Ben Mulwana and The Village

[“Levitate” by Ben Mulwana and the Village]

[steady electric guitar music]

Mmm

Ooh oh oh oh oh yeah

I built the room we’re standing in

Stone by stone like an invalid

I can’t seem to figure out how to live in it

‘Cause even the ceiling’s closer than I remember now

But the brewer is stronger than the brew

That means that I am taller than the roof, babe

Or maybe I just shook something loose

But look at this floor, I’ve been making it levitate

Levitate with my mind

Oh, I’ve been making it levitate

With my mind, whoa

[groovy blues rock music]

I heard some voices in my mind

Long enough to keep my brain on me

But they refuse, insist that instead

I should be free

Yeah

Yeah!

But the line is tighter than the noose

Like the killer’s sharper than the weapon they use

So my mind is stronger than my mood

But take a look at this floor

And I’ve been making it levitate, yeah

With my mind

Ooh, I’ve been making it levitate

Levitate with my mind, oh

Oh oh

Ben Mulwana: My name is Ben Mulwana. I live in Kenosha, Wisconsin now, but I am from Uganda, east Africa. I love my culture. I love my background, where I’m from, and I think my music, I try to bring a lot of that in to the stage, is to say, like, “My background’s different. I am still an immigrant. I, you know, I am still not from this space, but I am from this space because we’re here together, and, like, you guys are loving this, I’m loving this, and we can all just kinda celebrate in this moment, you know, our differences, our commonalities, all the things that I try to put into my music.”

[groovy blues rock music]

I heard some voices in my mind

Long enough to keep my brain on me

But they refuse, insist that instead

I should be free, yeah

But words are larger than the page

Like the author’s sharper than the weapon they use

So my mind is stronger than my mood

But take a look at this floor

I’ve been making it levitate

Levitate with my mind, ooh

I’ve been making it levitate

Levitate with my mind, oh

Oh

Ooh I’ve been making it levitate

See I’ve been making it levitate

Levitate with my mind

Ooh I’ve been making it levitate

[groovy blues music]

[rapid guitar strumming] Thank you very much.

[audience applauding]