Stories Turned Into Voices
by bizo luviwe bomela
WE TURN STORIES INTO VOICES
And turn our voices into stories
As black men fill police lorries
And we still singing hallelujah, glory, glory
Islamic drug dealers, Nigerian drug dealers, Indian drug dealers,
Living on top of top of the stairs, double stories
For breakfast they have milk and honey no worries
June 16, 1976 we turning stories into voices and voices into stories
Blood flowing like streams to rivers
Pulse beating high my soul shivers
Reminding me of June nineteen seventy six, sixteen
Years before my birth sixteen
Hector Peterson died he was a teen
Petrol bombs exploded in those tins
Some hid in the rubbish bins
June nineteen seventy six, sixteen
A year of prosperity it could have been
Sixteen before my birth I could not have seen
We turn our stories into voices
And turn our voices into stories
Our pride we've lost we black
For supper we struggle for water drops, we lack
Metal houses, wooden houses, we living in shacks
Black souls claiming to be civilised
Claiming to be westernised
To our roots we never going back
Electricity a luxury, candle light a solution
Accounting A+ black child never whack
We turn our stories into voices
And turn our voices into stories
As black men fill police lorries
We turn our voices into stories
And turn our stories into voices
Ngoweshumi elinesithandathu kweyeSilimela kunyaka wamaka mababini
anesixhenxe
Laphuma ilanga ndalingqina lenkxwaleko
Latshona ilanga ndaligqina lentlupheko
Lasiqegqa inxele likakhetsekile
Saziqoqongqotha iinxili saqoqogqotha nentembeko
Ziwe zishushu zinqumleze umbombo
Usiba noncwadi lwandithuthuzela
Lasiqengqa inxele likakhetsekile
Saqobeka imiqolo, kwaphela amandla sabika esezolo,
Kwanqaba izapholo
Nanamhla sisabika esezolo
Sayeka unqula uQamata, saguqa ngedolo
Zathula ingqongqo waphela umgqungqo
Zaguguza iigumba-gumba
Sayeka ukuphakamisa impondo zeenkomo zobawo omkhulu
Sakhomba iminwe phezulu sixhentsel 'inkalakatha
Amabele abhonxile intsana zakho ziqushwa yindlala
Imibele mide wenyiselela nabangaphesheya kweGqili
Bafikile netyhosha elingenantuja salahla imbo yethu ngophoyiyane
Xa kunamhlnje zomile nezonxili
Basiqhame ngemfe iphindiwe
Sambanguza, sabhadula
De waphuma uhili ezingcongolweni
Black souls moving backwards
Now HIV infection a reward
Hiv test results our merit awards
Them dying leaving orphans, caught off guard
Who will be singing the lullaby?
Oh! Hush thee my baby don't cry
HI virus killing you and I
Babies dying but sinless you wonder why
Stupid questions you cant fix the crocked letter Z next to Y
About our HIV status we tell a lie
Meat to meat, eat and eat on bed we lay
We still crying, we still dying days
have gone by
Funerals more like weddings it's so hard to say goodbye
On and on the stories go
More and more am taking the blow
Sores on my lips can't even flow
Sores on my knees to my messiah can't bow
But the poets will keep on reciting
And rappers keep on rapping
Mosquitoes and biters won't stop biting
And we keep on begging meat to meat
On and on we eat and eat
And I would still be turning stories into voices
And voices into stories
We turning stories into voices
And voices into stories
We stupid beautiful and bold,
Our acts scaring the young and the old
Playing big in a small town, pretending to be smiling but when they
pass
All I see is frowns
As children we were all made to shine
Hoping to progress and prosper as we grow but I see no changes as the
sun downs
Our playing small does not save our future, we puffing and passing,
snitching and smooching, drinking and staggering, we look like clowns
We demolishing the castles claiming to hustle, killing the future
queens and kings, who will be taking these crowns?
My lips tremble like guitar strings as am telling these tales on these
lines
You blind, eyes misty, eyes shady you won't see when the sun shines
Our acts scaring the young and the old have you the tears on our
mothers
We free and oppressed, oppressed and free
As we tell these tales, telling the tales untold we unconsciously and
automatically liberate others
Turning stories into voices
Turning these stories into voices
Telling tales untold
We stupid, beautiful and bold
Our acts scaring the young and the old
Deep inside we are evil and cold
As we tell these tales papers unfold
Keep your eyes open all that glitters will never be gold
Let's keep our ears open listen and learn as the truth is being told.
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