African sunrise, shine on a brand new day   African sunrise, shine on a brand new way   Give us a beautiful morning   Show us forever beginning to stand on our own   African sunrise, smile on my African home      In this hour of quiet contemplation   The stillness of the dawning calms my mind   I face the day with heartfelt exaltation   The light is both a promise and a sign      In the darkness, we have lost the son of our sister   Though the beauty of his spirit lingers still   This was a child of love, a child of laughter   Who cannot understand the way that I feel      Is it not the sun that gives the seasons?   Is it not the sun that brings the rain?   Our throats are choked with dust but we?re still singing   Our song will not be silenced by the pain      All around the village, I could hear the roosters crowing   There was a time it was like music to my ears   Now, all I can hear is the sound of hungry babies crying   I pray for rain to wash away their tears      African sunrise, light of a brand new day   African sunrise, light of a brand new way   With one who will be our brother   And one who will be our partner and teach us to know   African sunrise, smile on my African home      African sunrise, smile on my African home   African sunrise