From Whence We Come

Hear the names
From whence we come
Honour the tribes
That make us one

We hear your name –
Venda, Lobedu, Pedi
Ndebele, Kgatla, Ngwato
Tlokwa, Kwena, Hurutshe –
We speak your fame

We hear your name –
Ngwaketse, Thembu, Ndlambe
Ncqika, Gcaleka, Bomvana
Mpondo, Mpondomise, Zizi –
We speak your fame

We hear your name –
Behle, Qwabe, Mthetwa
Ndwandwe, Hlubi, Phuthing
Pulana, Thembe, Swazi –
We speak your fame

We hear your name –
Portugal, Holland, Britain
Malaysia, France, Germany
India, Italy, Middle-East –
We speak your fame

Hear the names
Of our mother tongue
Speak of the words
That make us one

We hear you speak –
Venda, North Sotho, Swazi
South Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana
Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu –
Your words we keep

We hear you speak –
Afrikaans, Arabic, English
German, Greek, Hebrew,
Hindi, Italian, Portuguese –
Your words we keep

These are the streams
From whence we come
These are the dreams
That make us one