Jozi, Maboneng, Jhoni
The private hospital where dreams are born
And the backroom clinic where reality aborts them
So lucid are these illusions advertised, it’s a breeze for vendors to extort them
They sold us dreams and we bought them
First the architects created their own stars with lights and in the night time she came alive
With vigor, vehemence, vivacity and vibe
I saw the sights of Jozi
Shebeen queens in their liquid castles serving blacks Black Label
It’s common for blacks to be labeled, “Alcoholics”
But my ignorance saw adventures on their tables
Knights with Strongbows were hunters of Russian bears
Or those who lacked a care
Mainly staying on long islands looking up at the sky
But alcohol really Daniels mean jack
When some of the drunkards were miners whose concerns were rendered minor
The intention was possessive and not progressive
Mari kanna how did we think they’d share the gold if they called it a mine
I guess Rands and cents are points in the game so the rich hope it stays the same while the poor beg for change
But ubaba Mbuli gave me hope
He said “Gagashi, kwasukasukela once upon a time there were people like Phiri, Rathebe and Masikela who sang songs of pain and passion like Stimela. Also there were black jacks who told blacks they weren’t jack while jacking from blacks.”
City of gold, you can’t gold dig us because the gold is not under us. It is within us.