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Spoken version
A recorded reading of “Umgidi (The Celebration)”. If the player does not load, use the original audio source.
Eish! Kuyashisa! (Eish! It’s hot!) Hands up, hands up! Tonight, we shine, tonight, we live, The beat is calling, don’t resist. Ngicel’ ukuzwa injabulo, (I want to feel the joy,) Masambe sishaye izulu! (Let’s go, let’s touch the sky!) Hey wena! (You there!) Sikhanyisele! (Shine on us!) Hey wena! (You there!) Sikhanyisele! (Shine on us!) Hey! (Umgidi! Umgidi!) Siphethe uThixo lapha! (We carry God here!) Hey! (Umgidi! Umgidi!) Singayeka kanjani? (How can we stop?) We dance in fire, we dance in love, Stars above, they shine on us. Sidlala izigubhu, amaphupho ayavuleka, (We play the drums, dreams open up,) Izandla zethu zibambe ukukhanya! (Our hands hold the light!) Ngiyabonga, (I am grateful,) Siyabonga, (We are grateful,) Lalela… (Listen…)
Alternative version
Eish! Kuyashisa! (It’s hot!) Hands up, hands up! Ngicel’ ukuzwa injabulo, (I want to feel the joy,) Masambe sishaye izulu! (Let’s go, let’s touch the sky!) Letha amaphupho, siphethe uthando, (Bring the dreams, we carry love,) Asigide, asinike amandla. (Let’s dance, let it give us strength.) Awu madoda, asithathe leli langa, (Oh men, let’s take this day,) Senz’ umsindo, sivule iminyango! (Let’s make noise, let’s open the doors!) Sithi sishaya izulu, siyagida, (We say we touch the heavens, we dance,) Angikho mnandi, kodwa kuyashisa! (I am not the best, but it's on fire!) Hey wena! — Umgidi! (Celebration!) Sikhanyisele! — Bambelela! (Shine on us! Hold on!) Hey wena! — Umgidi! Sikhanyisele! — Bambelela! Hey! Umgidi! Umgidi! (Celebration! Celebration!) Siphethe uThixo lapha! (We carry God here!) Hey! Umgidi! Umgidi! Singayeka kanjani? (How can we stop?) Sidans’ emlilweni, sinethando, (We dance in the fire, filled with love,) Inkanyezi iphakamisa inhliziyo. (The stars lift the heart.) Sidlala izigubhu, amaphupho ayavuleka, (We play the drums, dreams open up,) Izandla zethu zibambe ukukhanya! (Our hands hold the light!) Ngiyabonga, (I am grateful,) Siyabonga, (We are grateful,) Lalela… (Listen…)
Instructional lyrics
[Intro: Bright Marabi Guitar, Hypnotic Log Drum & Rolling Percussion] [Shakers rattle, marabi guitar plucks, log drum pulses in waves, distant ululations fill the air] Eish! Kuyashisa! (Eish! It’s hot!) Hands up, hands up! [Verse 1: Playful, Dance-Heavy Start] Tonight, we shine, tonight, we live, The beat is calling, don’t resist. Ngicel’ ukuzwa injabulo, (I want to feel the joy,) Masambe sishaye izulu! (Let’s go, let’s touch the sky!) [Harmonies swell, bassline deepens, log drum rolls in] [Pre-Chorus: Harmonies Build, Call-and-Response Begins] [Call] Hey wena! — [Response] You there! [Call] Sikhanyisele! — [Response] Shine on us! [Call] Hey wena! — [Response] You there! [Call] Sikhanyisele! — [Response] Shine on us! [Percussion builds, energy intensifies, call-and-response lifts the groove] [Chorus: High-Energy Call & Response, Ululations] Hey! (Umgidi! Umgidi!) Siphethe uThixo lapha! (We carry God here!) Hey! (Umgidi! Umgidi!) Singayeka kanjani? (How can we stop?) [Brass instruments join, rhythm gets heavier, harmonies expand] [Bridge: Amapiano Breakdown, Layered Vocals & Deep Log Drum] [Percussion strips back, heavy bass, voices chant, feet stomp, the rhythm carries us forward] Ngiyabonga, (I am grateful,) Siyabonga, (We are grateful,) Lalela… (Listen…) [Marabi guitar echoes in the distance as ululations fade into the wind]
Song info
Amapiano x marabi x maskandi fusion, log drum, percussive groove, call & response, ululations, township dance energy, bright melodies, joyful harmonies, ancestral gratitude vibes.
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