Miriam Makeba used her voice to entertain, but also to give a voice to millions of oppressed fellow South Africans who suffered as a result of apartheid. The price she had to pay for her actions was high, namely her South African citizenship. After she appeared, in 1960, in the an anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa, the South African regime banned her from returning to her home country and took away her citizenship.
This event didn't stop her from continuing to raise her voice against the apartheid regime. Between 1964 and 1975, as a United Nations delegate of Guinea where she was granted asylum, Miriam Makeba addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regularly on the tragic developments in South Africa.
Meanwhile she carried on singing, a process in which she put South African music on the map. Over the years Makeba worked with artists as Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of The Crusaders. In the late 1980's she joined Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour and in 1990 she worked with Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.
Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the citizen of the world Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990; more than thirty years after she went in exile. In April 1991 she performed her first concert in her homeland in three decades.
The years after were busy ones for Makeba. She starred in the South African award-winning musical Sarafina! , about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, playing the role of the title character's mother. She then reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope. She also performed at the Vatican's Nevi Hall during the world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. In 2000 Makeba released the grammy-nominated Homeland, her first studio album in a decade. In 2002 she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina, in recognition of her exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
After her return to South Africa Miriam Makeba recorded over ten albums. In 2004, at the age of 72, she relased Reflections honoring the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In that same year Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. She also started a 14 month worldwide farwell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all countries she had visited during her life.
With an impressive career spanning more than four decades Miriam Makeba is, indeed, one of the most respected, loved and cherished treasures in (South) Africa.
On the early morning of 10th of November 2008 she died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta, after performing at a concert against organized crime.
Source: Miriam Makeba, A true South African musical Legend
Discography on last.fm
External links:
Official website
Unofficial website
Movie database
Where Does It Lead ?
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only heaven and the lilies know
Where does it lead this strange love of mind
I must go down where the lilies grow
Play on the lily read lonely low
Play to him till he head to my world
Where does it lead this stranger love of mind
Only heaven and the lilies know
Play to him till he head to my world
Where does it lead this stranger love of mind?
Any where it takes me I will go.
The song "Where Does It Lead" by Miriam Makeba is a poignant expression of an uncertain and unpredictable love. The opening lines, "Where does it lead this stranger love of mind? / Only heaven and the lilies know," suggest an ambiguity and mystery surrounding the relationship at the heart of the song. The singer is unsure where this love will take them, and turns to a natural symbol of beauty and purity, the lilies, for guidance.
The repeated refrain, "Play on the lily read lonely low / Play to him till he head to my world," reinforces the idea that the singer is seeking a connection with her lover through music and the natural world. The music is a form of communication, a way to bridge the gap between two hearts that may be separated by distance or circumstance. The phrase "lonely low" may also suggest a feeling of melancholy or longing in the singer's heart, as she waits for her lover to respond to her overtures of affection.
The final lines of the song, "Where does it lead this stranger love of mind? / Any where it takes me I will go," suggest a willingness to follow this love wherever it may lead, even if it is unpredictable or difficult. The singer seems to be holding onto hope and faith that this love will ultimately lead her to a place of happiness and fulfillment. Overall, "Where Does It Lead" is a powerful expression of the complexities of love, and the universal human desire to be understood, accepted, and loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Where does it lead this stranger love of mind?
Questioning the destination of this unfamiliar emotion
Only heaven and the lilies know
Unclear where this love will lead, only the divine and nature hold the answer
I must go down where the lilies grow
I must follow my heart and venture to where this love may lead
Play on the lily read lonely low
Express my love through music to the one I long for
Play to him till he head to my world
Hope that my music will reach his heart and bring him to me
Anywhere it takes me I will go
Willingness to follow this love to unknown and potentially risky places
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLORIA GWEN DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pugo Bio
Such an emotionally charged projection! I see a beautiful lady walking alongside a moderately moving creek or river. Flowers lace the path. As she slowly walks and sings with her eyes half closed her hand is placed above het heart. Even the leopard stops drinking from the water source and begins to lap up the waves of sound coming from this angelic being. She continues to walk. Undisturbed by her loneliness, you can see the pain, yet, an undying hope. For the lilly she seeks. This is what i see
EnRico van Keeken
``EYE líkE WhAt YOU C´´
Nico FRENCHMAN
She says : Where does it lead this strange young love of mine Only heaven and the lilies know Where does it lead this strange young love of mine I must go down where the lilies grow Play on a lily reed, lowly low Play to him til he heed(s) to my woe Where does it lead this strange young love of mine Anywhere it takes me I will go
Ismael
Thank you!
Ola Williams
I too I'm grateful. Excellent.
Rolando Nieves
A haunting lovely melody by a one of a kind voice.
hermajesty52
still as fresh as the day I heard it more than 45 years ago.....beautiful
bisonette5
I first heard it over 55 years ago....and I immediately went out and bought the album (several other outstanding songs on that album); I bought her follow-up album also.............hauntingly beautiful
EnRico van Keeken
@bisonette5 I th?nk Í heard this the moment I was born, then deciding 2 sing it before I started talking
RainaEmeral
Thanks for posting this haunting song. I remember it from the 60's!