[Intro — 8 bars, instrumental] [Verse 1 — half-shouted, storytelling] A hundred years ago two strangers came down One in a velvet jacket from a fancy French town One with his sleeves rolled up and dust on his boots Came looking for a fight, came looking for roots No ropes, no ref, no bell in the trees Just the heat and the dark and the hum of the bees Eight rounds in the jungle and nobody won Neither one walked out — something new did, son [Pre-Chorus — piano pounding, gang vocals on the last line] Half of him elegance, half of him fight All of him ours — all of him ours! [Chorus — stadium shout, gang vocals] Born in the RSA Nobody asked it to stay They said it couldn’t be done So it did it anyway Born in the RSA [Verse 2 — the world’s verdict] They wrote it off in London, they laughed at it in France Said it wasn’t a real grape, said it never stood a chance Push it around in the cellar and it’ll push you right back Treat it with respect and it’ll give you everything it has It’s got the bruise of the jungle and the dust of the road It’s got a chip on its shoulder and a hell of a load It doesn’t need your permission and it doesn’t need your praise It’s been standing in the corner for a hundred years, waiting on its day [Pre-Chorus] Half of him elegance, half of him fight All of him ours — all of him ours! [Chorus] Born in the RSA Nobody asked it to stay They said it couldn’t be done So it did it anyway Born in the RSA [Bridge — band drops to organ and heartbeat kick, spoken low] Impossible is just the word they use for the thing that hasn’t happened yet. This one happened. A hundred years ago. Here. [Sax Solo — tenor sax, 16 bars] [Final Chorus — twice, everything, gang vocals] Born in the RSA Nobody asked it to stay They said it couldn’t be done So it did it anyway Born in the RSA Born in the RSA Nobody asked it to stay They said it couldn’t be done So it did it anyway Born in the RSA [Outro — fading gang vocals] Born in the RSA Born in the RSA Born in the RSA…
