[INTRO]
We're going back
To the roots
The real roots
[HOOK - DUKI]
Mudangayo ko mukyalo
Nemuyiga ebyafayo
Bajjajjamwe bye baleka
Batata bye bakolanga
Bamama bye balabanga
N'Abana bye bayiganga
[VERSE 1]
The sun sets on Africa, and yeah we need the moon
The carnival is getting darker since the afternoon
Let me take you to the lands beyond the lagoon
Where the baboons commune and birds play the tune
We used to use the drum to talk with each other
Or contact the spirits of mother nature
Telling time using shadows, the moon and the stars
Configuring the bones, the stones and bowels
To read and predict the future of the land
Whether our king will last or the kingdom expand
Whether our kids will understand and love their motherland
Practising all the arts and studying every plant
Every boy had a hero, every village had a chief
Every girl had a queen, every mother had a son
Kids would play in the rain, the babies eat soil
Girls were sometimes naked, and boys fought for game
It wasn't about the name, no, it wasn't for fame
It was about the culture, before the whites came
We were innocent and free and had no shame
[HOOK - DUKI]
Mudangayo ko mukyalo
Nemuyiga ebyafayo
Bajjajjamwe bye baleka
Batata bye bakolanga
Bamama bye balabanga
N'Abana bye bayiganga
[VERSE 2]
We had an education system of oral tradition
Not the best you can say, but it really had traction
The boys were taken to the jungle, taught survival
Taught to hunt and to fight and be loyal to their fathers
Girls were nurtured real early to be mothers of the nation
Taught how to cook, how to love and how to heal
How to influence the kings and tame the lions
Helping Keep families together, feeding the children
Africa was blessed with food, the rain and the sun
We never had to buy food, only had to gather
Gathering from the roots, the leaves and the fruits
We had fish, the birds, buffaloes and cows
Fish was dried in the sun, the meat we would smoke
The millet we would grind, the peanuts we would roast
Distilling alcohol from the ripe bananas
All across the savannah and mostly Uganda
Building huts for homes, with the mud and the gra**
Ever warm in the night, so cool in the sun
Everyone could have a home, that really had cla**
Painting with lines and dots your family's arts
[HOOK - DUKI]
Mudangayo ko mukyalo
Nemuyiga ebyafayo
Bajjajjamwe bye baleka
Batata bye bakolanga
Bamama bye balabanga
N'Abana bye bayiganga
[VERSE 3]
Music was very powerful and so colorful
Used to celebrate the culture and educate the people
Music would heal your heart, empowering the hero
Awakening the dead or erasing your curse
There were big festivals all across year
Celebrating the boys a**uming manhood
Feasts to celebrate the rain, celebrate the harvest
To celebrate the king, and victory in war
Where we used to fight with spears, the stones, and shields
Using fire at times, the magic and the poison
We were real warriors, some were real sorcerers
Using logic and wisdom from elevated minds
We gave names to everything, everywhere that we lived
Though we didn't write much, we had rich languages
Naming the waters, the plants, animals and spirits
Used proverbs to teach and preserve the wisdom
The spoken word is the heritage of Africa
Emceeing from way back with storytelling
Every night we would gather around the fire
And grandfather would retell, the tales of Africa
[HOOK - DUKI]
Mudangayo ko mukyalo
Nemuyiga ebyafayo
Bajjajjamwe bye baleka
Batata bye bakolanga
Bamama bye balabanga
N'Abana bye bayiganga
[VERSE 4]
We were very superstitious but also mysterious
Possessing knowledge of things that are insidious
Like how to make the dead walk and rocks to talk
Drawing spells with chalk, that could make you choke
We were deep in the magic, creating the tragic
We were never dogmatic, it was all pragmatic
Creating and observing, while walking at night
Sleep-walking and dancing all across the land
We were great shamans of the past, now preaching hard
Had wells that could bless, and cows of success
We could talk with the dead and those living out far
Be in many places at once, or be invisible
We could make the rain stop, or the sun go black
Catching thieves and k**ers by consulting the gods
Reversing black spells, or cursing your garden
Everyone had a totem and carried his charm
Every clan had a shrine, only way to shine
You had to offer the wine, so you could divine
Dancing late at night, you and spirits entwined
Africa was really deep on the mystical side
[HOOK - DUKI]
Mudangayo ko mukyalo
Nemuyiga ebyafayo
Bajjajjamwe bye baleka
Batata bye bakolanga
Bamama bye balabanga
N'Abana bye bayiganga
[OUTRO]
I'm dedicating this one
To all the surviving shamans of Africa
Keep the roots alive
Keep our roots alive