Home

Buy Stuff

iTom

Free Stuff

Lyrics

Comedy

Fan Stuff

Press Kit

Contact Me

Mand(e)la

Words and Music: © 1994 by Tom Smith

There's still a lot of mess to clean up, internally and in the region, but DAMN if South Africa ain't a wonderful thing. The people fought, the people won, and the country is beginning to genuinely turn around. The presidential inauguration of Nelson Mandela was a prideful time for the whole world, and I was listening to it at work on The University of Michigan's public radio station, WUOM-FM. For reasons I've forgotten -- technical difficulties or somesuch -- they broadcast the ceremony and celebration tape-delayed by some hours. It happened to air simultaneous with the Eastern United States' prime viewing for a near-total solar eclipse. So here I am, with a great man's glorious shared triumph on my headphones, and a ring of fire in the sky, and I remembered that one type of magic circle is called a mandala. After that, the song wrote itself.

I saw a circle turning, shining in the sun.
The moon had got in front of it, and light and dark were one.
I had not seen it earlier, the time, it had not come,
But now I see that circle, surrounding everyone.
And the beauty of that circle was something to behold,
As if God made a wedding band of newly minted gold.

(chorus)
Life to the circle (Life to the circle),
Love to the circle (Love to the circle),
Shine, South Africa, shine.
Life to the circle (Life to the circle),
Love to the circle (Love to the circle),
Shine, South Africa, shine.
And the people say,
Viva! (Viva!)
Viva! (Viva!)
Shine, South Africa, shine.

I saw a diamond gleaming, shining in the sun,
With thirty million faces, a smile on everyone.
I hadn't seen it earlier, for blood had dried on dark,
But now the blood has flaked away, and now I see the spark.
And the beauty of that diamond was something fine and warm,
The colors of the rainbow, together past the storm.

(chorus)
Life to the diamond....

I heard a people singing, shining in the sun,
Thirty million voices that sounded all as one.
I hadn't heard them earlier, the guns were all too loud,
But now the guns are broken, and everyone is proud.
And the beauty of those people is calling out to me.
Now hear the joy inside them, for all of them are free.

(chorus)
Life to the people....

I saw an old man smiling, shining in the sun.
The circle shone above him, the two of them were one.
I hadn't seen it coming, I wish I had his eyes,
For they can see tomorrow with every new sunrise.

(chorus)
Life to the people....

Home · Buy Stuff · Free Stuff · Lyrics · Comedy · Fan Stuff · Kewl Linkz · Press Kit · Contact Me

All original content © Tom Smith. All rights reserved · Privacy Policy · Other Legal Stuff