Tumi and the Volume are made up of four members. Tumi Molekane (vocals), the centerpiece of the group, is an accomplished South African poet from Johannesburg. In 2002, he met Tiago and Paulo Chibanga and Dave Bergman, who were playing backup for MCs at the Bassline, in Melville, Johannesburg. Tiago and Paulo are both members of the Mozambiquean, South African-based band 340ml. For the production of their first album, At the Bassline the group added Kyle Rose Smith, a violinist, to complete The Volume. On their second album, the self-titled studio release, Smith is featured but she left the band in early 2005 to join Freshlyground.
Tumi and the Volume was founded when then-solo emcee Tumi Molekane met The Volume, a backup band at the Bassline. The first collaborative project, which evolved into At the Bassline, began in the beginning of 2003. Yet since before the release of their first album, Tumi and the Volume have been performing across southern Africa and Europe.
Their first year together, 2002, saw them mostly tour South Africa and contribute to music festivals across the country, as well as open for bigger international groups performing in Johannesburg and Cape Town, such as Positive Black Soul, from Senegal, and Blackalicious, from the United States.
The release, and following critical acclaim of, At the Bassline, shot them onto a bigger stage, as the group performed at the Quart Festival in Norway, alongside with The Roots and Coldplay.
2005 through 2006 saw the successive releases of their second album--and first studio album--Tumi & the Volume, in first South Africa, and then Europe and North America. Through June and July of 2006, the band traveled to Canada and performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
In August of 2006, their first album was re-released on Apple iTunes Music Store.
The Story Behind The Paint
Tumi and the Volume Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With skin darker than a missed dream
Buttered in slick cream
Like one of them flick queens
She covered her hip swing like she humble on instinct
Wiser than sixteen and striving to reach dreams
But time is a windshield that
Blinds you when shit seems
For that viable light vision
Or any kind of magician
To pray you out of your prison
Pay you out your position
The day you find that its missing huh
You wind up like she is stuck
Walking the pave half naked only when it is dark
Gotta be brave I reckon that word depend on her
Or lack of it I figure itâs haunting all the same
Look at her eyes search for the story behind the paint
Lifeâs a beast your breathing energy you gotta tame
When wifes get beat Iâll be an enemy coz Iâm male
Emilyâs as hard as nails
And it be hard to fail
When your goal is self destructing in a gutter where
No one remembers she stopped being a mother there
No one remembers her son didnât breathe the summer air
Only a cool breeze that shocked him into heart failure
A month later no sign she swear God hate her
Broken heart taker back to doing park favours
Ain't much later the rain come greater
The rain come greater coz Godâs the narrator
Of a story well told for the love hater
You can feel the vibe eating at your wallpaper
You can feel the vibe peeling off your wallpaper
You can feel the vibe eating at your wallpaper
You can feel the vibe peeling off your wallpaper
If you look you look carefully
You can feel the vibe eating at your wallpaper
You can feel the vibe peeling off your wallpaper
The Story Behind The Paint is a hauntingly lyrical track that tells a powerful story about a sixteen-year-old girl who hides behind her physical appearance, which Tumi depicts as a âstory behind the paintâ. Despite having a wiser outlook than her age suggests, she is trapped in a desperate situation where she has to walk the streets half-naked in the dark, putting up a brave front. Tumi goes on to highlight the theme of desperation by discussing death, broken relationships, and self-destruction in the gutter where no one remembers the womanâs son. He delves into the idea that life is a beast and that we must tame it and make it our own, even though sometimes, it seems impossible to do so.
The story that Tumi tells in The Story Behind The Paint is raw and unapologetic, highlighting the social issues that are prevalent in many urban environments, including domestic abuse and loss of innocence. Tumi's lyrics are an invitation to the listener to acknowledge these societal ills and find ways to assist those who find themselves trapped in these situations. The song is a powerful testimony to the power of music and how it can be used to shine a light on the darkest aspects of our society.
Line by Line Meaning
She must have been sixteen
The subject is estimated to have been sixteen years old.
With skin darker than a missed dream
The subject had dark skin.
Buttered in slick cream
The subject had smooth and shiny skin.
Like one of them flick queens
The subject had beautiful and glamorous skin like a movie star.
She covered her hip swing like she humble on instinct
The subject modestly hid her hips despite her body's natural movement.
Wiser than sixteen and striving to reach dreams
Despite being young, the subject was intelligent and ambitious.
But time is a windshield that Blinds you when shit seems
As time passes, it becomes harder to see through difficult situations.
Liable to sink quick and you diving and fishing
Chances of failure increase and one must try hard to avoid it.
For that viable light vision
Searching for a clear view to the future.
Or any kind of magician
Looking for a miracle.
To pray you out of your prison
Hoping to escape from a difficult situation.
Pay you out your position
To reward for effort and hard work.
The day you find that its missing huh
When what you're looking for is nowhere to be found.
You wind up like she is stuck
You end up like the subject - trapped and without hope.
Walking the pave half naked only when it is dark
The subject was forced to walk the streets at night, half-dressed for survival.
Gotta be brave I reckon that word depend on her
The subject must be courageous to survive.
Or lack of it I figure itâs haunting all the same
The lack of bravery is equally haunting.
Look at her eyes search for the story behind the paint
The observer is curious about the story of the subject's life.
Lifeâs a beast your breathing energy you gotta tame
Life can be difficult and challenging, requiring one to control their energy and emotions.
When wifes get beat Iâll be an enemy coz Iâm male
The artist acknowledges his position of power in a society where women are often abused.
Emilyâs as hard as nails
Emily is tough and resilient.
And it be hard to fail
It's difficult to give up when one is as strong as Emily.
When your goal is self destructing in a gutter where
When one's aspirations are self-destructive, leading to a negative place.
No one remembers she stopped being a mother there
The subject had abandoned her role as a mother.
No one remembers her son didnât breathe the summer air
Her son had died and no one remembered him.
Only a cool breeze that shocked him into heart failure
The child had died from a sudden shock, possibly due to neglect.
A month later no sign she swear God hate her
A month after her son died, the subject believed in God's hatred toward her.
Broken heart taker back to doing park favours
The subject becomes heartbroken and returns to prostituting herself in a park.
Ain't much later the rain come greater
Soon after, things got worse.
The rain come greater coz Godâs the narrator
The hardships are seen as God's doing.
Of a story well told for the love hater
The story of tragedy and pain is well known and hated by many.
You can feel the vibe eating at your wallpaper
The atmosphere is thick with despair and negativity.
You can feel the vibe peeling off your wallpaper
The negative energy is so strong it feels tangible and can cause the wallpaper to peel.
If you look you look carefully
To notice the sad and painful reality, one should look carefully.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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