Wommat Mbaam!
July 26, 2012 8:17 AM
Help me find lyrics and music to the terrific Youssou N'Dour song Gorgui, in the original Wolof.
Gorgui (also called "Old Man") is off the album Wommat. It's always been one of my favorite songs* and I'm trying to learn to play it myself. I can't seem to locate the lyrics to fill in some words I can't understand, and I have no idea what the chords are. I've failed in all my search attempts.
If it helps, the first couple lines are:
Gor gi nee ne: aduna, kenn xamul ko - papa, explique nu. Go gi nee ne, aduna, kenn xamul ko: gor gi, waxtaaneku.
As a consolation prize, I'd be excited to see chords for ANY Youssou N'Dour song, with the exception of Seven Seconds.
*This song tells a wonderful story, but it's probably unhelpful in finding the lyrics, so you can ignore this part unless it interests you. A man is traveling between villages with his son and a donkey. His kid gets on the donkey, and when they pass the first village, the people condemn the child for allowing his father to walk in the hot sun. So they switch places, and in the second village the people express disgust that the man allows his child to walk. They both get off the donkey, and in the next village the people call them idiots for both walking. They both get on the donkey, and in the next village the people call them cruel. The song comments on how people talk no matter what you do, and concludes by exhorting us to "wommat," which means to take the reins and lead an animal (and by implication, lead our own lives).
Gorgui (also called "Old Man") is off the album Wommat. It's always been one of my favorite songs* and I'm trying to learn to play it myself. I can't seem to locate the lyrics to fill in some words I can't understand, and I have no idea what the chords are. I've failed in all my search attempts.
If it helps, the first couple lines are:
Gor gi nee ne: aduna, kenn xamul ko - papa, explique nu. Go gi nee ne, aduna, kenn xamul ko: gor gi, waxtaaneku.
As a consolation prize, I'd be excited to see chords for ANY Youssou N'Dour song, with the exception of Seven Seconds.
*This song tells a wonderful story, but it's probably unhelpful in finding the lyrics, so you can ignore this part unless it interests you. A man is traveling between villages with his son and a donkey. His kid gets on the donkey, and when they pass the first village, the people condemn the child for allowing his father to walk in the hot sun. So they switch places, and in the second village the people express disgust that the man allows his child to walk. They both get off the donkey, and in the next village the people call them idiots for both walking. They both get on the donkey, and in the next village the people call them cruel. The song comments on how people talk no matter what you do, and concludes by exhorting us to "wommat," which means to take the reins and lead an animal (and by implication, lead our own lives).
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posted by itstheclamsname at 3:54 PM on July 27, 2012