Lyrics
Verse 1
Bwana ni mchungaji wangu,
Sitapungukiwa kitu
Hun’laza penye majani mabichi,
Huniongoza kwa maji matulivu
Chorus (x3)
Hakika wema nazo fadhili zitanifuata mimi,
Nitakaa nyumbani mwa Bwana,
Siku zote za maisha yangu
Verse 2
Hunihuisha nafsi yangu,
Hun’ongoza kwa njia za haki
Nipitapo bondeni mwa mauti,
Sitaogopa wewe u nami
Verse 3
Gongo lako na fimbo yako,
Vitanifariji mimi
Waandaa meza mbele yangu,
Machoni pa watesi wangu
Outro
Psalms 23
he Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Credits & Song Information
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Bwana ni Mchungaji Wangu is a Swahili musical setting of Psalm 23, following the psalm's own structure verse by verse rather than paraphrasing it loosely. The outro quotes the psalm directly in English, "the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," confirming the source the Swahili verses are drawn from throughout.
Each verse mirrors a specific part of Psalm 23: green pastures and still waters in the first, the valley of the shadow of death in the second, the prepared table implied in the third. The song does not add commentary to these images; it lets the psalm's own sequence carry the song's structure.
The repeated chorus, promising goodness and mercy will follow the singer and that they will dwell in the house of the Lord, corresponds to Psalm 23:6, the psalm's own closing verse. Reuben Kigame and Jayne Yobera's recording treats the psalm as complete in itself, using repetition of the chorus rather than new verses to extend the song's length.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 23 The entire psalm — the song follows it verse by verse