Gwa m

Tell me I am young
Tell me I am dreaming
That in Africa, one day, there will be bright lights gleaming
That our struggles of today would leave us without tears streaming
And from cheek to cheek, some day, they’ll see us beaming
Not the hungry smiles of the children as they walk for miles
Or the clenched fist of a “movement” filled with propaganda and lies
Not the bloated African belly surrounded by maggots and flies
Or the flat feet “happy” orphans chanting dreams to the skies
Tell me that the white I represent stands for peace
And the green, of grass and of luscious seas
That of the many wrongs I see, one day the media will truly speak
And for the activists, the death penalty no one will dare seek
Tell me it’s not too late to wash out the blood
That the cries of my brothers still reach out to God
That one day I can go home and not feel like a fraud Like I abandoned ship mid sail when I went abroad
Tell me the dreams of Fela still resound like that of the “king”
That one day, from my people, a hero’s welcome I’ll no longer need
That the spirits of kalacutta will rise above the seas
And the movement of the people, one day, will be redeemed
Tell me that even with all this, I’m not being obscene
That prostitution in my sister will no longer be seen
That my brothers’ thieving hands will one day be clean
And our symbol of national pride will not be “19”
Tell me that in this quest I am not the first
That other people like me are filled with thirst
Tired of drinking another man’s water and forced to impress
While our own people continue to struggle on their one man quest
Tell me I am sane when I say my full name
To stand by my country and not be filled with shame
That 150million people can indeed be tame
To sit down long enough and plan for more than a game
Tell me I am young and tomorrow I might sing a new song
But don’t tell me I am dreaming when I dream of my Africa going strong!