Late Highlife legend Daddy Lumba once released a song titled “Homeless” which featured a verse sung in German, one of the few Ghanaian songs to do so.
In Homeless, Daddy Lumba tells the story of a man walking through the streets of Germany who comes across a homeless person struggling in the cold.
The homeless man begged him for help, asking for warmth or shelter but the man refused telling him “the world is for all of us but each one for himself”.
He then walks away and returns to his warm home, leaving the homeless man behind in the freezing weather.
When the man returns the next day, he finds that the homeless man had died from the cold.
Overcome with guilt, he realized the weight of his actions and reflected that “help delayed is help denied”.
The most memorable part of the song comes in the German verse where Daddy Lumba sang from the perspective of the homeless man.
Translated, the line means: “Am I one of you or am I alone? I want to know.”
It speaks to the human need to belong, to be seen, and to be helped when in need.
Many music lovers unfamiliar with the German language made up their own interpretations of the verse, often repeating what they thought they heard.
Daddy Lumba is one musician that has songs that touched every part of life.
Whether it is gospel, love, heartbreak, children or party music, he had a song for every mood and moment.
Watch the mood at Daddy Lumba’s residence after news of his shocking demise
AK/AME
