Nas & Damian Marley - Africa Must Wake Up lyrics

[Hook] Africa must wake up, the sleeping sons of Jacob For what tomorrow may bring, may a better day come Yesterday we were kings, can you tell me young ones -- Who are we today? Yeah, now [Verse 1 - Nas (+ Damian Marley)] The black oasis, Ancient Africa the sacred Awaking, the sleeping giant, science, art is your creation I dreamed that we could visit old Kemet Your history is too complex and rigid for some Western critics They want the whole subject diminished But Africa's the origin of all the world's religions We praise bridges that carried us over The battle fronts of Sudanic soldiers, the task put before us (Do you hear me now?) [Hook] [Verse 2 - Nas] Who are we today? The slums, diseases, AIDS We need that all to fade, we cannot be afraid So who are we today? We are the morning after, the makeshift youth The slaveship captured, our diaspora is the final chapter The ancestral lineage built pyramids America's first immigrants, the kings and daughters from Nile waters The first architect, the first philosophers Astronomers, the first prophets and the doctors were us, us [Bridge - Damian Marley] Now can we all pray? Each in his own way Teaching and learning We can work it out We'll have a warm bed We'll have some warm bread Shelter from the storm dread And we can work it out Mother nature feeds all In fameine and drought And though selfish in ways, not to share is out What's a tree without root? Lion without tooth? A lie without truth? You hear me out! [Chorus - x2, but the second one is: Africa must wake up The sleeping sons of Jacob What tomorrow may bring May some more love come Yesterday we were kings I tell ya young bloods The world is yours today...] [Bridge: K'naan x2] Dadyahow daali waayey, nabada diideen Oo ninkii doortay dinta, waadinka dillee Oo dal markii ladhiso, waadinka dunshee Oo daacad ninkii damcay, waadinka dooxee [Translation] Oh ye people restless in the refusal of peace And when a man chooses religion, aren't you the ones to k** him? And when a country is built, aren't you the one's to tear it down? And when one attempts to tell the truth, aren't you the one's to cut him down? [Guitar/Instrumental break] [Nas - talking] We want to thank y'all, everybody out there This is Nas, Damian Marley Distant Relatives We're all distant relatives, no matter where you from, where you live How near or far Africa, China, Japan, Afghanistan, Israel We're all fam, we're all distant relatives So that's why we came together -- one of the reasons Why myself and Damian came together Cause we all come from one place, and that's Africa That's right, you too. And you The whole world! We're all family, we're just spread out all over the place So to all my distant relatives, let's take it back home! [Hook]