Lloyd plays video games fairly often, and years ago he was playing Civ IV, a game where you build your civilization by blah blah blah blah I don’t know. The theme song for it was so dang catchy, though, I didn’t mind it when it played.
Earlier this week he played another version of it for me and I forgot how much I liked it. I played it for the children at school and we’ve been talking about the choir, the instruments and the different language.
Christopher Tin wrote the song for the video game. (He’s the conductor in the video.) It’s the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili! I can’t decide if it being so popular is wonderfully sneakily getting the Lord’s Prayer into people’s minds or if it’s kind of taking the Lord’s name in vain since it’s part of a game. Glass half-full: I’m going with the first one.
Here are the lyrics:
Baba yetu, yetu uliye (Our, our Father who are)
Mbinguni yetu, yetu, amina (In heaven, our, our, amen)
Baba yetu, yetu, uliye (Our, our Father, who are)
Jina lako litukuzwe (Let’s glorify your name)
(Repeat)
Utupe leo chakula chetu (Give us today our food)
Tunachohitaji utusamehe (We need you to forgive us)
Makosa yetu, hey (Our errors, hey)
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe (As we do forgive those)
Waliotukosea, usitutie (Who did us wrong, don’t put us)
Katika majaribu, lakini (Into trials, but)
Utuokoe, na yule, milele na milele (Save us, with him, for ever and ever)
Baba yetu, yetu uliye (Our, our Father who are)
Mbinguni yetu, yetu, amina (In heaven, our, our, amen)
Baba yetu, yetu, uliye (Our, our Father, who are)
Jina lako litukuzwe (Let’s glorify your name)
(Repeat)
Ufalme wako ufike utakalo (Your kingdom come that it be)
Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni, amina (done on earth as in heaven, amen)
Baba yetu, yetu uliye (Our, our Father who are)
Mbinguni yetu, yetu, amina (In heaven, our, our, amen)
Baba yetu, yetu, uliye (Our, our Father, who are)
Jina lako litukuzwe (Let’s glorify your name)
Here is the video:
Here’s the promo from the game:
It’s so catchy!