When the the World Cup 2010 theme song was announced, the World was suddenly introduced to a successful Canadian singer( who made the song). He has already performed at important events like the United Nations 50th anniversary in 1999, but today, because of the
World Cup, everybody knows his song .

His name is K’Naan

A little about K’Naan
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, just as the civil unrest that rocked the country was beginning, rapper K’NAAN spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening to the hip-hop records sent to him from America by his father, who had left Somalia earlier. When K’NAAN (whose name means “traveler” in Somali) was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their homeland and join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large Somali community. As soon as his English started improving, he began rapping, and in tenth grade he dropped out of school and traveled around North America for two years, performing occasionally. Through his friendship with Sol Guy, part of promotion team Direct Current Media, K’NAAN was able to perform at the United Nations’ 50th anniversary concert in 1999, held in Geneva, where he used his platform to publicly criticize the United Nations’ handling of the Somali crisis in the 1990s. One of the audience members, Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, was so impressed by the young MC’s performance and courage that he invited him to contribute to his 2001 album Building Bridges, a project through which K’NAAN was able to tour the world.

The song waving flag refers to everybody being equal; just like all Brazilians identifying themselves under one common flag. All races, classes and religions in Brazil are united under the same national flag.
The song talks of struggle and the hope of a better life.

Listen to the original song Waving Flag (click on the link);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhXOKUBGSRw

Here are the lyrics;
( the red writing is an attempt to interpret the words)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag

(As he gets older, he can cope better with things, be free. He is probably referring to Somalia or Africa- older and stronger, and freedom being ‘just like a waving flag’ – all the races being united)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

(His dreams are shattered; nothing changes. Everything returns as they were before)

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But Violent prone, poor people zone
But it’s my home, all I have known
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
( Even though you are born a king, It’s difficult because of the violence and poverty. The ‘streets we would roam’ refers to people without homes and food)

But out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat

(Referring to himself surviving the worst, and giving others advice that although things are so difficult, they must not give up)

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day
It’s not far away, so for now we say

( Advice to wait, be patient because the day of salvation is near)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that’s what they say,
(Lots of wars, lots of promises, and at the end, the people are left there very poor. The same ones who encourage wars and make promises tell the poor ones that love is the answer to poverty)

But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers

(The poor believe everything they are told and are deceived in the end. The foreigners even try to control the poor.)

But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering, when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day
It’s not far away, but for now we say

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And we all will be singing it
(Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Waving Flag
Just like a Waving Flag, just like a Waving flag
Flag, flag, Just like a Waving Flag.

THE SINGER WAS REFERRING TO HIMSELF AND SHOWING SIMILARITIES TO THE PROBLEM OF THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA.

FOR THE WORLD CUP, ADAPTATIONS WERE MADE TO THE MUSIC;

Listen to the remix;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syjqTV4Ubag

The Lyrics

Ooooooh Wooooooh

Give me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me higher
See the champions, take the field now, you define us, make us feel proud
In the streets are, exaliftin , as we lose our inhabition,
Celebration its around us, every nation, all around us

Singin forever young, singin songs underneath that sun
Lets rejoice in the beautiful game.
And together at the end of the day.

WE ALL SAY

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes

Oooooooooooooh woooooooooohh hohoho

Give you freedom, give you fire, give you reason, take you higher
See the champions, take the field now, you define us, make us feel proud
In the streets are, exaliftin, every loser in ambition,
Celebration, its around us, every nations, all around us

Singin forever young, singin songs underneath that sun
Lets rejoice in the beautiful game.
And together at the end of the day.

WE ALL SAY

When I get older, I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes

Wooooooooo Ohohohoooooooo ! OOOoooooh Wooooooooo

WE ALL SAY !

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes back

When I get older I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Just like a wavin’ flag
And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes

Wooo hooooo hohohohoooooo
And everybody will be singinit
Wooooooooo ohohohoooooo
And we are all singinit

Other important International singers like Shakira, and David Bisbal made contributions.

David Bisbal;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftIfFafTA0o

But I prefer the adaptation made by the famous Lebanese Singer, Nancy Ajram ( who is the Coca Cola rep. for the arab world);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDrkU0rzFu8

Ok I don’t speak arab, but she was wonderful singing the song.

Michael Leitch

Michael Leitch is an English Teacher working in Brazil since 1998.