Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh - Thina Sizwe Lyrics

Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Thina Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina sizwe

Father was a freedom fighter born in the Eastern Cape
Grew up in a place where nobody escapes
So it's safe to assume
That he probably thought he was doomed
They slept six-to-a-room
And their possessions were few

My father’s mother became a domestic worker
Up early Monday morning treated like a servant
Her husband was an imbongi, he had a way with words but
He passed unexpectedly before the world had heard 'em

So my father left school, had to become a worker
At a Mercedes Benz factory, and for his service
His employer sent him home with the minimum wage
He shared it with the family so dinner was made

Then started growing his political awareness
Detained at 17 cause he was fearless
Put in apartheid solitary confinement
Sometimes I think what he would think 'bout in the silence

Despite defiance, somehow he made it back to school
Got his matric then heard he got a scholarship late one afternoon
He made it to Wits
But he, stayed a nuisance
For the apartheid state
As a radical student leader

Then met my mother, she was part of the resistance
Love is rebellion, they rebelled against the system
But their relationship was as fragile as porcelain
You know what they say about them Xhosa men

They had a son as a new nation was born
You should have seen their hope as the new nation was dawning
That’s why my name means 'the nation has grown'
Sizwesandile make this nation your own

Sizwe
My parents called me Sizwe
They said we pray someday that you will grow up to be someone to believe in, lead the people
Thina Sizwe

Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe

My mother was a freedom fighter came here from the UK
On a teaching trip but instantly decided to stay
'Cause there was something about the beauty of this land
Something you have to be here to understand

She was warden of Wits' first mixed-race residence
Led anti-apartheid meetings with the residents
She would take the ferry to see friends on Robben Island
Sometimes I think what she would think bout on the ride there
Wasn't always easy to put food on the table
A single mother of two sons in a country so unstable
But It was her childrens' future that she was fighting for
Put her fist in the air in ’94
Then she told us that: we’re praying for your future
We pray they save you from the pain and the confusion
They say someday that we may see a revolution
We're gonna see a revolution
Woah

Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe

Thina Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Thina Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe

Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Thina Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe, Thina Sizwe
Sizwe, Thina Sizwe