What Will You Call Me ?

[Verse 1] Sandstone cliffs, ochre dust, my veins run dry, Voortrekker hymns hum under a cobalt sky. I am Karoo scrubland, Table Mountain’s shadow, Cape Malay curry, Bo-Kaap’s rainbow. What will you call me ? [Verse 2] Gold in my pockets, coal in my lungs, Soweto’s heartbeat, Mandela’s songs. I am Marikana’s cry, Sharpeville’s scars, Robben Island’s silence, Venus under the stars. What will you call me ? [Verse 3] Rooibos in my cup, biltong on my plate, Shaka’s spear, Jan van Riebeeck’s fate. I am Ndebele patterns, Xhosa clicks, Afrikaans lullabies, Zulu rhythms thick. What will you call me ? [Verse 4] Durban’s golden mile, Joburg’s concrete veins, Cape Flats’ struggle, Pretoria’s chains. I am the Foortrekker Monument’s pride, And the ashes of Hector Pieterson’s cry. What will you call me ? [Verse 5] Khoisan whispers in the desert wind, San paintings on the rocks, where time thins. I am the ghost of Sarah Baartman’s pain, And the hope of Desmond Tutu’s refrain. What will you call me ? [Verse 6] Passport stamps from London to Lagos, Dompas memories, apartheid’s echoes. I am kwela jazz, amapiano beats, Gqom’s rebellion, and gumboot feet. What will you call me ? [Outro] I am the dust of the Highveld plains, The salt of the Indian Ocean’s waves. Call me what you will, I am all and none, A tapestry woven, never undone. What will you call me ? (Call me South African) (Call me South African)......