Lyrics
Intro
Weka sifa mbele (Send praise first)
Kwa kuimba na kuabudu (Praising and worshipping)
Piga kelele (Shout for joy)
Kuta zote nitazishusha (And I will tear down the walls)
Weka sifa mbele (Send praise first)
Ufikapo Jericho (When you get to Jericho)
Piga kelele (Shout for joy)
Kuta zote nitazishusha (And I will tear down the walls)
Chorus (Repeat)
Shusha (Tear down)
Shusha Bwana, shusha (Tear down, Father)
Shusha Roho, shusha (Tear down, Spirit)
Shusha Bwana, shusha (Tear down, Father)
Verse 1
We ni Mungu uketiye (You are the Lord)
Katika sifa za watu wako (Who dwells in the praises of Your people)
Nimechagua kukusifu (I've chosen to praise)
Na kuabudu Mungu wangu (And to worship You, my Lord)
Pre-Chorus
Kwa pumzi ya uhai wangu nina kutukuza (With the breath in my lungs, I praise You)
Na vyote vilivyo ndani yangu vina kuhimidi (And all that is within me glorifies You)
Chorus (Repeat)
Verse 2
Nimechagua silaha ya sifa (I have chosen praise as my weapon)
Nimejihami kwa siku ya vita (I have armed myself for the day of battle)
Nakuaminia wewe usiyeshindwa (I trust in You, who remains undefeated)
Mkombozi wangu, jemedari wa vita (My Savior, my war General)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Shusha" ("Tear Down") retells a specific biblical battle strategy, sending praise ahead of an army and shouting before city walls, directly recalling the fall of Jericho after seven days of marching and a final shout. That narrative connection frames the entire song's instructions, praise first, then shouting, as a proven pattern rather than an invented ritual.
Its chorus repeats a direct command addressed to God, asking him to tear down, naming both Father and Spirit, treating praise itself as the means by which that request is carried out. A later verse names praise explicitly as a chosen weapon, describing the singer as armed for battle and trusting in an undefeated Savior described as a war general.
Sung in Swahili within East African worship tradition, the song functions as a declaration of spiritual warfare through praise, its repeated chorus applying the ancient pattern at Jericho to present obstacles, treating any current "wall" as equally subject to collapse through the same combination of praise and shouted faith.
Related Scripture
- Joshua 6:20 Describes the walls of Jericho falling after the people shouted, directly retold in the song's central image.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 Describes weapons of spiritual warfare with divine power to demolish strongholds, echoed in the song's description of praise as a weapon.