Recently in Nov. 2006, his first pop album after 28 years, "An Other Cup", was released under the name Yusuf.
He currently lives in London with his wife and children, where he is an active member of the Muslim community.
Following Ayatollah Khomeini's February 14, 1989 death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, he made statements that were interpreted as endorsing the killing of Rushdie. This generated a furor among a number of celebrities and free-speech activists in the West who spoke out about his comments on radio stations and newspaper editorials. On February 21, 1989, Yusuf Islam addressed students at Kingston University in London about his conversion to Islam and was asked about the controversy in the Muslim world and the fatwa calling for Salman Rushdie's execution. He replied, "He must be killed. The Qur'an makes it clear - if someone defames the prophet, then he must die."
He founded, and is chairman of, the Small Kindness charity, which initially assisted famine victims in Africa and now supports thousands of orphans and families in the Balkans, Indonesia, and Iraq. Islam also founded the charity Muslim Aid, but left as founding Chairman in 1999.
Welcome Home
Yusuf Islam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"All seekers this way".
A fairy sat and laughed
and threw a peddle my way.
As I neared the bridge,
two soldiers stood and stared.
No one passes by us, but hey.
You're welcome here.
Carried on down the road
to the market place.
I was still alone
no one knew my face.
Then a stranger sang,
the voice like the wind,
then the hails began to sing,
Welcome in.
Time rolls on. Ain't no good to sit and moan.
Time rolls on. And so we travel on.
Never did I imagine
what a dawn could be.
Till I opened my eyes to see.
It was welcoming me.
At the end of my days
on my way home
I paused a while to gaze
upon the sacred stone.
There it stood in the middle
of the holy domain
then the people came out to say
welcome home again.
Time rolls on. And so we carry on.
Time rolls on. Ain't no good to sit and moan.
Time rolls on. And so we travel on.
Time rolls on. Ain't no good to sit alone.
Yusuf Islam’s song, Welcome Home, is a reflective piece inspired by the typical protagonist's journey. The song portrays an individual’s journey through life, beginning with the opening line, "Saw a sign on the path, ‘All seekers this way.'" It appears to relate that the pathway to this journey is marked for everyone; however, it is our own responsibility to determine our path. The bridge and soldiers that the singer meets next in the song represent society's barriers and belief systems that make people feel unwelcomed. Nonetheless, the singer has found his place and hears the pious chants of "You're welcome here." The safe haven, which may be the market, is where the stranger's beautiful voice welcomes him in. The singer mentions that "time rolls on" and encourages people to move forward, to stop worrying and to begin their travel.
The refrain of the song continually hammers the message of the journey's ephemeral nature. The chorus, "Time rolls on. And so we travel on. Ain't no good to sit and moan. Time rolls on. Ain't no good to sit alone." is a reflective, motivational reminder that time keeps going regardless of whether we are moving forward or not. Even though the end of the journey eventually comes, the stone represents the sacredness of the final destination, and eventually, one is welcomed home again.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw a sign on the path,
While walking on a path, I noticed a sign which read, “All seekers this way.”
"All seekers this way".
The sign I saw on the path had a message which read, “All seekers this way.”
A fairy sat and laughed
Along the path, a fairy was sitting and laughing.
and threw a peddle my way.
The fairy threw a pebble towards me as I passed by.
As I neared the bridge,
When I approached a bridge,
two soldiers stood and stared.
two soldiers were standing and staring at me,
No one passes by us, but hey.
I sensed they didn't usually let anyone cross, but surprisingly, they let me in, saying, “But hey, you’re welcome here.”
You're welcome here.
The soldiers allowed me to pass through, saying, “You're welcome here.”
Carried on down the road
I continued my journey down the road
to the market place.
Until I reached the market place.
I was still alone
Despite reaching the market, I was all by myself,
no one knew my face.
And nobody was recognizing my face.
Then a stranger sang,
Suddenly, a stranger began to sing.
the voice like the wind,
The sound of the stranger's voice was similar to that of the wind.
then the hails began to sing,
Soon, a group of people started to sing as well,
Welcome in.
They were welcoming me to join them, saying, “Welcome in.”
Time rolls on. Ain't no good to sit and moan.
The passage of time is relentless, and it's not productive to sit and complain about it.
Never did I imagine
I had never expected
what a dawn could be.
how beautiful a new day could be until I saw it for myself.
Till I opened my eyes to see.
That understanding came only after I opened my eyes.
It was welcoming me.
What I saw was actually greeting and inviting me.
At the end of my days
In the twilight of my life
on my way home
While I was heading back home
I paused a while to gaze
I stopped for a moment to look
upon the sacred stone.
At a sacred rock or monument that caught my eye.
There it stood in the middle
The holy site was standing tall and upright
of the holy domain
within a sacred area.
then the people came out to say
People living near the holy site came out to greet me and say,
welcome home again.
That I was welcome home again.
Ain't no good to sit and moan.
It's not helpful to brood or wallow in one's problems.
And so we carry on.
We must keep moving forward
And so we travel on.
And continue to journey,
Ain't no good to sit alone.
It's not productive to isolate oneself.
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SuperMiguelin
it so nice hear yusuf singing again.great and peacefull man.he give another face to the life.
Ray Markey
His voice has not changed an iota from his heyday in the '70s and the guitar still rings true. Lyrically he's still the Cat. Wow. just Wow.
Newcastle
the feeling of being welcome
Newcastle
Beautiful
RsChoas0wnage
If you want to sing out Cat, sing out.
Adam Berger
this is kinda crazy...but does anybody else think this song kind of sounds like Metallica's "Fade to Black"?