Knights of the Pain Table

K‘naan Wavin’ Flag

“But out of the darkness,I came the farthest
Among the hardest, survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Except no defeat, surrender retreat”

Out of the darkness, the song of a troubadour plays.     As K’naan doth sing,   the herte hears the words, that are like an anthem of resilience and hope,   which resonate through the bars of the prison of pain.

“When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom,  just like a Wavin’ Flag”

Methinks the meaning of this song,   “Wavin’ Flag”,    is about the universal struggle.     K’naan,   a gifted lyricist,  is singing about all he went through in his own life,   but he becomes one of many,   who throughout history,  have had to learn to fight to survive.    With a Bob Marley chill factor going on,    K’naan  uses the lyrics  and soothing melody,     to speak to our hertes in the language only the herte understands.

No matter what type of battle we each face, we can get stronger.    True freedom is not about breaking metal bars.    True freedom is about traveling to places deep within,   that you never knew existed.

You can look back in history, and there you will find even more inspiration, from those before us.

“Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers”.

K’naan is referencing the Buffalo Soldiers,  who were originally members of the U.S.  10th  Calvary Regiment of the United States Army.     They were established as the first peacetime all-black regiments.      According to Wikpedia,   “Buffalo Soldiers” were an example of exceeding black men who performed with courage,   honour,   valour,   and distinction in a field that was dominated by whites, and they persevered despite endemic racism and prejudice.      These soldiers knew how to fight their battles, without loosing their humanity.

The Struggle of K’naan

K’naan was born in Somalia and grew up during the Somali Civil War.  His name, K’naan, means “traveller” in the Somali language.  As the situation deteriorated in his country, his family managed to get out on the last day the US embassy remained open in 1991.

From New York, they settled in Toronto, ON, Canada, where K’naan discovered his love for rapping and began to pursue a career in music.    In 1999, K’naan performed a spoken word piece before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.  Well received, this led to further work at other UN events.

Wavin’ Flag is the seventh single from his debut album, “Troubadour” ( Methinks he doth visit the Middle Ages too!).     A remixed version of Wavin’ Flag is going to be the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

We thank K’naan for creating an anthem that has touched our hertes.    We appreciate that he is finding valour in his art and sharing it with young squires and maidens throughout the world.    The greatest strength is in the herte.      As King Arthur and the Knights of the Pain Table  prepare for battle we shall sing this song, and we will get stronger.

Lady Sharon
Knight of the Pain Table
Camelot

K’naan’s Official Website

Wavin’ Flag Lyrics

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But violent prone, poor people zone
But it’s my home, all I have known
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
But out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest, survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Except no defeat, surrender retreat

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We  wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day
It’s not far away, so for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers

But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering, when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day
It’s not far away, but for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back and then it goes

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back and then it goes

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And we all will be singing it
(Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back, And then it goes

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Wavin’ Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Wavin’ Flag
Just like a Wavin’ Flag, just like a Wavin’ Flag
Flag, flag,  just like a Wavin’ Flag.

The End

Tags: Buffalo Soldiers, K'naan, Troubadour, United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, Wavin' Flag, When I get older i will be stronger

This entry was posted by Lady Sharon on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 3:24 am and is filed under Inspiration for Our Hertes, Songs We Loveth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.