I know a place in Africa
Where I can feel the sun on my back
And the sand between my barefoot toes
Where I can hear the gulls on the breeze
And the waves crash on the endless shore.
I know a place in Africa
Where the mountains touch the skies of blue
And the valleys shelter vines of green
Where the trees spread out a cloth of mauve
And the bushveld wears a coat of beige.
I know a place in Africa
Where I can hear the voice of thunder gods
And watch their lightening spears thrown to earth
Where I can breathe the scent of rain clouds
And taste the sweet dew of dusty drops.
This is the place of wildness
Of evolution and dinosaurs
Where life began and mankind first stood
Of living fossils and elephants
Where lions roar and springbok herds leap.
This is the place of struggle
Of desert plains and thorn trees
Where pathways end and hunters track game
Of horizons and frontiers
Where journeys start and sunsets bleed red.
This is the place of freedom
Of exploration and pioneers
Where darkness loomed and light saw us through
Of living legends and miracles
Where daybreak came and hope now shines bright.
My heart is at home in Africa
Where the sound of drums beat in my chest
And the songs of time ring in my ears
Where the rainbow mist glows in my eyes
And the smiles of friends make me welcome.
My mind is at ease in Africa
Where the people still live close to the soil
And the seasons mark my changing moods
Where the markets hustle with trading
And creation keeps its own slow time.
My soul is at peace in Africa
For her streams bring lifeblood to my veins
And her winds bring healing to my dreams
For when the tale of this land is told
Her destiny and mine are as one.
“Long as I remember the rain been comin down.
Clouds of mystry pourin confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, tryin to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, wholl stop the rain.
I went down virginia, seekin shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder wholl stop the rain.
Heard the singers playin, how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, tryin to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pourin, fallin on my ears.
And I wonder, still I wonder wholl stop the rain.”
“On The Turning Away” é uma das mais belas canções editadas pelos Pink Floyd. Escrita nos anos 80 por David Gilmour e Anthony Moore, a letra da canção contém, para mim, uma das mensagens mais poderosas de toda a discografia da banda britânica. Não é de admirar que esta canção se tenha facilmente tornado numa das minhas canções favoritas desta mítica banda e, por consequência, marcado grande parte da minha juventude.
A letra é uma ode aos oprimidos e àqueles que são votados ao esquecimento pela sua condição social e pela injustiça gerada pelo desenvolvimento desigual e heterogéneo em várias regiões desfavorecidas do nosso planeta. Na década de 80, altura em que a canção é escrita, vir-nos-ão à imagem as ondas de solidariedade de combate à fome em África e às injustiças geradas pelos conflitos resultantes da singular diversidade dos povos que compõem este tão nobre continente.
A letra é um alerta à indiferença humana perante aqueles que são injustiçados por fruto da sua condição social e das suas crenças. Por este simples facto, a mensagem manter-se-á sempre actual e perdurará por largas décadas entre os ouvintes desta canção. No entanto, quando era mais jovem imperava entre mim um ingénuo sentimento de que estes conflitos e consequentes desigualdades caminhariam, de certo modo, para uma solução. Nesta saudosa altura, “On The Turning Away” soava ao meu ouvido e tocava nos meus sentidos como um hino que move uma nação e comove o mais entusiasta e dedicado cidadão. Éramos assim nós, os jovens de então, iludidos com esta nobre missão: sacudir o mundo de todas as desigualdades e injustiças.
Segue mais abaixo a letra integral da música:
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Don’t accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away
Its a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there´ll be
No more turning away?
* O vídeo do Youtube é de um concerto ao vivo e foi adicionado no ano de 2017.
