SHOSHOLOZA THE DRAKENSBURG BOYS CHOIR

I do not think there are many things that are as powerful and as moving as massed voices.  I came across these young men when searching for music from The Mississippi Mass Choir.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.  The first part is showing the parts of the song, the second is the entire Choir singing, the change in energy and power that is felt is overwhelming! You cannot help but smile.  I hope you feel recharged and energized as I did. Heather, consider this an early Happy Birthday from the Homeland.  Enjoy.

(Following entry from the Wikipeida Encyclopedia)

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 Helmut Lotti, Ladysmith Black Mombazo, PJ Powers, The Glue, Soweto Gospel Choir, and Peter Gabriel,  as well as being a standard of most gumboot bands. The song gained further popularity after South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and is a favourite at sport events in South Africa.

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. The song has also given its name to Team Shosholoza, the first African challenger for the America's Cup, and to Shosholoza Meyl, the long-distance passenger train service operating in South Africa.

The lyrics of the song vary, 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.