While growing up in a tough Johannesburg township, Miriam Makeba first sang in Protestant school choirs. After achieving initial fame with the Manhattan Brothers, Makeba recorded a few singles under her own name before Gallo Records asked her to front a South African girl group loosely patterned after the Andrews Sisters and the McGuire Sisters.
Makeba’s lead vocals have a pure and innocent quality that belies her savvy as a bandleader.
Enhancing the gorgeous vocal harmonies wer some excellent South African jazzmen, most notably the band’s white musical director and talented clarinetist-saxman-pianist Dan Hill, as well as the great South African pennywhistler Spokes Mashiyane, who coaxed as much soul out of his simple instrument as any human could. Like the finest mainstream jazz, this music has a relaxed, spontaneous feel that is a complete joy to hear. It’s easy to understand why these lilting melodies gave hope to blacks living the nightmare of apartheid.
After Makeba left South African in 1959 to attend the Venice film festival, the South African authorities would not allow her to return. Her records were banned from South African radio, and the Skylarks broke up a short while later.
Owakho
Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi baba (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heyi ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wamshiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Helele ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi ma (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
The song "Owakho" by Miriam Makeba is sung in Zulu language and asks the question, "Who left you behind?" The lyrics tell a story of a woman who is fearful of the night and asks if she is alone or if someone left her behind to face her fears. The repeated line "Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda" refers to the sound of the footsteps of men, possibly hunters or warriors, walking through the forest at night. The woman is afraid of these sounds and feels alone and abandoned.
The lyrics convey a sense of loneliness and vulnerability, as the woman wonders if she has been abandoned by someone she trusted to protect her. The repetitive nature of the song reinforces the woman's fear of the unknown and the sense of being alone, with no one to turn to. The song ends with the same question that it began with, leaving the listener to ponder who may have left the woman behind.
Overall, "Owakho" is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks to the universal human experience of feeling alone and abandoned in the face of fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Who did you leave yours with?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Walking through the men's paths
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hey babe, I'm afraid of you (yours)
Hayi baba (Owakho)
No father (yours)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Where did you leave her?
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hey there, what are you doing? (yours)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
No, not that (yours)
Heyi ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hey, I am afraid of you (yours)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
No mother (yours)
Helele wamshiya nobani?
Where did you leave him?
Helele ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hey, I am afraid of you (yours)
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hey there, what are you doing? (yours)
Heyi ma (Owakho)
No mother (yours)
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hey babe, I am afraid of you (yours)
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hey babe, I am afraid of you (yours)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Owakho
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi baba (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heyi ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wamshiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Helele ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi mama (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Hoya hoyani bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi ma (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Heh babe ngiyakwesaba bo (Owakho)
Hayi bo (Owakho)
Helele wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
Owakho, owakho wawushiya nobani?
Uhamb'uzungez'imizi yamadoda
@Audeladesapparences
Bonjour de France !
Très agréable chaîne. :-)
... Et quelle grande et merveilleuse chanteuse et femme que Myriam Makeba !!
Meilleurs voeux pour 2015.
...
Hello from France!
Very pleasant channel.:-)
... And which great and wonderful singer and woman that Myriam Makeba!!
Best wishes for 2015.
Jean-Jacques. (France - Bordeaux)
@peteremmert8551
Issued in 1956 on the Gallotone Jive label in Africa (and it should have been issued on some label in the US)