Zabalaza is the first solo release from the South African kwaito performer,… Read Full Bio ↴Zabalaza is the first solo release from the South African kwaito performer, Thandiswa Mazwai. Before this album, Thandiswa was most famously known as the lead singer for the kwaito group Bongo Maffin. Zabalaza, Xhosa for Rebellion, is a shining example of the integrative style of kwaito, and Thandiswa has infused this album with the sounds of her roots: kwaito, traditional Xhosa music, mbaqanga, reggae, and even gospel music.

Ntyilo Ntyilo
Thandiswa Lyrics

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Ndev'ilizwi kwelotyholo
Ndakhangela ndasondela
Lalisitsho lisithi ilizwe lifile
Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lontyolo

Ndev'ilizwi kwelotyholo
Ndakhangela ndasondela
Lalisitsho lisithi ilizwe lifile

Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lontyolo

Wayembethe
Iingubo ezimhlophe
Wayembethe
Iingubo ezibomvu
Oh lalisitsho
Lisithi
Ilizwe lifile
Ntyilo ntyilo
Imandi lontyolo

Wayembethe
Ingubo ezimhlophe
Wayembethe
Ingubo ezibomvu
Oh lalisitsho
Lisithi
Ilizwe lifile
Ntyilo ntyilo
Imandi lontyolo

Ndevi lizwi
Kwelotyholo
Ndakhangela
Ndasondela
Oh lalisitsho
Lisithi
Ilizwe lifile
Ntyilo ntyilo
Imandi lontyolo

Ndev'ilizwi (Ndevi ilizwi)
Kwelotyholo
Ndakhangela (Ndakhangela)
Ndasondela
Oh lalisitsho
Lisithi
Ilizwe lifile
Ntyilo ntyilo
Imandi lontyolo

Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lo
Imandi lontyolo
Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lo
Imandi lontyolo
Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lo ooh
Ntyilo ntyilo
Imandi

Lontyolo imandi imandi
Imandi lontyolo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Thandiswa's song "Ntyilo Ntyilo" are a call and response that speaks to the beauty and resilience of a bird called the Cape Robin-chat or Ntyilo in Xhosa. The singer begins by saying she hears the call of the Ntyilo and goes to follow the sound. As she goes, she hears people saying that the land is dead but she sees the Ntyilo bird singing and feels a sense of comfort at its beauty. The chorus then repeats the words "Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lontyolo" (Ntyilo, oh Ntyilo, how beautiful you are).

The second verse begins with the singer describing the Ntyilo as wearing two different-colored garments - one white and one red. She then repeats the chorus, adding the Xhosa phrase "lalisitsho" which seems to add emphasis to the phrase "ilizwe lifile" - meaning the land is dead. The song then ends with the chorus repeated several times, continuously admiring the beauty of the Ntyilo bird.

Overall, the song seems to celebrate the beauty of the Ntyilo bird and its song despite the difficult circumstances that the singer and others may be experiencing. It's a call to find joy and hope in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

Ndev'ilizwi kwelotyholo
I hear the voice of my ancestors calling out to me

Ndakhangela ndasondela
I answer and follow their call

Lalisitsho lisithi ilizwe lifile
The whisper is that the land is dying

Ntyilo ntyilo imandi lontyolo
The bird's call is sweet and intoxicating

Wayembethe
He wore

Iingubo ezimhlophe
White clothes

Wayembethe
He wore

Iingubo ezibomvu
Red clothes

Oh lalisitsho
Oh, the whisper

Lisithi
It says

Ilizwe lifile
The land is dying