People always say that you can change a lot in a year
But I never believed them, I never had that fear
A year ago I was a loving, thriving boy
Now I’m looked upon as an animal, a savage, a used up toy
Evil, white men have arrived on my people’s lands from huge ships
And they forced us to work; they even threaten us with their whips
The Congo River used to be a place of happiness and fun
Now it is simply dark: who would have thought the happiness would become undone?
There is so much violence on my beautiful land
Children with severed hands, men with arms chopped off, this I can’t stand
Sometimes I look into the white man’s eyes
All I see is darkness made up of evil and pure lies
My parents were killed, my siblings long gone
I have no other choice than to forget and move on
I become depressed more and more each day
As our resources decrease and the white men turn gay
It breaks my heart to see what has become of my land, it is rather gloomy and frighteningly sad
Surprised my people have kept their faith and not gone mad
I predict in a few months my land will be nothing but skeletons and dirt
And I will be one of those skeletons, succumbed to pain and hurt
I often ask myself: What did I do to deserve this fate?
No one has an answer; that’s why I want to leave, I have to escape
I often cry out: I have feelings, I have emotions, I am just like you
But my words are always ignored and considered misconstrue
They have ruined my people, my land, my place of address
Simply to get to the heart, the heart of darkness