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  1. Million
    Aaa … everybody don’t say Yeah! Yeah!
    Yeah! Yeah!
    Don’t say Yeah! Yeah!
    Yeah! Yeah!
    Oya o, s’eegbo
    We want do examination
    Make you not fear now
    When you dey hear exam, why you dey fear?
    Exam, small one
    Examination which I dey talk
    Na true or false
    Simple objective question
    Simple objective answer
    Ahaa you see now
    Na simple one
    Make you not fear
    Alright, if na true you go shout
    Oh yes
    If na lie you go shout
    No no no
    If na true you go shout
    Oh yes
    Ah, if na lie you go shout
    No no no
    You done dey hear long time, say
    Them they thief our money o
    Million pounds and dollars
    Million million Naira
    But my brother, se you sabi million?
    Se emi
    En you
    Emi gangan
    En, you gangan
    You sabi million?
    Aa Lagbaja ma mess mi now
    I sabi now
    For where
    So damo to ba ri?
    Aa
    To ba ri million gangan
    Se you done see million before?
    Well …
    You done touch am before?
    No no no
    Abi se you done hold am before?
    No no no
    Se you done spend million before?,
    No no no
    For where?u
    Na so it easy?
    Not be small money o
    All the same sha, your people dey thief am
    En
    Anyway sha o ya, we want do examination
    Examination which I dey talk
    Na true or false
    Simple objective question
    Simple objective answer
    Aaa if na true you go shout
    Oh yes
    If na lie you go shout
    No no no
    If na true you go shout
    Oh yes
    If na lie you go shout
    No no no
    Labourer who dey collect 500 daily paid
    After one month
    Him money go reach 15000
    That na say him work for Sunday too o
    Everyday like that for one year
    Him still never never smell 200,000
    Yes
    Everyday
    January to December
    No break, no holiday o
    Aaa
    Plus Sunday o
    Plus Saturday o
    No rest, no holiday o
    No Christmas day, No Boxing day
    No New Year’s day, No Ileya
    If he work like that, like machine
    Everyday for five years
    Still se, him never smell one million rara
    Yes, gba be
    Lai lai, gbe be
    Gba se, him total never reach one million o
    Na so million be o, e
    Your people them they thief
    Am o
    Chorus: Se million po to yen ni
    Ah, it plenty like so?
    Gba be? Oo mo
    Gba be
    By the way
    Na Naira we still dey talk about o
    And your people not dey thief Naira lasan
    Dollar them they thief
    Pound them they thief
    Deutsche Mark them they thief
    Oh yes
    Make you dey collect one thousand everyday
    After two years
    You still never smell one million rara
    En, Oo de gbodo na nibe
    Oo gbodo jeun
    That is to say you must not spend one kobo at all
    For two years complete
    Aa you better believe
    Carry calculator
    If you think say I dey lie
    Sit down for there
    If na dollars and pounds wa nko
    That one pass your mathematics patapata o
    Aa, no be cowrie we dey talk o
    We dey talk of dollar gangan
    Do you know the “is equal to” of dollar?
    One dollar is equal to hundred Naira
    So therefore, one million dollar is equal to, is equal to
    Is equal to, isi …
    Iss qua qua
    Is equal to, is equal to
    One hundred million Naira
    O tan
    Chorus; Se million po to yen ni
    Olopa o
    It plenty like so
    Ori iya mi o
    Hee, ori iya re wo?
    Se’ya re alatarodo
    Hee Gbogbo atarodo re never reach five thousand Nair
    Hee hee Oo mo nkan kan
    Okada mewa, ten okada
    It never reach one million
    Minimum wage which them they ask
    Ten workers for one year never reach million
    En share am well well o
    Ma feyin p’eran o

  2. Abami
    Many many, many many years ago
    For Yoruba land
    Before them born your papa
    And my mama
    Before them born your grandpapa papa papa papa self o
    You not dey there
    I not dey there
    But you believe
    We believe our history o
    Them say, fire fire
    Fire, fire dey come out
    Fire, fire fire fire for him mouth
    Chorus: Sango o
    Sango Olukoso
    Last century which him pass
    History happen for my eye
    This one not be them say, them say
    It happen for my eye
    Korokoro like this o
    If I not dey for there
    I for say na lie
    Just like some people who no believe say fire dey come out for Sango mouth o
    Na those who dey for there
    Pass down the history
    But this particular history happen for my eye gangan
    This one not be them say, them say
    It happen for my eye
    Korokoro like this o
    Chorus: Abami
    When him start to dey yab, ahh
    Dictator go dey shake ahh
    Oppressor go dey fear
    When him put him mouth for song
    Philosophy go dey fllow
    When him put him horn for mouth
    Melody go dey blow
    Eleeniyan
    Ogostine
    Baba 70 0
    Ah bee fe bee ko, shm!
    Bee fe bee ko se
    Laye
    Refrain: abami ti d’orisa o, yeepa
    Baba 70 dey o
    Dey o, dey o
    Abami ti d’orisa o, yeepa
    Baba 70 dey o
    Ti o ba te e lorun
    If it not sweet your belle
    Enter Idumota motor
    Drop for Iddo
    Waka reach Carter bridge
    Look down you go see
    Plenty plenty water
    Oya jump inside o
    Mr “Holier than thou”
    What you do for your society?
    Baba struggle for better society
    You say him dey chop
    Baba say na vegetable him dey chop
    O tan abi o tan o
    O tan
    O pari abi o pari
    Finito e
    Abami ti d’orisa …

  3. Vernacular
    Refrain: I speak
    You hear
    When you speak
    I understand
    Oro wa ti year, idea lo ju
    If I fire and you dodge, I don’t care
    Na the beginning of craze be that
    If I fire and you dodge, I don’t care
    Na the beginning of craze be that

    Fela: You see, that is the trouble I have with my country
    So until somebody speaks English
    Lagbaja: Mi o mo fun won o
    Fela: That he speaks well?
    Lagbaja: En
    Fela: Eee, have you listened to deep Ibo people?
    Lagbaja: Them not dey listen, hee, colo people? Un un un
    Fela: My brother have you listened to deep Yoruba people talk?
    Lagbaja: O ti o, them not appreciate our language now
    Fela: Talk philosophy
    Lagbaja: Unnnn
    Fela: Deep meanings
    Lagbaja: Ijinle
    Fela: Deep meanings
    Lagbaja: Owe nla nla
    Fela: That the meanings don’t even exist in English?
    Lagbaja: Oh yes. O ya take oyinbo translate: “O nyi’mu si mi”
    Fela: Ahenn
    Lagbaja: “O nmo mi loju”
    Fela: tThat’s what I’m saying
    Lagbaja: E kaabo na welcome, but wetin be: “Ekuule o”
    Fela: (laughs) yes. So what are we talking? English is not expression, please
    Lagbaja: Mba mba, lai lai
    Fela: Expression is in Yoruba
    Lagbaja: Our own language gangan
    Fela: Expression is in all language all over Nigeria
    Lagbaja: Enn
    Fela: English? English? No, no, no. English is not expression, please
    Lagbaja: If you no gree, oya translate “E kuule o”
    Fela: English is not expression

    Refrain: I speak
    You hear …
    Fela: I don’t care
    That is the beginning of craze

    Bridge: No’ dey fear to express yourself
    Tabon men
    Gbo gbo gbosa
    Kolori gb’ori
    Gbo gbo gbosa
    O ya je e tabon
    Gbo gbo gbosa
    English not get expression like your mother tongue
    Not dey fear to talk am
    Refrain: If I fire and you dodge, I don’t care ...
    Fela: Expression is in all languages all over Nigeria
    English?
    English?
    No no no
    English is not expresiion, please
    English is not expression
    Fela: (Coughs) Look
    Lagbaja: Sorry
    Fela: Go to the village gangan gangan where they born you
    Go and talk English (Laughs, coughs)
    Lagbaja: S’oo loo gbede?
    Fela: Now now, spirit will catch you
    You will see yourself
    Lagbaja: I sabi one big, man o
    Fela: He is a big man?
    Lagbaja: Yes big man
    Say make him pickin not talk our language
    Say na vernacular
    Fela: Eee
    Lagbaja: En
    Fela: He is talking rubbish
    Lagbaja: Him mother tongue, na him dey call vernacular o
    Fela: He should be hung at kiri kiri
    Lagbaja: How many oyinbo savvy your tongue the way you savvy oyinbo?
    Fela: A hen
    Lagbaja: Other nations dey talk them own …
    Fela: Other nations, Europe to Japan, to London to America …
    Lagbaja: Yes now …
    Fela: France …
    Lagbaja: All of them dey …
    Fela: Let me finish
    Lagbaja: Ah, All of …
    Fela: Make I finish now
    Lagbaja: Err, sorry baba
    Fela: Emm, in Berlin, Moscow, South America, Spain and Portugal …
    Lagbaja: Langauage dey communication, talk make I understand, o tan
    Fela: Finish

    Refrain: I speak
    You hear

    Bridge: Not dey fear to express yourself
    Tabon men
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Kolori gbo’ri
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Oya ju’kan si mi
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Ki njukan si e
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Are your hear me?
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Idea is need
    Gbo, gbo, gbosa
    Bo wu e ko tabon
    (Fela: I don’t care)
    gbo, gbo, gbosa
    English not get expression like your mother tongue
    Talk make I understand
    O tan.

  4.  Put Am Well Well
    Market Chants: Obe ree, obe
    Eran niyen o
    Nbo nbe
    Ee ee ee, obe
    Moinmoin epo, ole mi rodo
    Iyo olokun ree
    E ra’yo e sebe
    Eja odo
    Eja odo
    E wo’ju obe
    E wo’ju obe, e mu’yan o
    Iru Abekuta ree
    Iru Abekuta ree
    Gari oloyo dee
    Nbo nbo
    Ee obe
    Lagbaja: Ijebu omo alare, them not dey joke with ikokore
    Fela: And gari, morning afternoon and night
    Lagbaja: Kwara, them not dey joke with wara
    Fela: And eko
    Lagbaja: Ekiti, early morning iyan
    Fela: Ah! You don’t know? Iyan! Twenty four hours ni
    Lagbaja: Early morning iyan, count me out
    Fela: Ah! How can you talk like that?
    Lagbaja: Count me out its too early for …
    Fela: Try
    Lagbaja: Try wetin
    Fela: Try
    Lagbaja: Make I come dey sleep for work
    Fela: No, not be that
    Lagbaja: When bread and butter dey
    Fela: No, excuse me. You see, colonialism makes you think that bread and butter is better than gari
    Lagbaja: A ha, Me I not be colo. Bread and butter get him own advantage
    Fela: Lai lai
    Lagbaja: It get
    Fela: Lai lai
    Lagbaja: I say, it get
    Fela: Lai lai
    Lagbaja: Oh baba, you not go want hear person
    Fela: Okay, tell me
    Lagbaja: Bread and butter not go weigh you down
    Fela: that one not concern me
    Lagbaja: Ahaa
    Fela: It not concern me
    Lagbaja: Eh
    Fela: You see now. The educated men would eat sausage and bread every morning. They forget that ewa and moinmoin taste better
    Lagbaja: Ah … to ba je ti moinmoin, emi wa fun yen o. abi you self like am?
    Fela: Me?
    Lagbaja: En
    Fela: Me, Fela?
    Lagbaja: En. You like am?
    Fela: Ahaa. You don’t know? Just cut am.sham … sensere. Put am. Pam … pam. Unhun … straight … iyam.
    Lagbaja: You go finish am?
    Fela: Patapata
    Lagbaja: Aah
    Fela: (chuckles)
    Lagbaja: Baba
    Fela: Ha! You don’t know? My name is fela
    Gimme gimme better food chop

    Chorus: Put am well well
    Put am well well
    African man he not dey chop small sensere o
    As a big man concern
    Normally, I not dey chop plenty o
    But make you not come think say I dey vex
    Put am well well
    Gimme gimme better food chop
    Ee leba, ee niyan
    Ko soka, ko s’anomo
    Ki lo w ape mi se ni party o
    O sa mo’bi mo ti wa
    Put am well well …
    Fela: (clears throat) Okay. Now, look. You see, me I know one thing. You see, human beings may seem to be the same. No, but you see, African is different from Europeans in the inner and cultural structure from the creator’s ascendancy.
    Lagbaja: Baba
    Fela: Na so. White man’s food is white man’s way. You know. The African way gangangan … Unhun … is different from white man’s system
    Ahh … Gimme gimme better food chop

    Chorus: Put am well well
    Put am well well
    African man, he not dey chop small sensere o
    As a big man concern
    Normally I not dey chop plenty o
    But make you not come think say I dey vex
    You better put am well well
    Put am well well
    Bi o soka mo nlo
    Ma binu kori sile o
    Imagine won leba, won n’iyan
    Gimme gimme better food chop now now now
    Ee lewa, ko si kundi
    Le w ape mi si party
    Gimme gimme better food chop
    Now now now now now now now now
    Isu tab’anamo
    Asaro te npe leebe
    Oka te npe lamala
    Iyan, eba, tuwo, moinmoin elepo
    Put am well well
    Se lo ba wo mi ko tun mi wo dada
    Boya mo jo ehoro
    Te fi kewe si mi labo o
    Ema f’ebi pa mi ku o
    Oyinbo je salad mo jefo
    Sebi ka ti je vegetable ni
    Oyinbo mu youghort, mo mu kunu
    Se k’inu sa ti kun o
    Put am well well
    Put put put put put put put put am
    Put am well well
    Gimme gimme better food chop
    African man, he not dey chop sensere
    As a big man concern
    Sa I not dey chop plenty o
    But make you not dey think say I dey vex
    Put am well well

    Market chant: E ya wa jeyan ohun o
    Fele fele se lo gbona foo
    Obe egusi ni mo mi see o
    Fisi
    Ko’I to o