May 20, 2012

Ai Du




"Trust and faith in your fellow man has no equal.
If you have experienced trust you will know its strength.

You must know yourself before you know others."


I lived through a mellow high, as if sipping wine. The piece starts pouring into a rhythm while it tries to catch up with the beats that tenderly start picking on the strings. I’m sitting with my eyes closed and almost imagining the guitar doing a waltz with the beats. Slowly forgetting what I was thinking and the guitar almost preparing me for some light blues. Just when the beats got me used to them, Toure pitches in with words far from understanding. The haunting appeal of his voice drags across the piece playing with my imagination.

The first sip rich in Malian flavours being nudged by the subtle blues and the beats keeping me high. The coarseness of the vocals adding the depth that I just don’t want to let go. Toure pulls me down and leaves me floating back in space. Just when I realize he’s playing with my longing for the flavour to return, he comes back to flirt with the melodies of Mali again. The wanton camaraderie of Malian rythm and the blues bringing a sudden melancholy while I feel an unbearable lightness. A mere seven minutes that could explain humanity beyond language. Just emotions. Pure music. 

4 comments:

  1. What a great song! What are the lyrics both english and whatever language he's singing? What language is he singing?

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    1. Rick, the language is Malian.The first few lines in italics is the translation of the song :)

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  2. I'm a huge fan of Ali Farka Toure.. Ve been listening to his songs for last decade.. for the first time i've come across the meaning of his song.. any which way.. soulful singing would always have meaningful lyrics.. its more of meditation.. Do you know Malian..??

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  3. Soulful singing.. ve been a huge fan of Ali Farka Toure.. listening to his songs for over a decade now.. more of meditation than music.. wish peace for his soul.. wonderful human being too..

    btw.. do you know Malian..?? (Might ask you for some more song meanings :-D )

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