And so it was that with grim determination we set forth Knowing the journey would change us in ways we were yet to conceive

Chiripo chinondisunganidza neivhu rababa Africa Nezuro, nhasi, mangwana, nekumhepo Zvino topinda mumasango kure nerukuvhute Makatigura nayo nhamo, ko nhaimi vakuruwe Zvatinosangana nazvo, zvimwe hazvibvunzwe Musha wamera meno, tapararira kwose I left a journal by the road Weathered by the storms Filled with letters that I wrote For those severed from their homes To lands that are unknown Fences, razors, wires on Sentries at the entrances to whatever lies beyond For centuries scorned So the path is laid with thorns We navigate across this globe subject to controls But we trudging on despite the fatigue clutching these bones Its more than dust that was involved when we were formed It was fire and resolve The power to absorb The pressure and depression cause we are stronger than we know But I wonder if the ancestors hear us when we call Cause we strayed from the lands where they died to be recalled Far from the shrines where the elders would speak to God Far from the lines that they left us when we were robbed And the drums where we danced and our spirits were warmed And the soils where they planted our umbilical cords Zvino topinda mumasango kure nerukuvhute Makatigura nayo nhamo, ko nhaimi vakuruwe Zvatinosangana nazvo, zvimwe hazvibvunzwe Musha wamera meno, tapararira kwose Ukuhamba yikubona Batsho Abadala Sashiya imizi yabo baba Sashiya imizi yabo mama Safik’ emazweni khashana Sabona safund’ imikhuba yabo Kodw’ ayikho indawo efana lase khaya Every path is a catalyst for change Theres growth in the steps and theres strength in mastering the pain In the process became broken, a part of you remains Yet hoping to be restored to wholeness once again Plodding through the hardest of terrains Conscious of the strain Of being estranged from where you came Uncertainty contained in the refrain that we sang To the rhythm of the march and pace we maintained As children, used to travel on the backs of our mothers Now we flying with the wings of the prayers that they utter Hoping that theres a prize for the days when we suffered The warriors in us preparing to claim and discover Zvino topinda mumasango kure nerukuvhute, kure kure Makatigura nayo nhamo, ko nhaimi vakuruwe, nhaimi vakuru kani Zvatinosangana nazvo, zvimwe hazvibvunzwe, ko ungabvunze ani Musha wamera meno, taparira kwese, honai Zvino topinda mumasango kure nerukuvhute, kure kure Makatigura nayo nhamo, ko nhaimi vakuruwe, nhaimi vakuru kani Zvatinosangana nazvo, zvimwe hazvibvunzwe, ko ungabvunze ani Musha wamera meno, taparira kwese, honai

Akati, dai ndiri shiri ndaibhururuka (If I was a bird, I'd fly away) He awoke with a start, driven by the hope in his heart Envisioning the road and steeling his soul to depart The sun hadn't risen, the village was cloaked in the dark Recalled the words that he was given when they showed him the chart Said it was marked by the tears of those who had marched, before him Through lands dry like a throat when it’s parched As he left the world he knew, where social order falling apart Lives were cut short by explosions and shots Thought about those he was leaving with rivers filling in his eyes His heart's prize was only a season from giving life. She was both the reason, and a hinderance to his flight But the seed she had within her needed for him to fight If he crossed the water he could provide, break the ground for them He was frightened but he had vowed to pay the price for them His wizened mother came and she gave him all of her savings Then she prayed for him, caressing his face he heard her saying May the winds blow you till you find safety and peace May the ancestors guide where you placing your feet May there be kind ears to hear every prayer you speak  Coz you got a desert to beat, and it ain't for the weak  Find life on the other side And don't forget to write from the other side So he walked through the Biting cold of the night, sweltering heat of the day Through sandstorms, on damned soils never kissed by the rain He walked until his feet were numb and started bleeding through cracks Walked while others fell by his side defeated by the trek Until he reached the crooked tree, was told this was the sign Then he saw the two men in a truck weathered by time On the ride he thought about what the future could hold Welcoming his family into a beautiful home Arriving in the city, that's when he discovered the cost Required to cross was thrice what was stuffed in his socks And now he had to find work under hellish conditions Hardly ate, he put away every cent he was given Found encouragement from a brother who was also from his village  Promised to find each other, when they both their journeys were finished That's the vision, that anchored his thoughts from slowly drifting While dealing with animals who abuse you because of pigment The water could be a grave, and crossing was for the brave And those caught by the patrollers would probably be enslaved He saved enough for the passage,  was ready to make his way His friend embraced him, faring him well, he heard him say  May the winds blow you till you find safety and peace May the ancestors guide where you placing your feet May there be kind ears to hear every prayer you speak  You got the waters to beat and it ain't for the weak  Find life on the other side And tell me what it's like on the other side A hundred or so tense bodies in a black night floating Over the ghosts below in waters thats close to frozen Fear trying to choke em, so their worries are unspoken Conscious of the mortal danger, keeping ears and eyes open  A child softly cries and his mother tries to console him Mumbles a prayer that he'd be among the chosen Lights approaching, they wonder if this is the gates opening  Or guards to take em to cells with no hopes of due process Is it life-vests or iron chains Now will they find rest or die unnamed  Conquerors of land and water with no power of deciding  Their own fate, now in the hands of those who find them Meanwhile, behind them, buyers are invited to an auction  Where the products are people who found themselves without an option A prophet once asked "tell me what's a black life worth" Melanated flesh is still the cheapest on the market  The sea muffles the solemn cries of stolen lives Those with stunted wings who dared to dream to approach the skies He floated to shore, drifted for forty miles They were too many for the size of the dinghy so it capsized Its another form of freedom right Now on the other side, but his mother waits for a letter that won't arrive Its another form of freedom right And though his lover cries, glancing at his child and is reminded of his eyes But business is brisk, smugglers still making a killing Say they gotta eat and they only taking the willing Those desperate enough to put their lives on the line Imagine what they are fleeing from you think their out of their minds Packed like sardines on vessels never built for high seas They just tryna live, praying the tears in their eyes cease While people chant slogans so borders are fortified They want em all deported, but they ain't thought of the other side  

We underground We underground We underground We underground Undetected by the radars Off the books if we ever making some paper No regular occupation, engaging in mad capers Evaders of operations thats orchestrated to raid us Move in shadows, using names we wasn’t born with Darkness isn’t new to these children of conflict Exploited daily, no unions rebuking the bosses Who pay us half our wages to be boosting their profits Working long shifts, modern enslavement in progress Dependents back home is why we taking this nonsense Affecting your mental frame, anxiety becomes the constant Living prepaid, aint no way way to get a contract Border jumpers evolving to slum dwellers Empty building occupiers and seasonal farmworkers Living like Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man Branded illegal so we live how the system demands We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground They saying kwerekweres are the problem (what) They say we only there so we can rob them (huh) We underground We underground We underground We underground They wanna make America great Hiding how the one percent ain’t sharing the cake, yo its deep We underground We underground We underground We underground Ruzhowa rwemagetsi pamiganhu yematunhu rwemoto muzhinji-zhinji wekugwinha munhu Mavanga mumatsimba inzira yemupoteri Chiokomuhomwe kuti upote neseri Mumakarwe, mumadziva isu tinotiva Tinorarama seNyau, izvi garoziva Zvauri mutema vanongoona chitema Kuno kumarimuka zveganda zvinorema Tirimo musango rinorura neruvengo Tingori vafambi, zvedi tingori varendo Tisu dandemutande remhare dzaMurenga Tiri kwese kwese, tiri pasi nekudenga Pasi inhaka yemunhu, zvipuka, zvimerwa Ngatibvisei miganhu yatakatemerwa Akuruma ndiye wako, ziva zvirokwazvo Nduri dzaGovanwa Godobori, huruyadzo We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground Mupoteri pota nekuseri Garoziva zviri mberi We underground We underground We underground We underground Vanovenga, vanozonda Ziva mhandu dzinoponda We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground We underground

You always said you’re alright You always said you’re alright Unenge uchingoti uri bho, ipo pakaipa First things first, you gon probably take a picture by a statue Get your pose right swagged up in your tracksuit And make sure that you’re smiling in the picture Send it in a letter that says I’m fine but I miss you Over the phone they be asking you what the snow like Like yeah its cold but it ain’t nothing like this cold life Trying to make it, a stranger in this nation Chasing permanent status, you camping at immigration Thousand cuts will make you feel like you’ll die They try to keep it disguised Clutching their bags you see the fear in their eyes A friend arrived, long ago, now he acting brand new He adapted to the cold, yo, he’s not a bad dude You try to work a machine they looking at you like you stupid It was different back home how would you know how to use it But yo, it ain’t nothing, you’re not new to the stress You keep it to yourself and send that Western Union text They celebrate you back home share your snaps with all the relatives Thing about an image is it doesn’t show the negatives ‘Mwana washe muranda mumwe’ is what they say But you came here with a dream and now you gotta find a way I wonder how you did it, you did it on your own All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home I wonder how you did it, you did it on your own All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home And that loneliness, will creep up on you in them crowded places When you can’t find a single smile on a thousand faces And no one to ask if you need a soft loan So you working 2 jobs just to keep the lights on (2 Jobs) Found a church close to your denomination At least the preach the gospel and they ain’t about the money making And you discovered a shop with some African food Its overpriced and not as nice, but its gon have to do On social media, following the posts in the groups Sifting for truth through the rumours of protests and coups Its overwhelming, you feel a little lost and confused Experiencing all the hues of the diaspora blues Meanwhile, you reminisce about a place that just exists In your memories, thats threatening to fade into mist Everyday you stay changing, for the good or the bad You don't know, wont be the same if you ever make it back I wonder how you did it, You did it on I wonder how you did it, All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home I wonder how you did it, you did it on your own All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home 3, 2, 1 Counting down so you can finally visit Nephews and nieces that you’ve only seen in some pictures Gonna need a lotta cash coz people are unemployed The leaders became elitist while the country was destroyed At the mall, stressing about which presents to buy Coz theres a limit to the baggage you can carry when you fly You crossing off the days, the excitement is rising And its surprising how the time flew without realising But now you know your way around even got a few friends Made a lot of money, could have bought a new Benz But your people back home need the dollars you send Your colleagues always wonder why you work and never spend All they ever see you do is taking selfies by the monuments Your posture different now with confidence from your accomplishments And obvious you still smiling in the pictures Send em in a letter that says Im fine but I miss you I wonder how you did it, You did it on I wonder how you did it, All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home I wonder how you did it, you did it on your own All the secrets you were keeping we were speaking on the phone Had me dreaming about leaving, I wish that I had known That your heart doesn’t come with you if you gotta leave your home Wega Wega Wega Wakazviita sei Wega Wega Wega Wakazviita sei Wega Wega Wega Wakazviita sei Wega Wega Wega Wakazviita sei

We were fractured The scattered fragments from broken homelands  Transient bodies, Dis-located and displaced With borderless imaginations we discarded the familiar for worlds unknown Forced to become adept in contorting limbs to fit in confined spaces Which constituted a further breaking We traversed inhospitable lands in search of new homes And the warmth of other suns But we had mastered anew the practise of celestial navigation And reminded ourselves that we are the amalgamation of stardust and dreams And its dreams that we attempt to to resurrect through magic black as the universe So we stitched ourselves together Connecting shards like jigsaws Gilding ourselves through the ancient art of Kintsugi  And turned our brokenness into beauty We learned to use words as salve and music as medicine As we journeyed We codified the lessons amassed through tribulations and trials And lovingly preserved them for posterity Through rhyme and song, and poems encased in time signatures, In the spirit of the griots honouring the oral traditions of our forebears Over time these would become A travel guide for the broken A travel guide for the broken A travel guide for the broken A travel guide For the broken We often reduce the concept of home to a geographical location Or four walls and a roof Yet home is also this flesh you temporarily reside in So make yourself at home and be comfortable in your skin Make your regrets as few as humanly possible For example, do not burn bridges The smoke may cloud your eyes and blur your vision As my people say, ’natsa kwaunobva, kwauonenda husiku’ Take with you only that which is indispensable Like hope, hunhu, and whichever faith speaks to you Resist being yoked to the expectations of others You are unique as fingerprints leaving marks on the fabric of time May your path be of your own choosing Be unapologetic of the space you occupy You have every right to be here You are an integral piece of the cosmos No more or less important than any other Now Go boldly in the direction where your dreams would lead Walk in the light Find your tribe And be kind  To yourself, and to your fellow travellers on this rock Hurtling through a universe whose limits are as unfathomable as your own Famba zvakanaka Famba zvakanaka Famba zvakanaka Famba zvakanaka Famba zvakanaka

I crossed the finish line to a slow clap, hey They applauded coz they knew it was hard I'm reminiscing like a throwback, ya Coz its been a long road from the start Coz I sprained my ankle and I fell to the ground Pain reflected in the eyes of those who made up the crowd Other runners passing by only concerned with the crown Throwing in the towel hurt more than the pain I feel now So I carried on, my legs screaming I should forfeit Greatest enemy the inner me I was at war with  Coz giving in was the reasonable option As the distance stretched, and the pain mingled with exhaustion Had to reach inside for reserves of strength To rebel against the voice that said to relent Coz I know a couple people still rooting for me May not win, but I’ma do this thing beautifully, you’ll see   I'm still standing on broken limbs My heart kept working when hope was slim Even though the road was grim I’m still here, I'm still here   My competition is myself now, hey I ain’t never even checking their charts I only wish to make myself proud, ya Just to feel the joy swell in my heart But the world’s watching and reporters on the sideline I’m so broke can’t afford to let my mind slide I hold hope in hands that broke dreams And the road’s so long, that damn, my toes bleed And its not just me, there’s other stragglers too Does this world understand what we battling through We finding comfort in numbers so we huddle together Yelling “get up”, when I fall, we overcoming whatever Yo we all gotta make it, solo victory won’t count I wanna hear your name when the victors are called out Coz I know you’re also rooting for me May not win but we gon do this thing beautifully, you’ll see   I'm still standing on broken limbs My heart kept working when hope was slim Even though the road was grim I’m still here, I'm still here   I probably wont be on the winners podium And I won’t be popping champagne But I’m here and I’m stronger now Coz I didn’t bow down to the pain My momma’s book said God breathed, into this dust That tell me that Im infinite, trust I’m unbreakable, my spirit is much Stronger than life’s trials, and I know that my strength is enough What if I was never broken but the mirror that I used Had me measuring self by an image that wasn’t true Its my own race I’ll run it different from you I know its uphill but I finna see the view Some people wrote me off, they were thinking I was through I did the same when living was difficult to do But Im still here, it may not mean a lot to you But this is history in the making when you see me as I move  Towards the line as they slow clap And flash my crooked smile coz I know that I made it Fist up on some pro-black And finally allow myself to fall on the pavement   I'm still standing on broken limbs My heart kept working when hope was slim Even though the road was grim I’m still here, I'm still here   I'm still standing on broken limbs My heart kept working when hope was slim Even though the road was grim I’m still here, I'm still here This song is for the broken limping to the finish line Those who have fallen and risen infinite times You may not be the winners in their eyes  But knowing you didn’t falter, this is the prize! Congratulations...   I'm still here, aiwa ndichiripo I'm still here, aiwa ndichiripo I'm still here, aiwa ndichiripo I'm still here, aiwa ndichiripo I'm still here

Salutations citizens of this wonderful and broken world If you have received this broadcast your status has been verified as certified fly  And we just want to remind you, to see yourself in the best light Coz theres a fine line between perception and reality Stay fly Stay fly famalam The whole flex is kinda godly, godly At my best Im a legend like Nesta Marley, Marley The present’s a blessing, Im living proudly, proudly Far from where I started but Im hardly close enough to where I gotta be My value can’t be quantified in any currency  See how they got you equating your worth with a salary The people where I’m from know Ubuntu's the code Success inseparable from the community’s goals While screens and magazines bash your self esteem To snatch your cream, loving self’s an exercise in the extreme In the morning, smile at the reflection in the mirror Watch what my spirit consumes so my perception is clearer  Contend with images, fashioned from hate and ignorance Meant to imprison in a state that negates your brilliance They bruising your pride diffusing illusions and lies Remain anchored in the truth so I can say, so I can say I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  Now you might think I’m saying, my threads emblazoned with a famous name Or my bank account insane with the money I can claim Or that I rock a heavy chain, or I own a lot of thangs But it ain’t about that, now listen, how can I explain Its more than just about the physical manifestation Its an inner vibe like a spiritual calibration  While they keep on trying to have you chasing their validation For your very existence, resistance the mission statement See how phone notifications start to feel like a drug Some might try to get you down so they can feel they above My internal conversation tuned to keeping me up Original, standing apart from this derivative stuff We living as husks, the systems corrupt keeping us stuck Imprisoned potential’s released if you believe and you trust Stay grounded in your roots and keep your view to the sky And if you anchored in the truth, you’re gonna say, you’re gonna say I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm enough, I'm beautiful, I'm strong, I’m majestic My spirits eternal, I’m a healer, sure I’m a blessing Got the fire, I’m powerful, I’m confident, amazing I’m alive, see how I made it through the storm, thats impressive I'm enough, I'm beautiful, I'm strong, I’m majestic My spirit’s eternal, I’m a healer, sure I’m a blessing Got the fire, I’m powerful, I’m confident, amazing I’m alive, see how I made it through the storm, thats impressive Im fly Ndakangopenga ndakadaro Thats right you magnificent individuals Your only mission is to, be the best version of yourself Yeah, Stay fly Stay fly famalam Ya, ya, check it out now Ya, ya, check it out now  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly  I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, you can’t keep me down I'm too fly, Im too fly 

May these words be bridges over rivers angered by storms To get you to the other side You’ll realise in your hell is where your heaven is born Just gotta make it to the other side My momma cried seeing pictures of how skinny I was Tried to tell her it's alright coz my spirit is large This living is hard so I carry memories like photographs That always fade no matter how I try holding fast To spaces I miss like an Avenues place Now far away, times carving lines on my face Between the past and the future I was destined to stay In this infinite now so every verse that I relay Is a seed that will grow in the garden of your soul To repose, this road leave you hardened coz its cold My country folk wrote notes of what the government stole Those rogues will never hold what higher powers endowed The resolve to keep smiling while you hustling on We evolve, keep rising to the stars we belong Shield your hope till you gain what you struggling for You gotta know that beyond the pain there's something more There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this Something more Thankful for those by my side through every battle I faced That had me feeling like my ancestors had covered their faces Managed to salvage some grace through the hardest of days Ask anybody from Zimbabwe bout 2008 Its kinda hard to be great when you got nothing in place But dream awake and be aware you got the power to make This world a little better even if its only on page You never know how many souls you’ll engage In these times when the people are bound and evil abounds And police fire rounds while releasing their hounds For speaking out, innocent blood seeps in the ground This is a beacon so more warriors and healers are found You rhyme impressive but only flash your cash and possessions They glorify excesses so I get your obsession Though we celebrate your blessings and the stuff you afford  The times we find our lives confined demand something more There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this Something more And I recall when my universe was a small room in my hometown Got some rap tapes I was moved by the dope sounds Found myself inspired by the son of a Panther And others who gave me clues when I was scrounging for answers Through their street poetry I found my escape Hip Hop called to me I was bound to embrace This art form and I watched my world slowly expand Till some of my role models started calling me fam 28, my first flight, Joburg, rhyming for delegates Tryna change the world they thought my writings were relevant Travelled a little more enjoying views that I saw In every destination met with beautiful souls The worlds lot bigger than I thought as a child I would backpack around it if my passport allowed But it's a marble, though I marvel at the size of it all  Beyond the stars whose light we know  There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this, there’s gotta be more than this There's something more There’s gotta be more than this Something more Lost my faith along the way my soul distanced from religion  Seeing colonial underpinnings in my convictions And geography's role in the path that you follow Most are driven by the fear of what's after tomorrow I got friends who straight laugh at the idea of design  But me, I got questions in the rear of my mind Like after it all, is there somewhere we go Are we recomposed in another cycle of growth I went through things and I considered drifting away You know the days when you can't see a reason to stay Was lucky, in these chords I found a home for my poems Through sharing my soul, I found I wasn't standing alone All I’m saying is though i haven’t figured it out And my prayers are still swallowed by my infinite doubts I know God probably isn’t quite what I was told But I'm sure that beyond this world there's something more There is something more There is something more There is something more There is something more I’ll finish off with these words from a sister I know Saw her social media post while I scribbled this song if money is your god then your spirit is poor We must be on this rock for something more Word

We walking blind and our faith ain’t strong We just stumbling along on the way back home Tryna heal but this pain ain’t going We just stumbling along on the way back home I had prayed that this day would come And now I’m stumbling along on the way back home Let it be that my shame ain’t showing Don’t wanna be turned away on the way back home He stares into a still lake his reflection perfectly clear Sees how time has etched lines in his visage over the years And his eyes are heavy from all the things they’ve had to witness But they are shrewd though, on the surface appear as listless Sees the boy he was, hidden under his father’s ghost They’ll be reunited soon, he feels his time is close The day’s chill holds him closely Before he flies out, there’re some people that he must go see That Nigerian man who lives in the opposite building The Ugandan mother who lost her son when cops killed him Goodbyes are never easy but this is the way They had become his family in this land so far away From the red soil where feet and dust rose to drums beating Calloused hands approached the same bowl when they were eating Will he remember what to say When the musicians of the chief gather around and start to play We walking blind and our faith ain’t strong We just stumbling along on the way back home Tryna heal but this pain ain’t going We just stumbling along on the way back home I had prayed that this day would come And now I’m stumbling along on the way back home Let it be that my shame ain’t showing Don’t wanna be turned away on the way back home The drive to the village gives him time for his mind to replenish With sublime visions from a life he relinquished Stories around the fire while his mum cooked some spinach With the stars bringing light from the distance He glances out the window, the skyline looking different He’s now far from the grind where you rise just to scrimmage He was young when he arrived as an immigrant With only his dreams and the fire and drive to achieve em Became a slave, remembering his parents sacrifice Woita chiremba mwanangu, tinokuda isu The years passed as he studied and worked While made to feel like the colour of his body is cursed Was it the shame or pain that made him never return Didn’t have his papers yet on the days that he learned That his parents had joined those who watch over the clan Could only send money asking about the progress and the plans A lifetime ago but now he is finally back Goes from tar to dust road and then that long winding track He walks straight into his uncles embrace The people gather to see this familiar stranger’s face Sees the smiling eyes of a childhood friend Filmy now, but reminds him of the times they spent But these eyes are free from the heaviness of his own See he had never flown from the only home that he had known With some close kin he makes his way to site Two crosses rising defiant casting shadows in the light He had paid for the caskets, never got to pay respects Now he holds a scale weighing what he gained and his regrets We walking blind and our faith ain’t strong We just stumbling along on the way back home Tryna heal but this pain ain’t going We just stumbling along on the way back home I had prayed that this day would come And now I’m stumbling along on the way back home Let it be that my shame ain’t showing Don’t wanna be turned away on the way back home Zvino uchandiziva sei Zvino uchandiziva sei Zvino uchandiziva sei Zvino uchandiziva sei And I hear her say, how will you remember me And I answer, how could I forget you, Though I left you, you never left my heart

Kwame Nkrumah said I’m not African because I was born in Africa But because Africa was born in me The road winds and at times it can humble you We all climb inclines, gotta struggle through My soul finds quietude even when trouble brews Though I may be battered and bruised, Im still a part of you The mother who saw her seeds scattered till they’d forgotten you With loving you’d imbued them with a beauty of the darkest hue See how this world won’t acknowledge what they got from you Plotting you on maps they understating your magnitude Deny your majesty go to lengths just to smother truth Discard the proof of civilisations where learned monarchs ruled Passed on the heritage to all of those who come from you The strength to withstand and shatter every manacle Had them kissed by the sun so they can touch it if they wanted to Made of your magic so breaking them is impossible And through this song, guess the only thing Im trying to do Is just to honour you, and to shower you with gratitude Rielu, muene uala henda ni ndabji Ua ngi bana babáh Ua ngi bana babáh Rielu, muene uala ni ndabji Ua ngi bana babáh The language I speak is hiphop its the originator is Herc But you can find traces of its DNA within her Graffiti on caves, griots had a way with their words There were block parties to celebrate what came from the earth Where they beat drums and swayed, spit praises and twerked Before the boats came carrying those who came to disturb Interrupted her history tried erasing their worth But she so resilient, it ain't no way it could work Kidnapped the people, stole the minerals Killed the noble leaders, leaving rogues and criminals Looted temples and libraries, robbed the citadels The fact she still alive is nothing short of a miracle Her relics overflow in foreign museums But when you read about her story all the glory is missing Siphon her riches, equate her with strife and disease I guess they love the fruits while despising the tree Rielu, muene uala henda ni ndabji Ua ngi bana babáh Ua ngi bana babáh Rielu, muene uala ni ndabji Ua ngi bana babáh Nga sakidila Muene ji va Maji ka ji ria Muene ji va Ka ji ria Ka ji ria She is the hunger in my spirit, the fire in my soul The power that I yield, the truth that I uphold The poetry that lifts me, the drums that signal war The love that keeps me warm in a world thats winter cold The laughter of the children, the wisdom of the old The sun that dries my tears, the vision that I hold The strength to be a pillar, the will to reach the goal The individual indivisible from the whole Kutenda, nga sakidila Kutenda, nga sakidila Kutenda, nga sakidila Nga sakidila Kutenda, nga sakidila Kutenda, nga sakidila Kutenda, nga sakidila Kutenda

Kutenda As we arrived at our inevitable destination We found that the umbilical cord that tied us to the place That we knew as home was not buried in the soils we left behind But it was rather our boundless spirit that gave us the strength to overcome And what was originally conceived as A Travel Guide For The Broken Would turn out in fact to be a testament of the unbreakable Because no matter where on the planet we find ourselves planted We bear fruit even in strange climates This is our nature And as we part ways we are called to remember That in every ending, lies a new beginning So as is our custom We give thanks upon arrival For journey mercies Ndatenda Kutenda