Famous (Uganda) - Ancestral Roots lyrics

[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