We've been listening to Amassakoul, the latest release by the Tuareg group Tinariwen, and were impressed by the powerful song lyrics by the group's leader, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib. Although we have to present them in translation, we're certain you'll find them haunting and evocative of life in the Sahara.
Ténéré Daféd Nikchan
I'm in the desert with a wood fire
I'm keeping the night company
With its shooting stars
Life
In the ruins
These traces that cry memories
Deep in nostalgia
My head resting on a pillow of woes
Tonight I sleep in the ruins
I follow the traces of my past
It sometimes befalls me to live like this
My heart oppressed and tight
And I feel the thirst of my soul
Then I hear some music
Sounds, the wind
Some music which takes me far, far away
To the clear light of morning
Where, before my heart
The brilliance of the stars goes out
Copyright © Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, 2003. Translator unknown.
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Tinariwen is on tour now. Click here for dates and locations.
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