Paul Simon Homeless Mp3 Download
Tristan Ridings
The song was the first recorded by Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Simon's album Graceland. The song launched the international career of the South African group and introduced Zulu isicathimiya music to new western audiences.[2] Shabalala provided the music, from the melody of a traditional Zulu wedding tune, and new Zulu words. Simon provided the English lyrics.[3] The text has been taken as protest music,[4] though Shabalala has said that the phrase "we are homeless" is similar to the words a Zulu person uses when proposing to his bride.[5][6]
On the surface, Homeless is a song that laments the strife that comes with a broken home, being homeless and sleeping rough on cliffs while looking onto a lake with the moon shining on it. Fundamentally, however, it is a song about the excesses of apartheid and the flourishing of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
I heard Homeless countless times. On the radio in the house where I lived, in taxis and just about anywhere outside on the streets of Northcrest, Mthatha, a small town in the eastern part of South Africa. I was a six-year-old, far away from my mother, separated from her by almost 1,000 kilometers, constantly longing for her and the feeling of home she simply was. I only saw her a handful of times a year because she worked in Johannesburg and each time I heard the song I too felt homeless.
could be about spiritually being lost. we're homeless in our world, just moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake (mere reflections of our true selves). People dying all the time, could be us next time. Saying hello, crying goodbye (birth and death).
Hard to say since I don't know what the Zulu parts say. Maybe it was just about an actual event Paul knew of, winds in africa making the villagers homeless. Maybe it's the political turmoil and wars and poverty africa suffers that is the wind killing and making people homeless.
Simon contrasts the desperate situation of the homeless person with the rest of society, who are busily going about their lives, building ships, boats, and monuments. However, he shows that they are all united in their sense of despair.
Paul Simon is trying to draw attention to the issue of homelessness and the plight of people who are living on the streets. He is also highlighting the universal desire for a home and a place to belong.
The repetition of "Emaweni webaba silale maweni" in the opening lines refers to a call for someone to sleep in the valley, possibly suggesting a desire for security and shelter. This repetition sets the somber tone of the song and emphasizes the theme of homelessness.
The repetition of "Homeless, homeless, moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake" throughout the song brings attention to the contrast between the serene image of moonlight on a lake and the harsh reality of homelessness. This phrase portrays the image of individuals left exposed and vulnerable without a home.
The verses in Zulu add depth to the song, expressing personal emotions and experiences related to homelessness. The lines "Zio yami, zio yami, nhliziyo yami" and "Nhliziyo yami amakhaza asengi bulele" convey a sense of longing and yearning for love, warmth, and stability. The repeated phrase "Somandla angibulele mama" can be interpreted as a plea for help and protection from a higher power.
The lyrics "Strong wind destroy our home, many dead, tonight it could be you" highlight the devastating impact that homelessness can have, emphasizing the urgency and precariousness of the situation. The song reminds the listener that the line between having a home and being homeless is fragile and that anyone could find themselves in a similar position.
The section where the lyrics switch to English, with phrases like "Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih, somebody sing hello, hello, hello, somebody cry why, why, why?" reflects the universal nature of homelessness and how it affects individuals on a fundamental level. It conveys the emotions of confusion, despair, and a yearning for answers.
The closing lines in Zulu, "Kuluman, Kulumani, Kulumani sizwe, singenze njani, baya jabula abasi thanda yo," can be interpreted as a call for unity and collective action to address the issues of homelessness and displacement. It suggests that by coming together as a nation, joy and happiness can be achieved for those who are unloved and marginalized.
Overall, "Homeless" addresses the universal human experience of homelessness, emphasizing the vulnerability, longing for stability, and the urgent need for society to come together to address and alleviate this pressing issue.
It was an incredible show for a great cause and I consider myself lucky to have been there. I arrived expecting a great show and I was very familiar with the large bus sized motorhomes that were on the streets of NYC already helping homeless children. I think this show was to buy the third or fourth one. It was a great sunday night and surprise after surprise showed up onstage. The garden was bussing that night.
Paul Simon Hosts All-Star Benefit Show
Springsteen, Joel and Taylor at concert aiding New Yorks Homeless Children
Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel were among the surprise artists who joined Lou Reed, James Taylor and others for Paul Simons December 13th benefit concert at New York Citys Madison Square Garden. The show raised $475,000 for the New York Childrens Health Project, which will use the money to purchase a medical van to serve the citys homeless children.
The four-hour show was anchored by Simon, who played several brief sets throughout the program. Others on the bill included the South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul Shaffer and the Worlds Most Dangerous Band, Laurie Anderson, Rubin Blades, Dion, Grandmaster Flash, Chaka Khan, Nik Rodgers, Debbie Harry and Grace Jones. Also making unannounced appearances were Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Cosby and the baseball stars Ron Darling and Don Mattingly, who introduced Springsteen.
Musically, the biggest surprise of the evening came during Dions set, when the doo-wop singer was joined by Simon, Springsteen, Joel, Reed, Taylor and Blades for a campy rendition of the Belmonts Teenager in Love.
The concert was the latest and largest of several gestures Simon has made on behalf of the Childrens Heath Project. Last November, Simon personally donated $80,000, as well as the same amount from the proceeds of his Graceland tour, to the project. That money, plus contributions from the real-estate firm SW Bird and Company, the city of New York and others, got the project off the ground
Its not about being pretentious enough to think that we can solve the homeless problem in this country, said Simon of his efforts. All were trying to do is to look at one particular aspect of this horror and provide medical care to homeless children.
The fully equipped mobile medical unit with a staff of five, visits twelve New York-area shelters, aiding an estimated 3000 of the citys 12,000 homeless children. The money raised from the Garden benefit, which was matched by Warner Communications will purchase a second van, plus a couple of minibuses to transport children in need to hospitals. The former medical director of USA for Africa, Irwin Redkner, is overseeing the project in association with New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.
Throughout the Sunday-night concert, artists spoke about the plight of the homeless. I think everybodys earliest memory is about their home, Springsteen said as he began his set. He told a story about the early days of touring with his band, when he would call home and his mother would assure him that he could always come home. Its sad to think that theres a generation of children whose memories of their home is gonna be a welfare hotel.
Introducing the song he was about to play, Springsteen said soberly, I wrote this song about fifteen years ago; its about a guy and girl who thought they wanted to run. I guess at the time I thought that was me, and maybe it was. But I woke up one morning and realized that I wanted to have a home. And that nobody wants or deserves to be homeless. With that, he eased into an acoustic version of Born to Run.
But the evening was by no means a somber affair. After Born to Run, Springsteen traded his acoustic guitar for an electric one. Rhymin Simon is going to be rockin Simon, he said jokingly, inviting Simon and Joel to join him in a rousing version of Glory Days which saw the three slinking across the stage in unison.
Though Springsteen was obviously a tough act to follow, Latin singer Blades pulled it off with a beautiful set of salsa songs. Debbie Harry and Grace Jones introduced Reed and then reemerged as two of the four backup singers for Walk on the Wild Side. Shaffer led his band through a cover of Roy Heads Treat Her Right strutting and sidestepping across the stage.
Rodgers did a medley of his late Seventies hits We Are Family, Le Freak and Good Times, turning the Garden into an arena-size Studio 54. Taylor, who received some of the evenings loudest applause, closed his set with a stunning a cappella version of That Lonesome Road. Grandmaster Flash rapped through The Message and Chaka Khan did her hit I Feel for You. Joel hadnt planned to perform a solo set but got caught in the split of the show and sat down at the piano to sing New York Sate of Mind.
Shortly after midnight, Simon was rejoined by Ladysmith Black Mambazo to sing Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. Then the evenings entire cast of characters was brought out to jam through Rock and Roll Music.
Asked if the show had been filmed, Simon said he wanted the performers to be as relaxed as possible and not have to worry about any issues beyond the shows charitable aims. This was for New York, he said.