[Intro – very soft, intimate, almost whispered] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] Ee … Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Mmmh-mmh)] die nag is warm … die see haal asem … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] [Verse 1] Die son sak laag oor die water, warm lig dans op die see. [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] Uit die strate kom die stemme, iewers speel 'n melodie. Die geur van speserye hang in die aand, en sagte voetstappe gaan deur die sand. [Background Vocals: (Mmmh-mmh)] Die hele nag begin stadig saam te beweeg. [Pre-Chorus] En uit die verte kom die ritme nader … [Background Vocals: (Ahhh-ahhh)] een trom … nog een … [short pause] en dan … [Chorus] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh... Ee Mombasa...)] [Two deep warm drum hits] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] waar die warm wind van die oseaan kom … waar die nag nog vol musiek is. [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] Ee Mombasa … [short pause] ek hoor jou … in elke ritme van die nag. [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Mmmh-mmh...)] [Verse 2] Klein liggies brand langs die strate, die maan lê silwer op die see. [Background Vocals: (Mmmh-mmh)] Deure staan oop, stemme vloei saam, en iewers lag 'n kind nog laat. 'n Boot beweeg sag op die water, die nagwind dra die klanke ver. [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] En vir 'n oomblik voel dit of die hele kus dieselfde ritme ken. [Bridge – traditional coastal percussion begins to grow] Hoor die tromme … [Background Vocals: (Mmmh... Mmmh...)] oor die water … Hoor die stemme … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] deur die nag … Alles beweeg … alles leef … [deep drum pulse] tot die see self begin sing. [Background Vocals: (Ahhh-ahhh)] [Swahili Verse – intimate, first appearance of Moyo Wangu] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] Ninasikia sauti yako … [Background Vocals: (sauti yako... Ooooh...)] Bahari inaimba usiku … [Background Vocals: (inaimba... inaimba...)] Nakupenda sana, Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] [short pause – percussion softens] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (moyo wangu... moyo wangu...)] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh... moyo wangu...)] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] Nakupenda sana … [Background Vocals: (nakupenda... nakupenda...)] [Call and Response – traditional drums building] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (EE MOMBASA... Ee Mombasa...)] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (MOYO WANGU... moyo wangu...)] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (moyo wangu... Ooooh...)] [short pause] Ee Mombasa … [Two deep dark drum hits] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (MOOYO WANGU... Ee Mombasa...)] [Final Chorus – wide, warm, full traditional rhythm] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh... Ee Mombasa...)] [Two deep warm drum hits] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ee Mombasa... Ee Mombasa...)] waar die warm wind oor die water gaan … waar duisend klanke een ritme word. [Background Vocals: (Ooooh-oooh)] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (moyo wangu... moyo wangu...)] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh... Ee Mombasa...)] vanaand klop die hele kus … [short pause] soos een groot hart. [Background Vocals: (moyo wangu... Ee Mombasa... Ooooh...)] [Outro – very soft, almost whispered] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Mmmh-mmh)] Moyo wangu … [Background Vocals: (moyo wangu... moyo wangu...)] Ee Mombasa … [Background Vocals: (Ooooh... Ee Mombasa...)]96 BPM, traditional East African coastal rhythm with only voice, flute, drums and percussion. Smooth warm male baritone, soft, velvety and clean, no rasp or shouting. Instrumentation: natural hand-played skin drums, layered ngoma-style rhythms, dry wooden percussion, kayamba-style shakers, dark deep drums, very low sub-drum pulses and a simple breathy bamboo flute. No guitar, no piano, no strings, no bass guitar, no synths, no pads, no drum machine, no electronic percussion. Strong communal call-and-response background vocals with soft Mmmh and Ooooh. “Ee Mombasa” begins very soft and intimate. Swahili section sparse, then drums, percussion and sub drums gradually build. Final chorus wide and powerful through rhythm and voices only.
