Hello everybody on HIVE, and especially the AFRITUNES Community. My name is Jasper, and I'm writing (and singing) to you from Cape Town, South Africa! Welcome to Week 110 of AFRITUNES.
I love South Africa and some of the special flavours of music we get here, and I look forward to doing a few posts on AFRITUNES to bring you music from South Africa, or to show you my original songs that have South African inspiration…
Today, I’d like to sing the song “Weeping” by Bright Blue, one of my favourite Anti-Apartheid songs ever, and was released in 1987.
This is a definite protest song, responding to how the 1985 State of Emergency had resulted in the killing of peaceful demonstrators against racial segregation in South Africa. “Weeping” even managed to smuggle some of the melody of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika”, which was the banned anthem of the suppressed African National Congress at the time, but then became the first part of the National Anthem of the New South Africa when Apartheid was finally ended.
Lyrics for “Weeping” by Bright Blue
[Verse 1]
I knew a man who lived in fear
It was huge, it was angry, it was drawing near
Behind his house, a secret place
Was the shadow of the demon he could never face
He built a wall of steel and flame
And men with guns to keep it tame
Then, standing back, he made it plain
That the nightmare would never ever rise again
But the fear, the fire, and the guns remained
[Chorus]
It doesn't matter now
It's over anyhow
He tells the world that it's sleeping
But as the night came 'round
I heard it slowly sound
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
[Verse 2]
And then, one day, the neighbours came
They were curious to know about the smoke and flame
They stood around outside the wall
But, of course, there was nothing to be heard at all
"My friends," he said, "we've reached our goal
The threat is under firm control
As long as peace and order reign
I'll be damned if I can see a reason to explain
Why the fear and the fire and the guns remain"
[Chorus]
It doesn't matter now
It's over anyhow
He tells the world that it's sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard it slowly sound
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
[Coda]
Say over
Say over
Say over now
Say over
Say over
Say over now
Say over
Say over
Say over now
Say over
Say over
Say over now
It doesn't matter now
It's over anyhow
He tells the world that it's sleeping
But as the night came 'round
I heard it slowly sound
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
(We heard a roaring sound)
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
SOURCE: https://genius.com/Bright-blue-weeping-lyrics
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