Pearls
Survival Amidst Sorrow: Pearls of Strength in Somalia
Lyrics
There is a woman in Somalia
Depicts a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
Describes her searching for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Notes a force stronger than nature sustaining her will to survive
Keeps her will alive
Emphasizes the resilience keeping her alive
This is how she's dying
Highlights the difficult circumstances leading to her demise
She's dying to survive
Expresses her desperate struggle for survival
Don't know what she is made of
Uncertain about the inner strength sustaining her
I would like to be that brave
Expresses admiration for her bravery
She cries to the heaven above
Her cries reach the heavens, appealing for help
There is a stone in my heart
Reflects the heaviness and sorrow in the speaker's heart
She lives a life she didn't choose
Conveys that she lives a life not of her choosing
And it hurts like brand new shoes
Describes the pain she endures, akin to the discomfort of new shoes
And it hurts like brand new shoes
Reiterates the profound pain she experiences
There is a woman in Somalia
Reintroduces the woman in Somalia
The sun gives her no mercy
Highlights the harsh conditions under the sun
The same sky we lay under
Compares the shared sky but emphasizes her suffering
Burns her to the bone
Describes the sun burning her to the bone
Long as afternoon shadows
Refers to the long shadows of the afternoon, indicating a challenging journey
It's gonna take her to get home
Speculates on the time it will take for her to return home
Each grain carefully wrapped up
Highlights the careful collection of grains, symbolizing her efforts
Pearls for her little girl
These grains are transformed into pearls for her daughter
Hallelujah
Invocation of "Hallelujah" suggests a spiritual or emotional release
Hallelujah
Reiteration of "Hallelujah" intensifying the emotional tone
She cries to the heaven above
Repeats her cries to the heavens, emphasizing her plea for help
There is a stone in my heart
Restates the heavy burden in the speaker's heart
She lives in a world she didn't choose
Reiterates her existence in an undesired world
And it hurts like brand new shoes
Describes the pain she endures, akin to the discomfort of new shoes
And it hurts like brand new shoes
Reiterates the profound pain she experiences
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