Johnny Clegg- Thandazani Lyrics
Johnny:
Eshe mfowethu! Ithini lenkunzana yasesemanzani?
(Hi there ‘Bro! What does litte Bull from the place of waters, say?
Sipho:
Hayi, noma izacile isandonsa-nje
(No, even if the Bull is gaunt and thin, it still has a lot of life left in
it)
Johnny:
Uthini mfowethu ngesimo esanamhlanje?
(What do you think, brother, about life in these times?)
Sipho:
Ithatha osemsamo lamhlahla emyango ngichaza abakini mangishonjalo
(Fortune has removed those from chosen positions and thrown them
out of the house. I am referring to some of your fellow countrymen who
were once in power.)
Johnny:
Ngibona abelungu betoyi-toyi eSandton bengasafuni ukukhokha irenti,
uthini ngalokhu mfowethu?
Sipho:
Kulomhlaba omusha yilo usho okuthandayo
(In this new country of ours, everyone and anyone has the right to
express themselves freely….)
Chorus
Thandazani nani makholwa
(Everybody pray, including you Christians)
Namhlanje kunzima-nyana
(for today things are a little difficult)
Abazusazi ekhaya mhla sifika
(our families will not recognize us the day we arrive)
Ngoba saguka endleleni njenge thaya
(for we grow old on the road, like a car-tyre.)
Johnny:
Egoli ngabona umfazi eshaya indoda emhlala phansi ngemzuzwana
(In Johannesburg I saw a woman punch a man and knock him out in a
few seconds)
Sipho:
Namhlanje isandla ‘somfazi sinjengesendoda
(Today a woman’s hand is equal to that of a man)
Johnny:
Egoli ngabona umnikazi wegalaji oswela imoto
(In Johannesburg I saw the owner of a garage who didn’t own a car)
Sipho:
Isicathulo se-shoemaker sicela ipapa
(and the shoemaker’s shoes are hungry because they have holes in them
and the tongue is sticking out begging for porridge)
Johnny:
Bengithi ngishela intombi e-Hillbrow yangibuza ukuthi ngiphethe imalini
(I tried to chat up a girl in Hillbrow but she asked me how much money I
had…)
Sipho:
Hawu! Ungakhohlwa ijazi lomwenyane, pasoba!
(Wow! Just don’t forget the “son-in-laws’ overcoat” [condom], watch out!)
Chorus