Woke up with Johnny Clegg’s “Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World” running through my head. A song beloved by Dad and I, and the electricity of those concerts we attended still crackles in my heart. Like many songs, different parts speak to you at different times in your life. Lyrics resonating in the 90s are different from what is hitting this morning. The song is dedicated to Jesse, his son…
Cruel Crazy Beautiful World
You got to wash with the crocodile in the river
You got to swim with the sharks in the sea
You got to live with the crooked politician
Trust those things that you can never see
Ayeye ayeye, Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
Ayeye ayeye, Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
You got to trust your lover when you go away
Keep on believing tomorrow brings a better day
Sometimes you smile while you’re cryin’ inside
Just once you’ll turn away while the truth be shinin’ bright
Ayeye ayeye , Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
Ayeye ayeye , Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
Every day you wake up I hope it’s under a blue sky
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
One day when you wake up I will have to say goodbye
Say goodbye, it’s your world so live in it
Goodbye, it’s your world so live in it
Beyond the door, strange cruel beautiful years lie waiting for you
It kills me to know you won’t escape loneliness
Maybe you lose hope too
Ayeye ayeye, Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
Ayeye ayeye, Jesse mfana, ayeye ayeye
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
Every time you wake up I hope it’s under a blue sky
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
One day when you wake up I will have to say goodbye
Say goodbye
It’s your world so live in it
Goodbye, it’s your world so live in it
When I feel your small body close to mine
I feel weak and strong at the same time
So few years to give you wings to fly
Show you the stars to guide your ship by
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
Every day you wake up I hope it’s under a blue sky
It’s a cruel, crazy, beautiful world
One day when you wake up I will have to say goodbye
Say goodbye, it’s your world so live in it
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)
It’s your world so live in it (it’s your world so live in it)