Comments on: Weeping, by Josh Groban (errr, actually Bright Blue)

By: Brian Bedingfield

Brian Bedingfield — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:44:22 +0000

Thanks Graeme – it is the Bright Blue version I’m referring to.

By: Graeme Codrington

Graeme Codrington — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:31:45 +0000

Are you referring to Josh Groban’s version? I don’t have it with me at the moment.

In the Bright Blue version, there is a repeated phrase, which sounds like, “U say ayo”. It definitely isn’t “siya”, which means “we are”. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with the meaning. It may just be a rhythmical interlude, similar to “ooohh” or “aaahhh”. This is fairly common in African singing.

But now we’ve asked the question, maybe someone else will have a better answer.

By: Brian Bedingfield

Brian Bedingfield — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:50:09 +0000

Hi Graeme

I stumbled on your blog because I was wanting to find the words for the repeated refrain just before the final chorus – it sounds like it starts off with a Zulu prefix “siya …”. Any ideas?

Many thanks

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:14:57 +0000

I loved Weeping the moment I heard it. It brings out fear, inevitability, hopelessness, and finally reprieve from fear. After few searching, I read your post and really started to understand why this song carried so many different emotions.

Your wonderful post really painted pains on both sides of the evil Apartheid very well. As a Korean American (South Korea) who immigrated to U.S., I felt that this song can just as readily be the protest anthem for North Koreans. To someone like me, U.S. is now my country (and proud to an American), but I will always hold Korea near my heart. It is very painful for me to hear North Korea being painted as Axis of Evil. To a certain degree, you feel very conscious of your Korean heritage. There is no doubt that North Korean regime is evil. According to testimonies by my church members who went there for short-term medical missions, they all felt this ominous oppressive darkness that weighs them down sapping all energy and joy right out of them. They were constantly monitored and fed propagandas to a point where they felt so… violated. Even then, my church members testified that the weight being lifted slowly as they worked with North Korean doctors with genuine interest in advancing medical knowledge (North Korean doctors use 60s and 70s medical equipments still) so in small ways to give hopes to their people.

The music can be very powerful. I hope Weeping or something similar can really take hold in North Korea as it did in South Africa. Even to South Koreans, who seemed so mixed about the reunification that may jeopardize their newfound wealth.

Thank you for being so informative and your heartfelt sharing.

By: Pearl Assan

Pearl Assan — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:40:26 +0000

I love Josh Groban, and the first time i heard this song, it captured my soul, without knowing the details of its roots. I was listening to it today and decided to find out more about it. I guess what we don’t ralize that the common denominator between the opressors and the oppressed is fear. As a black woman living in the USA, it is unfortunate that my race preceeds me every where I go I’ve been called racial terms, . I’ve seen both sides of the stories. As nice as the Groban version suonds, it gives meaning to some of the paternalistic and racial issues that we face as Americans each day. From Hurricane Katrina to Jena 6, Anything can be wrapped up in a gift box with a pretty bow on top, but unless we look inside of it you’ll never know what it contains. So, I completly understant the sense of ownership South Africans have to the song, but that’s the point of Music, it trensends all cultures and breaks all barrires. We each listen to it and bring our own meanings to it. For the girl who is being molested by her father, for the woman Who is being beatten by her husband, for the people in Darfur, China and many other parts of the world. Our stories are different, but our plight….the same. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen. Change will come, nothing lasts forever.

Thank you for this blog!!!

By: Victoria Koning

Victoria Koning — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:32:06 +0000

With great delight I came across this post. I was born in South Africa in 1969 and can understand exactly what you mean. My only claim to “helping the cause” was also to vote YES in the referendum you mentioned. I knew that in spite of our fear and all those what-ifs, apartheid had to end, and that was the only way I knew how to contribute.

This song has always stirred my soul and reading this explanation, through teary eyes, has helped me understand why. Thanks for sharing this message.

By: Eleanor

Eleanor — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:39:22 +0000

A side-note to the “Weeping” story: We live in Cape Town, South Africa and at my eldest son’s end-of-year prize giving a few weeks ago, the choir sang “Weeping”. My children are both well familiar with “Weeping” as Bright Blue’s CD is one of my current set in the car CD. My eight-year old son was in the audience with us and commented after hearing it that “I have never really listened to the words before, but I get it … it’s all about the crime and violence that we are living with now, isn’t it?”

By: Graeme Codrington

Graeme Codrington — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:44:54 +0000

You can get Bright Blue’s best of album at Kalahari.net (South Africa’s Amazon.com) – they do ship internationally. The link is: http://www.kalahari.net/e-trader/referral.asp?linkid=5&partnerid=588&sku=16760578

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:50:27 +0000

Thanks Graeme, I will certainly do that. But from where? Amazon don’t have it! Where should I look? You know, I too listened to the Josh Groban cover, and he is very lucky to have had such a moving song to cover, but you know, the passion just aint there, I mean, how can it be? To a greater degree one has to have experienced those feelings to be able to sing it with conviction and passion. What a song, man, I reckon I will never hear a song of that calibre again in a long time….

By: A moment of zen at ?ic @TomorrowToday.biz

A moment of zen at ?ic @TomorrowToday.biz — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:10:48 +0000

[...] is an uplifting read, and well worth your time. Read the post here, or go directly to the comment in [...]

By: Pam East

Pam East — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:37:11 +0000

J. Harris,

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences growing up and your hopes and dreams for a better future. I found your message very uplifting.

I’m raising a daughter who is now 13 years old. Like your son, she does not see race or religion as a barrier to friendship. Her friends come from all walks of life. I know things are not perfect. Prejudice has not been eradicated. But I do see hope for the future in our children.

By: TomorrowToday Team

TomorrowToday Team — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:24:16 +0000

Adrienne,

I haven’t been able to find a full MP3 online. The best is to buy a Bright Blue CD album – I put a link to it on that blog entry. It doesn’t cost much, and is good pay back for the band.

Graeme

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:24:47 +0000

Wondering where I can get a full MP3 of Weeping? The original version? Man, I cannot live without this song, I still have the record somewhere but no record player!!!

By: J Harris

J Harris — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:00:18 +0000

I am so happy to have an explanation and the history of Weeping. I was born in the U.S.A in the 1950s. I was a blue eyed blonde who lived in the deep south. As a very young girl, I lived in a very white world. I was shielded & protected from the problems of the world. I knew 2 black people & loved them both & in my heart, I know that they loved me too. Maybe that is true because it is hard to look into the eyes & heart of any child & blame them for the evil of the world. Our washing machine broke when I was 5 or 6 and I went with my Mom to a washateria. As she was loading the clothes into machines, I saw a sign that said Whites Only. I showed it to my Mom because I thought that it meant that you could only wash white clothes in the machines & that we would get in trouble if she washed my family’s clothes that were dyed different colors. She told me to be quiet & she would explain when we got home. In the washateria and at home, she was embarrassed when she tried to answer my questions. Se was embarrassed because she knew it was wrong. It wasn’t long before I watched the Civil Rights Movement unfold on TV. With the innocence of a child, I could understand what was happening, but not why. My parents could not explain it to me, but Walter Cronkite could. I watched Martin Luther King give the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech & the March on Washington. I saw the dogs & fire hoses turned on children. I saw marchers beaten with clubs. I saw the church bombed and heard of the little girls who died in that church. I heard the marchers sing ‘We Shall Overcome’. I saw George Wallace stand at the door of a school & try block the entrance of black students who bravely walked through mobs to get to those doors. My family moved to a small town & my first day of school in that town was the first day of integration. My parents sent me to school on the bus, but gave me instructions of what I should do & where I should go if trouble broke out. That day and in the years that passed until my high school graduation, were peaceful. I am sure that I did not understand what the black children felt or suffered during those years. I never witnessed name calling or fights, but now know that those things must have happened.

As an adult, I look back and know that Segregation was the product of slavery & the predudice handed down from generation to generation.
Americans have their own shameful past.

It has been a long & hard road & we still have a long way to go. I do believe that with each generation, we progress. When I married in 1993, a 7 year old boy came to live with me, as my son. He had light brown hair & green eyes. His 3rd grade classroom could have been the child’s version of the United Nations. He didn’t see race. He didn’t see religion. He didn’t see color. He saw kids to play with. He saw potential friends in a new school and a new city.

It is my hope that all around the U.S., parents experienced the same thing that we have. At 7 and at 21, my son has good friends of many races, religions, and cultures who have played, partied, and worked together. From elementary school to high school there was always at least one set of parents who stuck around our home or at a party to insure that their children were in a safe enviroment. I could appreciate their concern and welcomed them to stay. I am happy to say that the worst incidents we had were kids fighting over whose turn it was to play with a toy or go off the diving board at the city pool. Regular kid stuff. At 21, his passions are music and computer software engineering. He has friends that he’s had since the 3rd grade & new friends who share his passions.

I can’t wait to see what happens when he has children. Perhaps we will be closer to The Dream and further from The Weeping. You know the lyrics to Weeping. Read the words at this link:

http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

I end with part of a poem by James Russell Lowell tht I learned as a teenager:

“Men! Whose boast it is that ye
Come from fathers brave and free,
If there live on earth a slave,
Are you truly free or brave?”

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:16:04 +0000

Wow, I’m glad I came across this page! Like Pinzart above, I am not South African (I’m Canadian). As I was first listening to Josh’s album this is the one song that stood out to me as being important but also not making sense as I was not really sure what it was talking about. I can understand that his producers may have made it more ‘pretty’ than how it was intended when written, I did not see it as an American song either.
I have several friends from South Africa (I lived with 2 of them while in London) and was amazed at their stories of growing up in SA. My one flatmate talked about the ’servents’ he grew up having and he said how it was very common there. I don’t think apartheid is a situtaion I, or anyone who wasn’t there, will ever truely be able to appreciate how horrific it was…but I’m learning more and admire those who were brave enough to stand up against it! For that, I’m grateful to Josh G. for putting this song on the album as it is making more people aware of what exactly happened!

By: bev

bev — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:37:16 +0000

Hi guys,

Where is Bright blue? are they still a band, i was a huge fan, and was somewhat happy when i heard that Josh was doing their song, but felt a little sad, that it takes him to have to make the song an international hit. I would rather the bright blue version, but be that as it may, the best song EVER!!!

bev

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:39:06 +0000

I’m an American, and like those in the comments above me who aren’t from South Africa, I didn’t know the meaning to the song. So I did a google search. The meaning made me like it even more… but After I listened to the version by Bright Blue I noticed you are right, Josh Groban’s version does have a “nice” sound to it and doesn’t seem to be a protest song at all.

I like Bright Blue’s version more, made me tear a little, and just to sound even more cliche… it gave me chills.

Nice blog.

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:19:09 +0000

THANKS SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING MORE ABOUT THE LYRICS OF “WEEPING”. I RECEIVED THE ALBUM AS A GIFT FROM MY SON FOR XMAS LAST YEAR. “LULLABY” AND “WEEPING” BOTH BRING CHILLS TO MY ARMS. I HAVE TRIED HARDER TO UNDERSTAND THE WORRY, FEAR, ANGER, AND THE HIDING THAT SONG CONTAINS. WHAT YOU HAVE SHARED MAKES IT ALL CLEARER. AS YOU STATED, I WISH THERE HAD BEEN A SMALL BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE SONG. I DON’T THINK THAT WOULD ENDANGER JOSH’S FAME AT ALL. HE HAS A POWERFUL VOICE, AND I FEEL THIS IS A BLESSING HE HAS. JOSH WILL CONTINUE TO SHARE, AND I HOPE YOU WILL AS WELL.

-ROSE

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:57:51 +0000

Hey,
Thank you so much for giving this history lesson. I can not tell you how many times I have listened to Josh Groban’s version of Weeping and tried desperatly to figure out its meaning…I brought myself to the conclusion that it was an old folklore from Africa made into a song. Then I googled it…ah google. I am in Canada, so I can not personally relate to the song. However, I have friends from South Africa both black and white. I must say, I get two different sides of the story most of the time, but never a clear explaination like yours. Not just that, but I had no idea it was tied to the songs meaning. I agree with you, Josh’s version does NOT come off as a protest song but more like a nice, light story. Just as well, the original meaning to the lyrics do not personally affect him…so it would be weird to hear him protest. Unless of course the speculation of it being about modern America reigns true.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you and also let you know that in the first few lines you titled Josh’s song “You lift me up” however it is actually called “You Raise me Up” and, for the record, it is also a cover song previously done by Secret Garden. Also, he sang “You’re Still You ” and “To Where you Are” on Ally McBeal, two seperate occasions :p They are from his self titled debut album. I guess this is my way of sharing knowledge in return hehe

-Kathleen

By: Graeme Codrington

Graeme Codrington — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:53:58 +0000

Pam,

Thanks for that. And apologies for being a bit sensitive about one of “our” songs…

Its good to know that people are taking the time to find out the background. It really does make a difference to this song!

Graeme

By: pinzart

pinzart — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:16:58 +0000

Thank you, Graeme for the detailed analysis of Weeping. I recently purchased Josh Groban’s album, and Weeping was the track I kept coming back to. I’m an american, and I did not know the history of the song. I bought the album on iTunes so had no liner notes to refer to in any case, but I want to assure you that even with Josh’s “nice” version, the song was instantly recognizable as a heartbreakingly poignant protest song. I thought that was very clear. My only problem was not knowing what was being protested and trying to analyze it without the back story. Hence my trip to the internet and finding your terrific blog. I loved the song before, but now, knowing the background, I appreciate it even more.

I will look for the Bright Blue version. Thank you for the links.

Pam

By: magget

magget — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:38:03 +0000

Also covered in the late 90’s by my cousin’s group, Qcumber Zoo, went internatinal. Another South African success story & moment of glory.

Caroline

By: Graeme Codrington

Graeme Codrington — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:02:23 +0000

I have just uploaded an extract of the original version from Bright Blue. Get their album at: http://www.kalahari.net/e-trader/referral.asp?linkid=5&partnerid=588&sku=30248925&format=detail or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I5X81K/theedge0f-20.

The MP3 clip is about 750Kb, and available at: http://www.tmtd.biz/images/weeping_cut.mp3

And, by the way, in this extract, you will hear the strains of Nkosi Sikele Africa just before the sax solo starts.

By: sweetsue

sweetsue — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:06:40 +0000

WOW!

I am an 18 year old South African Indian girl, and was so most impressed with this blog. It’s not often that people hear about the fear that white people faced. It’s also refreshing to hear from a white person who doesn’t claim to have been a key member in the struggle to end apartheid, I appreciate the honesty.

You Rock!

Sue

By: Celeste

Celeste — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:05:07 +0000

Thanks for writing that, Graeme. I feel much the same as you about the song, being a White South African female. My association with goes back to July 1988 when I was working as a casual in Edgars in Benoni one Saturday morning. I was bored out of my tree and kept looking at my watch to see how long I still had to endure the torture of the jewellery and cosmetics counter. It was exactly 12:00 and “Weeping” was playing over the store PA system. Suddenly there was huge booming noise that I can still hear in my mind. The Wimpy across the road had been bombed by the ANC because it was a regular meeting place for Benoni police officers and their counterparts who were torturing political prisoners.

For me it’s always been significant that “Weeping” was playing in that moment. It was like the perfect soundtrack. And it was also a kind of political awakening for me.

I agree with you that Josh Groban’s version is “nice”, but in my mind, unless you have experienced an element of the emotion that goes along with that song, you have no place singing it.