Ashes of Ouidah

Red clay burns under naked soles,
Where the baobab grew weary watching over the coast.
The ocean hammers the gateway of forgotten sorrow,
Yet a living hand rises proud above the tide.
(E-yama! Can you hear the roar of the sand?)
The whisper of the python sinks into sacred dark.
We strike the wild fire out of frozen stone,
We will never surrender our dance to anyone again!

Припев
(E-yo, Ouidah! The tama cries in the night!)
The ashes have cooled - the rage of the earth awakens!
(E-yo, Ouidah! Ignite the torch, scream it loud!)
Our footsteps on the dunes have sprouted once again!
Unbroken blood dances inside the flame,
(Hey-ya, hey-ya!)
Here rises an ancient sun without slumber!


Where iron was once dragged down to the salty brine,
Lilac blossoms now burst through the thicket.
Fingers fly across strings in an electric fury,
And the ancient sea trembles to the sub-bass pulse.
(A-go-lo! The earth shudders from our stomp!)
No mercy was begged here, no tears were woven.
With an anthem we rip the padlocks from black jaws,
So the wild fig trees bloom across the dark!

Припев
(E-yo, Ouidah! Cast that fear into the void!)
The ashes are scattered - we celebrate the power of our roots!
(E-yo, Ouidah! Never yield to the storm!)
The thunder of the dancers hits harder and tight!
An unquenchable rhythm dances in our chest,
(Hey-ya, hey-ya!)
Every shout we release tears the bolts right off our hands!



Hush now... Listen to the heartbeat of glowing stone.
We live!
 We are strong!)
The mother of the sea keeps the sunrise in her hands!
We never burned! We returned the flame to the tide!

Припев
(E-yo, Ouidah! Stand like a cliff above the breaking surf!)
The ash became a seed, the ash pushed up as green!
(E-yo, Ouidah! Celebrate the sacred victory!)
This rolling shockwave pulls you in completely!
The earth dances wild from Dahomey to the highest skies,
(Hey-ya, hey-ya! Ouidah lives!)
The thread of the bloodline will never be broken!

Breath of the Jungle
Roots tear through raw clay from beneath.
Dense moisture hangs in the sweltering air like heavy fog.
The earth draws its first breath beneath bare soles,
Where ancient vines embrace the granite ridge.
Listen to the sap rushing through the wooden veins
This is no stillness; this is wild, living truth.


A tremor beneath the ribs summons the thunderstorm!
The downpour will strike straight into open palms!

Припев
Breath of the jungle! (A-ho!)
Living green blood boils within our chests!
Breath of the jungle! (Ye-le!)
Rise to your full height, hear the roar of the soil!
She begs no mercy — she sings with sovereign power!


Leaves whisper in the dialect of forgotten storms.
A surging stream washes clean the leopard's tracks.
We are no strangers in this dense canopy,
We are sparks of the same unquenchable flame.
With every strike of bare feet upon the warm turf —
Resides an ancient might that none can ever take away!


The air vibrates before lightning splits the sky!
The drums compel the shadows to retreat!

Припев
Breath of the jungle! (Ya-ma-o!)
A storm gale strips away the fear and disguises!
Breath of the jungle! (Wo-yo!)
The pulse of Mother Earth gripped tight in our fists!
Not one step back - this voice thunders across the world!


Silence pauses upon the razor edge of an arrowhead.
Listen... The heartbeat of the basalt depths.
One deep breath in - to awaken.
One breath out - to become undivided.



Припев
Breath of the jungle! (A-ho! O-le-le!)
A tidal surge of leaves crests over the horizon!
Breath of the jungle! (Ya-ma-o! Wo-yo!)
We are alive, we are the blaze, the eternal law of the wild!
Sing with the tempest - the earth reclaims her own!
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Ash and Petals
The roots remember November’s dry scorch.
Where flames stripped the hillside bare to the stone,
I lay my open palm against the blackened mark.
The earth stays silent, but beneath, the sap surges deep.
In the dark, an unyielding shoot awakens,
It begs no mercy; it grinds through flint.
(Oh-ya, mama eh, the seed shall shatter the stone!)
(Oh-ya, mama eh, the stem rises higher than the flame!)

Припев
The ash settles down onto the damp loam,
Crimson petals fling their blossoms toward the sky!
Across the charred ridge, across the mute pass,
Life takes its ancient throne back again!
(E-wulo! Rise up, bloom!)


The wind sweeps the dying cinders down into the gorge.
Not a single tear fell into the open furrow.
In our chests beats the thunderous roar of the great river,
Washing away the dross of sorrow and hollow fear.
We do not bend before the tempest; we are the storm itself,
Pouring living water across the valley floor.
(Hey-ya, hold the bough, the gale never broke us!)
(Hey-ya, hold your step, the root holds the rock!)

Припев
The ash sinks into the deep fertile clay!
Crimson petals strike the face of the howling winds!
The ancient sun climbs above the broad savanna,
Power is restored to the cradle of the seed!
Who will stand unyielding in the heat?
 The one who sprouted through the fire!
(Aiya-eh! Bloom upon the bones of winter!)


Stand still at the threshold of the new dawn.
Listen to the hard bark splitting apart.
Death holds no dominion over this grain.
It waited for the rains - and the rains have arrived.


Припев
The ash is gone -the gardens are born!
Crimson petals mantle the whole continent!
The soil rejoices, the primordial heavens sing!
We did not burn away -we blossomed anew!
(Yeh-mama, ash and petals!)
 Our bloom is immortal!
(Yeh-mama, earth's eternal song!)
Not a single step back!