Sawa Sawa Sawale

How many of you have heard this song? Sawa Sawa Sawale the Amharic version.

How many of you have jumped off your seats to the beat of this song? This song is rocking clubs in Addis and all over east Africa, and central Africa. It has a very interesting beat, with a beautiful melody and rhythm. I asked a couple of friends about the meaning and could not find an answer so I did my own little research. And what I found was interesting.

Lets take a look at the Ethiopian version first.

Here is the link for the Ethiopian version of the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rLa03jU2-Y

The video is great with beautiful Ethiopian ladies, nice editing and a Hawaii feel to it with the boats and sunny weather. The music is arranged well and the voices of singers inch-perfect. Now lets see parts of the lyrics,

"ዋው በጣም የምአማምሩ ቺኮች ናቸው ያሉት ...

አላት አላት ቁንጅና ፣ ቁመናዋን አይና 

አኔም ፈልግያትያለሁ...

ችግሩ ቤት ነው ችግሩ ቤት ነው"

So starting with this it goes on how he goes to his papa and mama to allow him get out of his house and go to the club. Okay, when you listen to this song, it feels like he singing about all the beautiful ladies and how he wants to spend time with one of them. Fair enough, who doesnt right?

We have this background, lets take a look at the original song, sawa sawale by Rex Lawson, a very famous Nigerian singer songwriter who lived from 1930-1971. He wrote and performed this song some 50 years ago. ( Original here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOXi3bJ7ug) 

The song is written in Igba and Yorba languages of Nigeria. Some of the words in the song :

Sawale is a yoruba word for "Run Back home", sawa sawa sawale translates to "Run Run Run back home". A Koforun which should have been Olorun, loosely translates to "Funky Smelly Person" which is more appropriate when derogating an AISHEWO which means a "Prostitute". And Waka is street. 

He also mentions that he will tell her papa, and her mama about what she is doing. In summary the meaning of the song is admonishing a wayward prostituting girl who had run away from her parents to go back home or run back home.

I wonder how many of the ladies shaking their bodies to the beats of this song have a clue about what the song is about. I just wish our musicians stop copying others and confusing even more people. What happened to creativity and originality of the past that has inspired lots of generations?