The song Impi by Johnny Clegg & Juluka is a demonic song. Let’s explore the meaning together.
Lyrics
Obani bengathinta amabhubesi? (Who can touch the lions?)
Come to crush the Children of Mageba
Come to exact the Realm’s price for peace
And in the morning as they saddled up to ride
Their eyes shone with the fire and the steel
The General told them of the task that lay ahead
To bring the People of the Sky to heel
Obani bengathinta amabhubesi?
Mud and sweat on polished leather
Warm rain seeping to the bone
They rode through the season’s wet weather
Straining for a glimpse of the foe
Hopeless battalion destined to die
Broken by the Benders of Kings
Vainglorious General and Victorian pride
Would cost him and eight hundred men their lives
Impi! wo ‘nans’ impi iyeza
Obani bengathinta amabhubesi?
They came to the side of the mountain
Scouts rode out to spy the land
Even as the Realm’s soldiers lay resting
Mageba’s forces were at hand
And by the evening the vultures were wheeling
Above the ruins where the fallen lay
An ancient song as old as the ashes
Echoed as Mageba’s warriors marched away
Scripture & Explanations
The word ‘Impi’ is used to describe the IsiZulu army, featuring brave Zulu warriors heading into battle.
‘Here comes the army’ – a phrase referring to the men of the Impi.
“Who can touch the lions?’ – the Lions being the final group within the army.
“Come to exact the Realm’s price for peace” – The Prince of Peace is called Satan and later referred to as Satan within the same paragraph. “To bring the People of the Sky to heel.” The People of the Sky are Satan’s followers. Satan is identified as the prince of the air (sky), as mentioned in Ephesians 2:2.
The word “Pride” captures a spirit that supports them. Together with this, the spirit of Leviathan is also urging the execution of 800 men.
The phrase “Scouts rode out to spy the land” typically relates to a battlefield context, but in the Bible, it emphasises that God commanded Moses to send a leader from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to explore the land (Numbers 13–14).
Again, the word “Realm” indicates that this is not just about the battle but also about the unseen realm.
“Ruins where the fallen lay” – People died in KwaZulu-Natal territory. “Fallen” refers not only to those who died but also to those who went to hell.
Using the word “ancient” was specific in indicating that this occurred long ago, and the ending sounds like thousands of men marching away.
Ephesians 2:2
in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience
Job 41:38
He beholds every high thing;
He is king over all the children of pride.”
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Impi – Johnny Clegg & Juluka
Impi by Johnny Clegg & Juluka is a demonic song with hidden meanings.
