Lyrics for Baba Yetu (For those who want to sing/read along)

yah what? Polytheistic means worship many gods right?

Yes.

Poly ... + . theistic
......... = ...........
Many . + .. Gods

Everytime I hear this sing I think first of the Simple chief, receiving Tribute from the nearby village, then his wife enters with his baby which grows up to lead a group of spearmen into battle taking a village, then the village grows bigger, bigger and bigger. Infrasture grows and people appear till it is a crowd, goods of all kind are sold and in the distance the palace can be seen and it zooms in to witness the cornation of a new king. Then images of meetings and battles appear. Horsemen charge through axeman as swordman control the hill. Scientific break throughs, gunpowder, wonders being built and cities growing through the eras. then at the end bit. a little boy wakes up froms his dream

A literal translation of that entire section of the prayer:

Baba Yetu uliye mbinguni,
jina lako litukuzwe;
ufalme wako ufike,
utakalo lifanyike
duniani kama mbinguni.
Utupe leo mkate wetu wa kila siku,
utusamehe makosa yetu,
kama nasi tunavyowasamehe waliotukosea.
Usitutie katika kishawishi,
lakini utuopoe maovuni.
Amina

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

I'm trying to find the definition of the word 'uliye'. Because in the Bible translations I've seen, the name 'Jesus' doesn't appear there. In fact I don't think any names appeared there originally.

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/JPN-gr-koine.html
http://www.bibletexts.com/terms/lordspr.htm



Also, I just thought this image was neat:

After reading through this entire thread, I am a bit sad after seeing how many people respond to the meaning behind the words. I personally am not Christian but fail to see how these words can be so offensive to others. Are the views and beliefs of others that vile to your sensibilities? Such intolerance is the reason there is so much wrong in this world. No one is asking you to sing a Christian prayer and the very fact you came here is because you enjoyed the sound of the song.

Try to accept the beliefs of others even if they contrast your own. No one is asking you to change your beliefs, so chill.

darkchampion said:

After reading through this entire thread, I am a bit sad after seeing how many people respond to the meaning behind the words. I personally am not Christian but fail to see how these words can be so offensive to others. Are the views and beliefs of others that vile to your sensibilities? Such intolerance is the reason there is so much wrong in this world. No one is asking you to sing a Christian prayer and the very fact you came here is because you enjoyed the sound of the song.

Try to accept the beliefs of others even if they contrast your own. No one is asking you to change your beliefs, so chill.

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I think you're the one reading too much into things

Out of interest, rayofash, what does that 'katika' word mean?

Catharsis said:

Out of interest, rayofash, what does that 'katika' word mean?

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It basically means 'in', 'into', or inside'. It can also mean 'within'.

Ah, thanks. It's also the name of a teammate of mine in one of the forum games in my sig. There must be a way to use it for blackmailing purposes...

AutomaticBzooty said:

The sheet music for Baba Yetu has been released, and should once and for all settle the debate about what the lyrics in this song are. Just do a Google search for Baba Yetu Sheet Music and you should find it. So at least we have an official transcription of the lyrics...and according to the pronunciation guide on the back, they are:

Baba yetu yetu'uliye mbinguni yetu yetu amina
Baba yetu yetu'uliye mjina lako elitukuzwe
Utupe leo chakula chetu tunachohitaji
Utusamehe makosa yetu
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe waliotukosea
Usitutie katika majaribu
lakini utuokoe na yule muovu emilele

Ufalme wako ufike utakalo
lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni

So, they seem to be slightly different than the ones sung in the recording, transcribed in this thread and posted all over the internet. And now, there's also a credit for 'Swahili adaptation of The Lord's Prayer' given to one Chris Kiagiri, so we can only surmise that this version is somewhat more linguistically proper and correct than the original (which seems to be fraught with errors).

MSTK....wanna edit that original post again?

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Hello all. I'm a vocal music education major (meaning I'll be a choir director in about a year). I was at a conference where a music seller was letting people choose 15 octavos to take for free. There was only one copy of Baba Yetu, but it caught my eye because of the Video Games Live logo on the cover. I took it and just sat down with it a day or two ago. I've since become enthralled with it and have been doing as much research as I can on it, in the hopes I can get my choir to do it this year.

The published music differs from the Talisman A Capella recording in three places. The first two times are at the end of the two tenor solo sections. At measure 20, the music says "muovu emilele" while the recording says "milelela 'milele". The rhythm is exactly the same, but the lyrics are moderately different (and one word has been oddly truncated). A similar change at measure 67 makes a minor change to both the lyrics and rhythm, adding a sixteenth-note. The music says "muovu emilele" and the recording says "si muovu emilele". The last difference occurs throughout. At any point where it say "Baba yetu, yetu...", the second "yetu" was actually supposed to be "yesu", or 'Jesus'. Making it a second "yetu" was a change made in Stanford's recording, but it somehow made it into the published octavo.

Every reliable opinion that I've run across agrees that the words translate properly and the meaning is intact, but that the grammar and phrases are out of order from each other.

mfalme_mpendwa said:

And finally, I think the words "simama mwehu" can't be right. It makes no sense in context. Those words would be a command to "stand up", addressed to an insane person. But as to what else they might be saying here, I have no suggestions to make. I wonder if we could find a way to simply ask the composer what he meant?

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This was written back in May 2006, before the sheet music was released. I've looked at the music and listened to the recording a lot, but I can't find anything that looks or sounds much like "simama mwehu". The only thing I could think of would be that he misheard something in the long tenor solos. Those are quite fast, and the Talisman tenor didn't enunciate well at all. (I know that's part of the style, but it nevertheless does make it hard to figure out what he's singing without looking at the music.)

This is a fantastic piece. I've never even played Civilization (save for a demo version of the original way back in the day) but that has no effect on the fact that this entire soundtrack is high-quality music (honestly, Goldberg variations? in a video game? Awesome!) and the original music is wonderful. I'm going to be watching Tin Works Music from here on out, and who knows- I might even give Civ IV a shot, since everyone here seems to like it so well!

God is Baba Yetu awesome... I really miss Baba Yetu . That's the downside of BtS/Warlords. No Baba Yetu!

Saim said:

God is Baba Yetu awesome... I really miss Baba Yetu . That's the downside of BtS/Warlords. No Baba Yetu!

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You can select whichever menu screen you prefer (Civ 4, Warlords, or BtS) in the Options page. So Baba Yetu can be restored to your PC as it has been to mine

OMFG that is so awesome!!!!

@TwoSheds.
So, "This... what shall I call it... nickname of yours... How did you come by it?"

Capt Buttkick said:

@TwoSheds.
So, "This... what shall I call it... nickname of yours... How did you come by it?"

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Never mind that, ask me about my music etc. etc.

phantom59 said:

But... its the Lords prayer

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I think the person you're responding to may have meant polyphonic, not polytheistic.

Having listened to it many times and come across a number of transcriptions, this is the version I personally think is as close to what they sing as possible:

(it's long so I put in spoilers, as I dislike using things like '(chorus)' and '(2x)')



(and I did set my BtS menu to the original Civ4 one. Yay that option!)

I personally love this song, and i definitely support what your doing here. Keep up the good work! = )

Performed this for talent show recently.

I'd like to know what Elgrillo is in English? Does anyone know?