I Owe No Apology [Song]

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I OWE NO APOLOGY
By the Mighty Sparrow

I am Nelson Mandela, freedom fighter, liberator of my people in South Africa.
Then so be it Mr Koppel, I owe no apology!

Interviewing Nelson Mandela on a TV show
Ted Koppel was the interviewer, I want you to know
He wanted Mandela to condemn Muammar Qaddafi,
Fidel Castro, Yasir Arrafat right there on TV
Mandela say these people help me when apartheid was on the rise
I turned to them out of necessity so I do not apologise, you hear
Though it grieves me to see the people suffering but...

Chains of bondage have been placed on my head to impede my progress
Thorns and thistles have been laid on my bed to curtail my rest
I've been tortured and suffered immensely
They isolate me, incarcerate me
Still in spite of their barbarous cruelty
I will never apologise for my identity.

No apology for my color, it is part of me
I'm wearing it bravely with honour, pride and dignity
How can I say sorry for a birthright made proud by my forefathers?
A skin that blends with the darkness of night yet distinguishes me from others?
There were times I know because of it tears of sorry had filled my eyes
But the Lord made me free in spirit and I do not apologise, you hear
He scratch he head and continue complaining that...

Chains of bondage have been placed on my head to impede my progress
And then he said, Thorns and thistles have been laid on my bed to curtail my rest
They subject me to gross inhumanity
Brutality, hostility
But no matter how rough their tactics be
I will never apologise for my identity.

I owe no apology. Personally, I have done no wrong
And what I have endured physically have made me more strong
How could I be ashamed of a mind that refuses to be twisted?
A heart as warm as the morning sunshine, a character so gifted?
With these trials and tribulations, I am fulfilling destiny
In my quest for emancipation, I owe no apology, you hear
Sit down there, feel is joke I making...

Chains of bondage have been placed on my head to impede my progress
And then he said, Thorns and thistles have been laid on my bed to curtail my rest.
I've had my share of pain and misery
It was ghastly, downright nasty
They try hard but they fail miserably
'Cause I'll never apologise for my identity.

No apology for my culture for its suits me fine
The folklore of all my ancestors makes me feel sublime
I am not repentant of a music that expresses how I feel
These sweet melodies come from deep in my soul, enriching all my ideals
He say, The rhythm does give me courage and the lyrics does make me wise
So in spite of all the advantage, I do not apologise, you hear
Though it grieves me to see the people suffering but...

Chains of bondage have been placed on my head to impede my progress
And then he said, Thorns and thistles have been laid on my bed to curtail my rest.
Their exercises were in futility
That's when they gave me psychotherapy
But they surrendered while I'm shouting, "Victory!"
'Cause I'll never apologise for my identity.

And that's the way it is. Have I paralysed you, Mister Koppel? Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha!

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
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A Note From The Gull

Thank you, Mighty Sparrow. Although this song is not about Trinidad and Tobago, there are lessons for Trinidad and Tobago in it. Transpose from the level of the individual man to the national level this pride in self and our unique identity and heritage and responsibility and right to self-determination, to creating the path that suits our people without causing harm to our neighbours and others in the wider international community. I've read that it was during this same interview that Nelson Mandela also said to Ted Koppel "You don’t tell me who my enemies are; you don’t tell me who my friends are." I wish for us as a nation the discernment to know the difference.

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare