Tekst van het lied in het Wolof:
Si diguenté marakh massé
bi diololi suuf sédé
si lagn gawantou fatu mingui done gara
ni bi diololi you tedd si melakh yi kawélakh
yenene you melni you done rire nguir liberté
di riir ngur diambar yi donne khekh té bal takoul
di riir nguir gni done gadaay ci yon you meti yi
aki tamit kep kho khamni soldar nga bou toumouranké si goudi gui
And we gazed upon the Chimes Of Freedom flashing
si bene mbar si deuk bi gni ngui lakhatou wone di khol binga khamanténi mbir yangui done wagnékou
bi diololi yi nek khew di riir ci taw bi ngelaw youdoul diolol you lerr nek ci kaw di tabi
aanhh di riir nguir di bagne, di yeungou nguir ki loff
di yengou nguir ki niak chance gni gnou faté gni gnou wor
di yengou nguir gni gnou bedi yagg ko lakh mouy doundé
And we gazed upon the Chimes Of Freedom flashing
si bi dalouk doy warr bi dondiou glace you gnang rott
di khoti diaou dji di setou wer ak sell
wayam you clochou eglise yi di sani fo soré soré ak nguelaw li
desatoul loudoul diolol you nekoul ca rak bi
anh di riir ki labiir di riir nguir ki bakh
di riir nguir gni gniy gadi ak kiy samm sunu tour
ak natal kate bi kene guissoul fou soré soré si diamonom
And we gazed upon the Chimes Of Freedom flashing
si goudi you bari kemtane yi
taw bi melni li louy ler té ay takander you amoul forme té toumouranké
di wakh guir lamigne yi mounoula wakh sene khalatt
té ay khalat yo khamné fogone nagne ni né khamou gnou lene
di wakh nguir silmakha yek gni teukh
di wakh nguir gni lou gniy nato jieggen youniouy nakh
ak gni gnouye toudé thiaga
di wakh nguir say say niou guené mou daw ba rer
And we gazed upon the Chimes Of Freedom flashing
yi dem ba bene nir ci assamane si naw di tour ndokh ndank ndak té le
lérayou lamp yi di gnou dal mel ni fitt wou dioubel si
gni natt gni gnouy werr té khamou niou founiou né thi dounya
aanh di riir ngui gni wadiou sén si yone you meti yi
di riir nguir gni beugeunté té mounou nio wakh sene metite
di riir ngui yaram you niou teuj si casso té defou niou dara
And we gazed upon the Chimes Of Freedom flashing
nagnou khol lérayou liy rir nguir liberté
Voor het geval er geen andere versies in deze serie langskomen een weergave van de Engelse tekst:
Far between sundown’s finish an’ midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
In the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin’ rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an’ forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin’ constantly at stake
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An’ the poet an the painter far behind his rightful time
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
In the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an’ blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an’ cheated by pursuit
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Even though a clouds’s white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An’ the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An’ for each unharmfull, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
