Thula Sizwe / I Shall Be Released

RELEASING JUNE 12 2026

Common People announces the release of “Thula Sizwe / I Shall Be released”, an updated reinterpretation and remix of a medley recorded by Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone in 1990 in the wake of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. Pairing a traditional Zulu song with Bob Dylan’s iconic “I Shall Be Released”, Common People anchors this contemporary collab, bringing its legacy of resistance and hope into 2026 with a June 12 rollout.

The original emerged in a time when music and movement were deeply intertwined. Makeba and Simone gave voice to parallel struggles in Black South Africa and Black America, shaping not only the sound of resistance but its moral imagination. That context frames this release. Makeba’s influence has recently re-entered popular culture, with her 1960s hit “Pata Pata” featured in the blockbuster “Project Hail Mary,” introducing her work to a new generation. At a time when Black women are setting the pace of public life, this remix draws a line between the work forged then and the work taking shape now. It is offered as a song for this season - meant to steady the disheartened and embolden the courageous, especially the women leading across cultural, and political life as the U.S. approaches the 2026 midterm elections.

TIMING

The June 12 release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising and the fifth national observance of Juneteenth. Common People will debut the medley at Nashville’s official Juneteenth celebration, hosted by the National Museum of African American Music. The timing situates the release within a broader season of civic engagement in the United States.

THULA SIZWE / I SHALL BE RELEASED
Thula Sizwe (PD), I Shall Be Released written by Robert Dylan (SESAC)
© 2026 Universal Tunes (SESAC) (admin by UMPG)

VERSE 1
D G Em
Thula sizwe, ungabokhala (Be still, nation, do not cry)
D/A A D
uJehova wakho uzokunqobela (Your God will come to your rescue)
D G Em
Thula sizwe, ungabokhala (Be still, nation, do not cry)
D/A A D
uJehova wakho uzokunqobela (Your God will come to your rescue)

VERSE 2
D G Em
Inkululeko, inkululeko (Freedom, freedom)
D/A A D
uJehova wakho uzokunqobela (Your God will come to your rescue)

CHORUS
D G Em
I see my light come shining
D/A A D
From the west down to the east
D G Em D/A
Any day now, any day now
A D
I shall be released

VERSE 1
D G D/A
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd
A D
Is a man who swears he's not to blame
D G D/A
All day long I hear him cry so loud
A D
Cryin' out that he was framed

VERSE 2
They say every man needs protection
They say every man must fall
So I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere inside these walls