Kufi Lyrics

Song Facts

• Genre: Rock, Türkçe Rock
• Producer: Duman
• Writer: Kaan Tangöze
• Mastering Engineer: Fergal Davis
• Mixing Engineer: Pat Donne
• Recording Engineer: Berk Kula
• Release Date: June 24, 2024
• Album: Kufi

Artist Info

Duman is a Turkish rock band from 1999. Renowned for fusing traditional Turkish music with modern rock, they have made a major dent in the scene back home. The band is known for their soulful and poetic lyrics, as well socially-directed themes.

Song Annotations

'Kufi' is Duman's first single in 11 years. The album is packed with political references that referencing scandals and politicians of contemporary Turkey. The theme of frustration and disillusionment with life's state is a thread consistent across the track 'Kufi'. Both innocent and corrupt at the same time, with lyrics like 'their hands are in air, wearing fez / they crush sugar on mirror … so clean / heads must be delicious' as well 'they go to palace by foot… to Palace The President's Open Door steps side.' And then that kufi hat, emblematic of a collapsing compromise. The first verse: 'Ben bu gezegene inemedim abi / Gökyüzü masmavi / Yıldızlar daha iyi. It says I wish my life could be someplace better, simpler and more pure compared to the world around us on Earth. We just could not update to these type of thinking man / This politics is ridiculously mean type #2nd verse And as he goes into the second verse, 'Biz bu kafalara gelemedik abi / Bu gösteri kaçak / Aktörleri sahiden' The reigning political show was completely disrespectful and actors within any performance. "Kargaları yine kovamadık abi" is translated as "the jackdaws were unfazed again, man", expressing the recurrent nature of such issues (karga — 'jackdaw' in Turkish) and our failure to deal with them. The third verse also critiques: 'Padişahı yine deviremedik abi / Bu kuzular çok cahil / Kurtlar şeytani.' It is a battle against oppressive overlords and the oblivious hordes who tolerate their reign. True to the spirit of Duman, this is a politically and socially charged track that works as an effective commentary on current political issues in Turkey. Through vibrant imagery and metaphor, the band illustrates their unhappiness and desire for reform. The repetitive animals horses, donkeys crows and wolves which demonstrate a world of unbalance (abrupt) mayhem (natojnoen), rebellion (CORRUPTION in general). The song is a cry for purity and simplicity in the wake of all this chaos. The lyrical repetition only serves to amplify this and the way it is droning spiralling melody invites a contemporariness akin its subject matter, in just about all of today's Turkey 'Kufi' offers an acerbic critique.