Henri Papa Mulaja - Tembe Esili Lyrics
Lyrics
(Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na nguya nioso Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na yesu eleki nioso Kombo na nguya nioso)
Naba kombo nioso awa na nse eheh (Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Naba kombo nioso awa na nse eheheh (Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Yemba kombo oyo (Kombo kitoko tika nayembela ye Naba kombo nioso awa na nse Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Yemba kombo oyo (Kombo kitoko tika na yembela ye Naba kombo nioso Awa na nse kombo eleki yesu ezali te)
Na kombo Ya minganga ,na kombo yaba kisi Na kombo Ya bakonzi na nse na moyi (Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Naba kombo nioso awa na nse (Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Yemba kombo oyo (Kombo kitoko tika na yembela ye Naba kombo nioso awa na nse Kombo eleki yesu ezali te) Ecclésia kotambola tambola na yesu elongo (Epesaka esengo) Ba christu kotambola Tambola na yesu elongo (Epesaka esengo) Oh ndeko tambola (Tambola tambola Tambola na yesu Tambola Tambola na yesu epesaka esengo) Tombuama Yesu tombuama na yo eh eh (Tombuama yesu tombuama na yo eh eh) Tombuama yesu tombuama na yo Eh eh Likolo Ya maladi, likolo Ya kosanga yaya tombuama nayo eh eh (Tombuama Yesu tombuama nayo eh eh) Likolo Ya ba ndoki likolo Ya kolela yaya tombuama nayo eh eh (Tombuama yesu tombuama nayo eh eh) Oh yesu tombuama nayo papa Yesu tombuama nayo eh eh Yesu tombuama nayo eh eh Yesu tombuama nayo eh eh Yesu tombuama nayo eh eh
Bina bina (Bina) Binela yesu bina (Bina) Bina bina (Bina) Binela yesu bina (Bina)
Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh (Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh) Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh (Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh) Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh (Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh)
Yesu eh (Champion eh Champion eh Champion eh Champion eh Champion eh Champion eh)
Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh (Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh) Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh (Tembe esili eh Nkolo yesu alongi eh)
Yesu eh (Champion eh Champion eh Champion eh)
Video
Henri Papa Mulaja - Tembe Esili (clip officiel)
Meaning & Inspiration
My hands are stiff this morning, the kind of ache that reminds me of winters spent hauling wood and summers spent kneeling on hardwood floors in small, drafty prayer halls. I pulled out my old, leather-bound Bible—the one where the spine gave up the ghost somewhere around 1998—and tried to read, but my eyes aren’t what they once were. Then, this music from Henri Papa Mulaja caught me.
Tembe esili. The conflict is over.
When you’ve lived long enough, you realize that most of life is spent in the thick of a fight you aren't sure you’re winning. You fight your own stubbornness, the slow erosion of your body, the grief that doesn't leave when the house goes quiet. You pray, you hold onto the edge of the pew, and you hope that the words you’re singing actually mean something against the backdrop of an empty checkbook or a medical report.
Mulaja sings, "Nkolo Yesu alongi." The Lord has won.
It’s easy to say that when the sun is up and the coffee is hot. But when the night stretches out, and the room feels far too big for one person, it’s a hard thing to believe. Yet, there’s something about the way he repeats it—over and over, like hammering a nail into a board until it’s flush. It’s not a clever thought. It’s a declaration. It reminds me of the Apostle Paul in his final days, writing to Timothy, saying he had fought the good fight. He didn't say he had won every skirmish, or that he hadn't been scarred, but that he had finished.
I’ve spent forty years listening to young men sing about how strong they are, or how they’re going to change the world. It’s loud, and it’s mostly noise. But this? This feels like someone who has been backed into a corner by life and found the only thing left to do is call on the Name that is above all others.
"Kombo na Yesu eleki nioso."
When I look at my own skin, mottled and marked by time, I don’t see a champion. I see a survivor of my own failings. But when that Name gets sung with this kind of insistence, it pulls the focus off my weary bones. The conflict isn't over because I got better or stronger; it’s over because the victory wasn’t mine to secure in the first place.
I’m sitting here, watching the dust motes dance in the light, wondering if I really believe the fight is finished. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I feel like I’m still swinging at shadows. But listening to this, I find myself nodding. Maybe the point isn't to feel like a victor. Maybe the point is just to acknowledge who holds the title, even when I’m too tired to stand up and cheer. The conflict is over. I can leave it there for today.