhe
Let's go ahead, the streets are very long
e che 'l travaj a nobilita l'argheui
And work dignifies even the humble
s'as ciama boom boom boom boom economico
It is called the economic boom boom boom boom
ch'a saria l'invension
Which would be the invention
l'invension la pì perfida
The most wicked invention
A l'è parej, a son passà pì che otant'ani
We are equal, we have passed more than eighty years
e le aventure 'd cola gent
And the adventures of those people
a son profonde eredità
Are a deep inheritance
a son deli deli deli delicatësse
Are delicious delicacies
mës-cià a la naftalin-a dij nòstri armari
Kept with mothballs in our wardrobes
Contributed by Juliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lupo de' Lupis
Li avrò visti 5-6 volte dal vivo, a cavallo tra gli anni 90 e i 2000, ed era uno dei migliori act in circolazione in Italia.
Mamanera il miglior disco che abbiano mai fatto: molto maturo e molto ben prodotto.
Riccardo Motta
Grandissimi sempre
rapalaus77
Uno dei miei gruppi preferiti
Guglielmo Nallino
Mi lu savìa ca j'era propri parei... Mau Mau Rulez !
Salvatore Amalfi
Purtroppo è un gruppo passato quasi inosservati
Flavio Grosso
Nui suma an popol ca l'ha sempre viagià