Picture the morning, taste and devour,
We rise early, pace up the hour
Streets is rustling, hustling they heart out
You can't have the sweet with no sour..
Spices, herbs, sweets and the flour
She came out precisely the hour
Clouds disappear, the sun shows the power
No chance of a probably shower..
I feel in love with my neighbor's daughter
I wanted to protect and support her
Never mind, I'm just 12 and a quarter
I had dreams beyond our border...
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (...Fatima)
After school, we studied the lessons,
I asked God to slow down the seconds,
He does the opposite, that's what I'm guessin',
I better chill and count my own blessings
Fatima, Fatima
What is the matter?
How come you ain't come up the ladder?
So we can be like there is no tomorrow,
Damn, you gonna make me wait 'til tomorrow
She spoke Arabic and Swahili,
She'd say "Upendo, Anta Habibi."
You so bright, you sound like my TV,
Then one day, she never came to meet me..
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (..Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (Fatima)
Fatima,
What did the young man say
Before he stole you away
On that fateful day? (Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name
Or the plans we made
To go to New York City? (..Fatima)
If beauty was in the eyes of beholder,
How come everyone hushed when she walked by?
How come girls would look just to scold her?
How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Fatima, Fatima,
I'm in America,
I make rhymes and I make 'em delicate,
You would have liked the parks in Connecticut,
You would have said I'm working too hard again.
Damn you shooter, damn you the building,
Whose walls hid the blood she was spillin'?
Damn you country, so good at killin',
Damn you feelin' for persevering.
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (..Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
to go to New York City? (Fatima)
Fatima,
What did the gunman say,
Before he took you away,
On that fateful day? (-Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (Fatima)
...Now I just want to make it clear
I don't want you to shed a tear (Fatima)
'Cause this here is a celebration
We're not mourning (Fatima)
We're celebrating so baby don't cry
Please don't let the tears fall (Fatima)
..So don't cry..
We rise early, pace up the hour
Streets is rustling, hustling they heart out
You can't have the sweet with no sour..
Spices, herbs, sweets and the flour
She came out precisely the hour
Clouds disappear, the sun shows the power
No chance of a probably shower..
I feel in love with my neighbor's daughter
I wanted to protect and support her
Never mind, I'm just 12 and a quarter
I had dreams beyond our border...
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (...Fatima)
After school, we studied the lessons,
I asked God to slow down the seconds,
He does the opposite, that's what I'm guessin',
I better chill and count my own blessings
Fatima, Fatima
What is the matter?
How come you ain't come up the ladder?
So we can be like there is no tomorrow,
Damn, you gonna make me wait 'til tomorrow
She spoke Arabic and Swahili,
She'd say "Upendo, Anta Habibi."
You so bright, you sound like my TV,
Then one day, she never came to meet me..
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (..Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (Fatima)
Fatima,
What did the young man say
Before he stole you away
On that fateful day? (Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name
Or the plans we made
To go to New York City? (..Fatima)
If beauty was in the eyes of beholder,
How come everyone hushed when she walked by?
How come girls would look just to scold her?
How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Fatima, Fatima,
I'm in America,
I make rhymes and I make 'em delicate,
You would have liked the parks in Connecticut,
You would have said I'm working too hard again.
Damn you shooter, damn you the building,
Whose walls hid the blood she was spillin'?
Damn you country, so good at killin',
Damn you feelin' for persevering.
Is it true when they say all you need is just love? (-Is it true?)
What about those who have loved,
Only to find that it's taken away?
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free? (-To be free)
What about those who I've known,
Whose memories still lives inside of me?
Fatima,
What did the young man say,
Before he stole you away,
On that fateful day? (..Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
to go to New York City? (Fatima)
Fatima,
What did the gunman say,
Before he took you away,
On that fateful day? (-Fatima)
Fatima,
Did he know your name,
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City? (Fatima)
...Now I just want to make it clear
I don't want you to shed a tear (Fatima)
'Cause this here is a celebration
We're not mourning (Fatima)
We're celebrating so baby don't cry
Please don't let the tears fall (Fatima)
..So don't cry..
Contributed by giorgio - 2013/5/5 - 09:15
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Lyrics & Music by Keinan Abdi Warsame
Album: Troubadour
A very sad moving story:
This song is about a lost love. When K'naan was a teenager (back in Somalia) fell in love with a girl named Fatima.
However, the girl was sold by her parents.. And then she WAS KILLED in the Somali civil war
"In 2008, with a recording budget, I went on my own to Jamaica, to Bob Marley's old studio, and sang of a lovely, doomed young friend:
«Fatima, I'm in America, I make rhymes and I make 'em delicate, you would have liked the parks in Connecticut... Damn you shooter, damn you the building, whose walls hid the blood she was spilling, damn you country so good at killing, damn you feeling, for persevering».
That was my truest voice – my continent's angst in a personal story. When I sang, my audience wouldn't just hear music; they would see geography. And yes, it made me well known.."