Lyrics
Chorus
Jerusalema ikhaya lami (Jerusalem is my home)
Ngilondoloze, uhambe nami (Save me, and walk with me)
Zungangishiyi lana (Do not leave me here) (x2)
Verse 1
Ndawo yami, ayikho lana (My place, is not here)
Mbuso wami, awukho lana (My kingdom, is not here)
Ngilondoloze, uhambe nami (Preserve me, and go with me) (x2)
Bridge
Ngilondoloze (Save me)
Ngilondoloze (Preserve me)
Ngilondoloze (Guard me)
Zungangishiyi lana (Do not leave me here) (x2)
Verse 2
Ndawo yami, ayikho lana (My place, is not here)
Mbuso wami, awukho lana (My kingdom, is not here)
Ngilondoloze, uhambe nami (Save me, and walk with me) (x2)
Chorus (Repeat)
Jerusalema ikhaya lami (Jerusalem is my home)
Ngilondoloze, uhambe nami (Preserve me, and go with me)
Zungangishiyi lana (Do not leave me here) (x2)
Bridge (Repeat)
Ngilondoloze (Save me)
Ngilondoloze (Preserve me)
Ngilondoloze (Guard me)
Zungangishiyi lana (Do not leave me here) (x2)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Jerusalema” by Master KG is a South African house song sung in Zulu with a prayer at its center: “Jerusalema ikhaya lami,” meaning “Jerusalem is my home.” The singer asks to be kept and guided, with the lines “Ngilondoloze, uhambe nami,” or “Save me, and walk with me,” and pleads, “Do not leave me here.”
The verses say that the singer’s place and kingdom are not here. That wording reads as a longing for a heavenly home and recalls the biblical picture of believers as strangers on earth who look for a better country. The repeated requests to be guarded and preserved give the song the feel of a short prayer set to dance rhythm.
The themes are close to Hebrews 11:16, Philippians 3:20 and Psalm 121:7-8, on a heavenly homeland, citizenship in heaven and the Lord’s keeping. The song is brief in words and widely sung because its refrain is easy to join.
Related Scripture
- Hebrews 11:16 Desiring a better country, a heavenly one
- Philippians 3:20 Our citizenship is in heaven
- Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all evil