Too Late
Winnie Khumalo Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ten kilometres barefooted in the bush
Started raining on the way to fetch some water
Poor woman had a baby on her back
Got struck by lightening on the way
To fetch some water

Water
Water
Oh poor mama
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
It was too late

Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

Sho
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

She tried hiding under a tree to save her child
Poor woman had no place to go
Lightening caught her with her baby on her back
Friends, relatives ran for her

It was too late
It was too late
Too late for mama
Oh no
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
It was too late

Sho
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr

Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

Too late for mama
Oh mama
Mama with a little baby
She's gone
She's gone
She's gone
Oh poor mama
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
It was too late

Husband came running to the scene yeah
Poor man held his dead wife in his arms
Eyes full of tears not believing the nightmare
Knelt down and prayed if this was a dream or not

It was too late
Too late for mama
Oh mama mama
Oh poor mama
It was too late
Too late

Too late for mama
Oh mama
Mama with a little baby
She's gone
She's gone
She's gone
Oh poor mama
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
It was too late

Sho
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr

Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

Sho
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr





Iyajika lento
Iyajika lento

Overall Meaning

The song Too Late by Winnie Khumalo is a heartbreaking tale of a woman who perishes due to nature's cruel whims. The lyrics describe the woman's journey to retrieve water for her family, a task that seems simple enough but proves to be fatal. The woman walks ten kilometres barefooted in the bush to fetch water when it suddenly starts raining. She carries her baby on her back and attempts to find shelter under a tree in a futile attempt to protect herself and the baby. Sadly, lightning strikes her and it is too late for anyone to help her.


The song also describes the aftermath of the tragedy. The woman's husband finds her and holds her lifeless body in his arms, crying and praying it's all a nightmare. Friends and relatives also gather around, but it's too late, and nothing can be done to bring the woman back. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase, "too late," emphasising the tragedy that has occurred and the inability to prevent it.


This song is a poignant reminder of how vulnerable humans are when they venture out into nature. One minute you can be carrying out a simple task, the next minute you could be facing a life or death situation. The use of repetition in the song reinforces the idea that no matter how many times people say it, some things are just too late.


Line by Line Meaning

Ten kilometres barefooted in the bush
The woman traveled a long distance without shoes through the wilderness.


Started raining on the way to fetch some water
It began to rain while the woman was on a journey to get water.


Poor woman had a baby on her back
The woman was carrying a baby on her back during her journey.


Got struck by lightening on the way
The woman was hit by lightning while she was traveling.


Water
The woman was gathering water when the tragedy occurred.


Water
Water was the reason for the woman's journey and her tragic fate.


Oh poor mama
The woman who suffered the tragedy was called 'mama' and is being lamented.


Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
The tragedy was irreversible and could not be undone, no matter how much time or effort was expended.


It was too late
The tragedy was irrevocable and in the past, nothing could be done to change it.


Iyajika lento
This situation leads to sorrow and mourning.


Sho
An expression of agreement or understanding in response to the singer's storytelling.


He ngikhule ngikhule ngimamel'uMaBrr
The singer is encouraging herself to grow and mature like her mother, 'MaBrr'.


She tried hiding under a tree to save her child
The woman attempted to protect her baby from the lightning strike by sheltering under a tree.


Poor woman had no place to go
The woman had nowhere safe to take shelter from the lightning.


Lightening caught her with her baby on her back
The lightning strike hit the woman and her baby while they were together.


Friends, relatives ran for her
The woman's loved ones went to help her, but it was already too late.


Too late for mama
The tragedy struck the mother and her life could not be saved.


Oh no
An exclamation of sadness and distress in response to the tragedy.


Husband came running to the scene yeah
The woman's husband arrived at the location of the tragedy.


Poor man held his dead wife in his arms
The husband mourned his wife's death and held her body.


Eyes full of tears not believing the nightmare
The husband was in a state of disbelief and shock, crying from his eyes.


Knelt down and prayed if this was a dream or not
The husband fell to the ground and prayed, hoping that the tragic event was just a dream.


Mama with a little baby
The mother was carrying her baby with her when she passed away.


She's gone
The mother died in the tragedy and cannot be brought back.




Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Tanaka Chisango

Touching song indeed, Danki Oskido

Jeffrey Danai

Love how she kept her accent

KITUMBA_ TV

very dope!!!

Syabonga Mbatha

This songs remind me back in 2014

Steven Salut

Great hit..... Seems like the queen remake

nosandile gasela

โ™ฅ๏ธโ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿพ

Christo Gawie

mmmmmmm!Great indeed!

Prayer Musa

i like

makhi nobhozoyi

Nice music vidoe n beat

vuma02

more like TOO LATE for this video! song came out months back. love this track but I feel like wants the point, y cant it be the other way round and the video will make folk fall in love with the track. something to think about

great track tho!!!

More Comments

More Versions