Lyrics
Verse 1
Ninaomba uende nami
Oh Lord, please go with me.
Uongoze hatua zangu
Take lead and guide my steps
Bila wewe, mimi siwezi
I can’t do a thing without you.
Chorus
Sitaweza usipoenda nami
If you do not go with me, I can't do anything.
Kama hauendi nami Usinitoe hapa,
Don’t take me from this place, If you don’t go with me.
Peke yangu sitaweza Usipoenda nami,
I won’t make it, if you do not go with me.
Verse 2
Mahali hapa sikutaka Ili niheshimiwe,
This place is not mine to be respected
Nayanikute mateso Sawasawa nawe.
I choose to suffer as you suffered for me.
Bridge
Niongozwe nawe Bwana
Oh Lord, please take lead.
Tangulia mbele
Lead from the front
Unifate nyuma
Guide from the back
(Ongoza) Hatua zangu
Guide my every step
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Niongozwe Nawe” by Neema Gospel Choir is a Swahili prayer for God’s guidance, with an English translation printed line by line. The title means “let me be led by You.” The first verse asks God to go with the singer, to lead his steps, and says that without Him he can do nothing, which is close to John 15:5.
The chorus puts the request in its strongest form: if God does not go with the singer, he cannot do anything and should not be taken from this place. The wording recalls Exodus 33:15, where Moses says that if the Lord’s presence does not go with the people, they should not be led up from where they are. The second verse says the singer did not seek this place for the sake of being honored, and chooses to suffer as Christ suffered, close to 1 Peter 2:21.
The bridge asks God to lead from the front and to guide from behind, which echoes Psalm 139:5 and Psalm 37:23. The song’s message is complete dependence on God’s presence and direction.
Related Scripture
- Exodus 33:15 “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence”
- John 15:5 “Without me ye can do nothing”
- Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord