The single stayed at #1 for 16 consecutive weeks on the French Singles Chart, which was the record of the most weeks at the top at the time, and also rose to #3 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was a track on N'Dour's album The Guide (Wommat), released shortly after the single. In 1996 it was included on the Neneh Cherry album Man.
Youssou N'Dour is a hugely successful Senegalese singer and percussionist. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop popular music in Senegal, known in the Wolof language as mbalax, a blend of the country's traditional griot percussion and praise-singing with the Afro-Cuban arrangements and flavors which made the return trip from the Caribbean to West Africa in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s and have flourished in West Africa ever since.
Neneh Cherry (born Neneh Marianne Karlsson on March 10, 1964 in Stockholm) is a two-time Grammy Award-nominated and MTV Europe Music Award-winning Swedish singer-songwriter and rapper. Cherry is also an occasional DJ and broadcaster. Cherry blended hip hop with other influences, and experienced some moderate mainstream success with several of her recordings.
Mame Bamba
Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did they hear you father Bamba
The man in me changes everytime I read you "Khassayids"
My strong faith in you makes me survive this crazy world
Now I can go anywhere, because I know you'll be there
We know your pain will always make us stronger
Mame Bamba
"Khassayid"
You are our rescuer
Every day, every night, every moment
They are singing and they are crying
You may be gone but your spirit will remain
Oh it will stay until the end of time
The lyrics of Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry's Mame Bamba express the great influence that Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba- a Sufi religious leader from Senegal, still has on his followers today. The song starts with the singers addressing Bamba and asking if he can hear them. The lyrics then talk about how the man who is singing is changed every time he reads Bamba's "Khassayids". Khassayids are Islamic poems composed by Bamba, which his followers read as a way of seeking guidance and connecting with their faith. The singer goes on to say that his strong faith in Bamba makes him survive this "crazy world", giving him the confidence to go anywhere because he knows Bamba's spirit is with him. They acknowledge that Bamba's pain, which he endured at the hands of French colonial authorities and his subsequent exile, will always make them stronger. In the end, they call Bamba the "rescuer" and say that his spirit will remain until the end of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you hear me father Bamba
Father Bamba, are you listening to me and my prayers?
Did they hear you father Bamba
Father Bamba, were your teachings and message understood by the people?
The man in me changes everytime I read you "Khassayids"
Every time I read your teachings, Father Bamba, I transform into a better person.
My strong faith in you makes me survive this crazy world
Father Bamba, your message and teachings give me the strength to keep going and survive in this chaotic world.
Now I can go anywhere, because I know you'll be there
Father Bamba, I feel your presence and guidance everywhere I go, giving me the courage to face any challenge.
We know your pain will always make us stronger
Father Bamba, we understand that the hardships and struggles you faced have strengthened us and given us resilience.
Mame Bamba
Mother Bamba (a term of endearment for Father Bamba)
"Khassayid"
Various religious and philosophical writings attributed to the teachings of Father Bamba.
You are our rescuer
Father Bamba, you are our savior, our guide on the path of righteousness.
Every day, every night, every moment
Your influence and teachings are with us at all times, Father Bamba.
They are singing and they are crying
People are mourning and rejoicing over your message, Father Bamba.
You may be gone but your spirit will remain
Although you have passed, Father Bamba, your wisdom and spirit will live on forever.
Oh it will stay until the end of time
Your teachings, Father Bamba, will continue to guide and inspire generations to come.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind