many in the anti-apartheid movement. His themes include the struggle for freedom, and forgiveness and reconciliation with enemies. Vusi can also be heard performing on Warren Haynes' [Gov't Mule, The Allman Brothers Band] Live at Bonnaroo release during the song "Soulshine", and the Dave Matthews Band song, "Everyday", from the album of the same name as well as a live version of the song with him which appears on the album The Best of What's Around Vol. 1. Vusi was also one of the performers at the Live 8 concerts.
Vusi played a very mellow pre-lunch solo set to an appreciative audience (those capable of functioning at that hour) at the 2004 Falls Festival that was concluded with a superb performance of 'Red Song' in The Big Top, before joining Xavier Rudd on the main Valley Stage to a raptuous reception.
His album The Voice includes the popular track "Weeping", recorded with Josh Groban and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Vusi joined Mambazo for their October-November UK tour in 2004, and will join them again for their 2007 UK tour, again from October to November 2007 [1].
He and other South African musicians took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony where they recalled the days of Apartheid.
In June 2007, Mahlasela spoke of apartheid and performed "Thula Mama" at the TED Conference.
On 7 July 2007 Mahlasela performed at the South African leg of Live Earth.
His most recent album, Guiding Star, as Naledi Ya Tsela (the name under which it is released in South Africa) won him the 2007 SAMA for Best Male Artist.
Discography
When You Come Back 1992
Wisdom of Forgiveness 1994
Silang Mabele 1997
Live at the Bassline 1999
Miyela Afrika 2000
Jungle of Questions (with the Proud Peoples Band) 2000
Soundtrack: Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony 2002
Compilations: The Voice (Vusi Mahlasela album) 2003
Soundtrack: Tsotsi 2005
Naledi Ya Tsela (Guiding Star) 2007
Heaven In My Heart
Vusi Mahlasela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A journey marked by loss and pain
Searching for that moment in life
To still the beating of a restless heart
And when you arrived in this world
And turned towards the voice
Looking at me with those beautiful eyes
I kissed your soft young lips
My journey was complete
My journey was complete
Chorus:
You are the happiness that brought me life
This love for you
Burning though the corridors of my life
You are the heaven in my heart
You are the heaven in my heart
I have suffered many wounds
Turned away from paradise’s door
Torn the troubled times
Betrayed by love in love and war
But when you came into this world
Some ancient force came alive in me
I was a link in a chain
Stretching back in time
I held you in the dawns first light
And my journey was complete
My journey was complete
My journey was complete
(Chorus)
Mamu yak u thanda
Babu yak u thanda
Mamu yak u thanda
Babu yak u thanda
In this heartfelt song, Vusi Mahlasela reflects on the journey he has taken in life, full of loss and pain, as he searched for a moment that would settle his restless heart. He acknowledges the many wounds he has suffered, turned away from paradise and betrayed in love and war, but all that changed with the arrival of his child. When his child arrived in the world, Vusi feels a sense of completion in his journey. He believes that something ancient and powerful became alive in him, and he recognizes that he is now part of a chain stretching back in time. Holding his child in the first light of dawn, Vusi feels his journey is finally complete, and his child is the "heaven in [his] heart."
The song speaks to the universal experience of a parent's love for their child that completes them, even after a long and difficult journey. It celebrates the arrival of a new life as a source of happiness, love, and completion. The lyrics are a testament to the power of love and the joy that it brings in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I have traveled many roads
I have gone through many experiences and situations in my life
A journey marked by loss and pain
My experiences have been difficult, with losses and emotional suffering
Searching for that moment in life
I have been looking for a specific time or experience in life
To still the beating of a restless heart
To calm and quiet the constant turmoil and unrest in my heart and mind
And when you arrived in this world
When you were born and came into my life
And turned towards the voice
When you recognized and listened to my voice
Looking at me with those beautiful eyes
When you looked at me with your stunning, captivating eyes
I kissed your soft young lips
I gave you a tender, loving kiss on your gentle, youthful lips
And my journey was complete
My life's journey felt fulfilled and satisfied
Chorus:
The repeating chorus of the song
You are the happiness that brought me life
You are the source of my joy and purpose in life
This love for you
My deep and profound affection for you
Burning though the corridors of my life
An intense passion and desire that consumes and permeates every aspect of my life
You are the heaven in my heart
You are the embodiment of my idea of paradise and my source of inner peace and happiness
I have suffered many wounds
I have endured many emotional and psychological injuries and traumas
Turned away from paradise’s door
I have been rejected or prevented from accessing a state of perfect happiness or bliss
Torn the troubled times
I have experienced difficult and turbulent periods in my life
Betrayed by love in love and war
I have been hurt and disappointed by romantic relationships and also by conflicts and struggles in general
But when you came into this world
However, your birth and presence in my life changed everything
Some ancient force came alive in me
I felt some innate power or energy awaken within me
I was a link in a chain
I felt connected and part of a larger history and legacy
Stretching back in time
Going back in time, before my existence
I held you in the dawns first light
I embraced you for the first time at the beginning of a new day
Mamu yak u thanda
My mother loves you
Babu yak u thanda
My father loves you
Mamu yak u thanda
My mother loves you
Babu yak u thanda
My father loves you
Contributed by Jasmine M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vusile Mathebula
on Yithi Masotsha
Rich with African philosophy