South African Singer Thandiswa Mazwai - "Ingoma" ("A Song") , with English lyrics

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on the African words "ngoma" and "ingoma".

This post showcases the contemporary South African love song "Ingoma" by Thandiswa Mazwai. "Ingoma means "song" in the Xhosa and Zulu languages. "Ingoma" is also used to classify the broad category of Zulu recreational dance.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer/s of this song and thanks to Thandiswa for her vocals, and thanks to all others who are featured in this recording, with special thanks to Hugh Masekela for the trumpet solo towards the end of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube. Thanks also to the onscreen transcriber of this song (as found in Example #2 below). I'm not sure if that is the same person as the publisher of this song file on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES:
Example #1:Thandiswa - Ingoma



African Jukebox Uploaded on Apr 5, 2009

Track from Thandiswa's newly released album, Ibokwe
-snip-
Here are two comments from this sound file's discussion thread:

Gilbert Onwu, 2014
"I love this beautiful song, wonderfully and exceptionally rendered by the amazing Thandiswa. One of my three most favoured SA artists. Thandiswa's range of voice is absolutely unbelievable as she caresses the song if I may put it that way. She comes across as a highly articulate and intelligent person,- I listened to her on more than one occasion on TV,- with a warm and endearing personality. I simply love the song. How I wish I could get an English translation! Gilbert Okeanonife Onwu"

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Vanessa D Sefatsa, 2014
"this is an African love song...loosely translated, she is comparing him to a song (ingoma), how addictive he is resembles a tune that will not leave her mind after she has played it the whole night. She then asks how she will be able to live without him, and says that she does not care what others say...he is like a song to her."

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Example #2: Thandiswa Mazwai - ingoma (a song) english lyrics



rockypart12345, Published on Oct 31, 2013

South Africa's finest female contemporary singer, multi award winning vocalist, song writer and producer. Her music is often deeply political and her compositions include traditional Xhosa rhythms, Mbaqanga, reggae, kwaito and funk and jazz sounds.

This track is from her second Album Ibokwe, its sung in Xhosa and English "ngoma" which means a song, enjoy!
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thandiswa_Mazwai for a biography of Thandiswa Mazwai.

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LYRICS NOTES
The lyrics in this post are largely from the onscreen text that is given in the sound file that is featured as Example #2 above. However, I took the liberty to correct some spelling ("your" corrected to "you're" and "rousing" to arousing"). I also corrected a word that may have been a typo ("gut" to "got").

I changed the word "felt" to "feel" because the present tense seems to fit the song better than the past tense. That changed tense is given in italics.

I added the word "a" to a line because I felt that it enhanced the meaning of that line. I also added words to the end of another line which be unsung but still understood. Those added words are given in brackets.

Significantly, I changed "will" to "would" in the line that appears onscreen as "What will I do without you?" I made that change because I believe that "would" fits the song better than "will".

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LYRICS: INGOMA
(as recorded by Thandiswa Mazwai)

You’re like a song that enthralls me throughout the night.
What will I do without you?

You’re a song.

I don’t care about the matters of this world.
Who says what.
I couldn’t care any less
Ooh I love my babe.

He’s like a song that enthralls me
Throughout the night.
What would I do without you?

You’re a song.
Sweetie, you’re [a] song to me.
Anytime of the day
Any day of the week
Any day of the year
Ooh you are arousing babe.
You’re a song that enthralls me
Throughout the night.
What would I do without you?

You’re a song.
You’re music to me, my beloved.
A relentless song
that never bores me to sleep.
A song I love anytime.
Song, you got into me
And made my body your home.
I feel you deep inside me.
Deep inside me.

Ooh you damn song
You’ve captured me and I’m reformed.
I can never feel anything like this [without you]
Ooh, my beloved, you’re a song.

A song that lives within my body.
A pleasing song.
A song that doesn’t get old.
A song that doesn’t get old.
You’re a song.

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