SOMALIAN VOICE

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, K’naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia’s most famous singers. K’naan’s grandfather, Haji Mohamed, was a poet. His name, K’naan, means "traveller” in the Somali language.

K’naan’s father, Abdi, left the country, along with many other intellectuals to settle in New York City and work as a cab driver. He mailed money home to his family (as mentioned in "If Rap Gets Jealous”).

As the civil war continued and the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, K’naan’s mother, Marian Mohamed, petitioned the United States embassy for an exit visa.

In 1991, on the last day the US embassy remained open, as the government of Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed, their visa was approved, and they boarded the last commercial flight out of the country

A remixed version of K’naan’s single "Wavin’ Flag” was chosen as the offical song for the Africa leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy tour.

Bridge

She shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot me
She shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot me
She shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot me
She shot me, she shot me, bang, bang
(Get out the way, yo)

There she goes again, the girl is Ethiopian
In other words, she came through explodin’
In the podium, dynamite
Napoleon like sodium mixed with petroleum
Slowly but surely, she was walking toward me

Cut the convo short ‘cause she had to wake up early
But continuing the story
Don’t worry she gave me digits for her Blackberry
"You’re very handsome” is what she said
And the way she looked in my eyes said, "Put me to bed”

Oh my, oh my, I should have known
When she said to me on the phone
You do not know me very well but I would never hurt a fly
Then she aimed at my chest with love in her eye
I said, she aimed for my chest with love in her eye

Chorus

She was walkin’ around with a loaded shotgun
Ready to fire me a hot one, it went bang, bang, bang
Straight through my heart
Although I could have walked away
I stood my ground and let her spray

Scorpion, she’s so hot, she’s a scorchin’
Killing me softly, Lauryn or Kevorkian
Couldn’t tell if she’s coo-coo or corky, when
I asked her her name and she said, "Call me Ten”

Testing, testing, things just got more interesting
She’s dressed in a vest pin, double-breasted holster
A very western toaster, she ain’t nothing Kosher
She lets me closer, hotter than a pepper crusted samosa
While I try to keep my composure

Am I wrong? But what is love without the pain to go along?
And what is pain, if not the reason for me to sing this song?

And this song is for the weak and for the strong
‘Cause I was strong and still

Ends