Shosholoza
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Shosholoza is a traditional Southern African folk song. The song was traditionally sung by all-male work gangs in a call and response style.
The song has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, PJ Powers, The Glue and Peter Gabriel, as well as being a standard of most gumboots bands. The song gained further popularity after South Africa won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, and is a favourite at sport events in South Africa. The song has also given its name to the first African Challenger for The Americas Cup who was running with the lowest budget ever.
The Zulu word Shosholoza means go forward or make way for the next man, and is also reminiscent of the sound made by the steam train (stimela) described in the song. In the new South Africa, "Shosholoza Meyl" is the name given to the long-run Johannesburg to Kaapstad run.
The lyrics of the song differ from recording to recording, as do the transcriptions. Here is one example:
- Shosholoza
- Ku lezontaba
- Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa
- Wen' uyabaleka
- Wen' uyabaleka
- Ku lezontaba
- Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa
A rough translation:
- Move fast
- on those mountains
- train from South Africa.
- You are running away
- on those mountains
- train from South Africa.
The original version has the country name Rhodesia instead of South Africa, since this song was sung by migrant labourers from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) travelling on the train down to the mines in the Transvaal.
