N'Dour was born in Medina in Dakar, Senegal, in 1959 and started his music career singing in small clubs in Dakar in the Wolof language, which is predominantly spoken in Senegal and Gambia. He's most popular for his mbalax beat which gave him the title "Roi de Mbalax" (King of Mbalax), and is a household name in Senegal, Gambia and neighbouring countries in West Africa with a long list of hits from the early days in the 70s to date.
In 1979, he formed his own ensemble, the Etoile de Dakar. His early work with Etoile de Dakar was in the typical Latin style popular all over Africa during that time, but in the 1980s he developed a unique sound when he started his current group, Super Etoile de Dakar, featuring Jimi Mbaye on guitar, bassist Habib Faye, and tama (talking drum) player Assane Thiam.
N'Dour was introduced to the Western audience when Peter Gabriel had him appear on his 'So' album (in 1986) and theb took N'Dour and The Super Etoile de Dakar on the road with him in a subsequent world tour. N'Dour has also collaborated with a lengthy list of influential artists including Paul Simon, Neneh Cherry, and Branford Marsalis.
He is endowed with remarkable range and poise, a composer, bandleader, and producer with a prodigious musical intelligence. The New York Times most recently described his voice as an "arresting tenor, a supple weapon deployed with prophetic authority". N'Dour absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering this through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music from outside Senegalese culture.
Youssou N´Dour is currently the new minister of Culture of Senegal as a reward for his campaign against the former president of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade who was defeated by Macky Sall in February 2012.
Redemption Song
Youssou N'Dour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After they took i from the bottomless pit but my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty,
We forward in this generation triumphantly,
Won′t you help to sing? these songs of freedom, cause all i ever had,
Redemption songs, redemption songs.
Emancipate your selves from mental slavery none but ourselves can
Free our minds, have no fear of the atomic energy cause none of them
While we stand aside and look? ooh, some say it's just a part of it,
We′ve got to fulfill the book,
Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom cause all i ever
Had
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate your selves from mental slavery none but ourselves can
Free our minds, have no fear of the atomic energy cause none of them
Can stop the time. how long shall they kill our prophets?
While we stand aside and look?
Ooh some say it's just part of the it we′ve got to fulfill the book,
Won′t you help to sing these songs of freedom cause all i ever had,
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
All i ever had
Redemption songs.
"Youssou N'Dour's Redemption Song" is a contemplative and powerful rendition of the classic Bob Marley song, which contains themes of resistance against oppression and the quest for spiritual liberation. The opening lines vividly describe the historical context of slavery and imperialism, where "old pirates" have robbed and sold the singer "to the merchant ships" after hauling him from the "bottomless pit" of Africa. However, the singer is resilient and faith-filled, as he acknowledges that his "hand was made strong by the hand of the Almighty" and that he is moving forward "in this generation triumphantly." The call to action is made for all of those listening to "help to sing" these "songs of freedom," which represent the singer's embrace of a life without mental slavery and a quest for redemption free of physical and spiritual chains.
Line by Line Meaning
Old pirates, yes, they rob I sold i to the merchant ships minutes
I was taken captive by pirates who sold me into slavery on a merchant ship.
After they took i from the bottomless pit but my hand was made strong
Although I was taken from a place of despair and hopelessness, my hand was strengthened by a higher power.
By the hand of the Almighty, we forward in this generation triumphantly,
The Almighty has given us the strength to move forward in this generation with confidence and success.
Won′t you help to sing? These songs of freedom, cause all i ever had,
Please join me in singing songs of freedom, as it is the only thing that I truly possess.
Redemption songs, redemption songs.
These songs are about redemption and escaping the chains of slavery.
Emancipate your selves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds
We must free ourselves from the mental slavery that keeps us trapped and unable to think for ourselves.
Have no fear of the atomic energy cause none of them can stop the time
We should not be afraid of any external forces, even the power of atomic energy, as time is the ultimate force.
How long shall they kill our prophets? While we stand aside and look?
It is unacceptable that our prophets and leaders are being killed, and we must take action instead of standing idly by.
Ooh some say it's just part of the it we′ve got to fulfill the book,
Some people believe that these killings are just a part of life, but we know that we must fulfill our destiny according to a higher plan.
Won′t you help to sing these songs of freedom cause all i ever had,
Please join me in singing songs of freedom because it is the only real possession I have.
Redemption songs
These songs are about redemption and breaking free from the chains of oppression.
Emancipate your selves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds
We must take responsibility for freeing our own minds from mental slavery.
These songs of freedom all i ever had redemption songs
These songs of freedom represent the only true form of redemption that I have ever experienced.
Redemption songs
These songs represent the hope and possibility of redemption for oppressed people everywhere.
Writer(s): Edwin Hawkins, Bob Marley
Contributed by Jayden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ali Lebeko
on Birima
Always soulful and heartthrobing performance