Is this real or am I just dreaming Am I dead or just lying still Sand and stone, everything’s gleaming From the gold inside these hills Through the ripples in my vision A rider’s riding straight at me Will she take me to Timbuktu The only place I long to be Mansa, Mansa Musa! Mansa, Mansa Musa! Lips are torn, my heart’s barely beating City gates rise from the sand Lay me down to heal in the courtyard Of the king of all these lands I left my home so long ago But it’s not gold or silver I wish to own I only want to see with my own eyes The great king in splendor on his throne Mansa, Mansa Musa! Mansa, Mansa Musa!