Words and Music composed, written and arranged by Olusegun Akinlolu. No part of these lyrics should be shared in any form or any public space without giving credit to the writer. All rights reserved. Translations in italics © & ℗ 1999 EniObanke
1. BABA ELEDUMARE
You can be what you want to be
You can do all you want to do
It’s all here - it’s in the head - it’s all here…
I don’t know why you’re feeling so sad
I’ve got the music and I have no worries
In my heart, I desire tomorrow
I feel the fire as it burns in my soul
Jọ̀wọ́ Bàbá Elédùmarè, wá súre fún wa
Jọ̀wọ́ Bàbá Elédùmarè, wá gbọ́ o (2ce)
(Bless us, please, Almighty Creator)
Forget the world, it’s so full of injustice,
Forget the pain in your heart, it’s all over
If your dreams are strong, they’ll take you there
Come feel the fire as it burns in this your place
Jọ̀wọ́ Bàbá Elédùmarè, wá súre fún wa
Jọ̀wọ́ Bàbá Elédùmarè, wá gbọ́ o (2ce)
I believe my heart can’t be wrong
I’ve seen tomorrow and I know where I’m going
If your dreams are strong, they’ll take you there
Come feel the fire as it burns in this your place
2. BEHIND THE MASK
I’ll tell you what she thinks in her pretty mind
She’s thinking what to wear to catch your eyes
She wags her tail so loud in the market place
Doesn’t seem to have a care in the world
But I can tell you - behind the mask,
She wants to be loved like every other person, because
A woman wants to be loved
A woman wants flowers and romance
A woman wants to be cared for
Someone to belong to
I’ll tell you what she does when she is alone
She prays to God “Oh Lord, give me a man!”
A man who cares to play 50-50 and fair
Someone to pay the bills and love her through the night
But I can tell you - after all the games
She’s waiting for your “Yes, I do”, because
A woman wants to be loved…
She wants to be your lover and your mother, no wonder
She builds a tent in your heart to be sure you remain pure
3. WHAT A DAY!
Oh, what a day I met you baby
I was the man without a hope
And all my dreams were going nowhere
You pulled me up and here is where I am
Oh, what a day!
I’ve got the feeling, can’t you see
I’ve got the fire in my soul
I’ve got the rhythm, can’t you see
I’ve got the passion and the thrill
Oh what a night I held you baby
The stars were bright in the sky
And in my heart there was an emptiness
You filled it up and gave me all of you
Fire burning up in there
People running up and down
Got you baby and that’s okay
It’s all I want, it’s all I need
Ẹ wá w’ọmọge b’ó ṣe njó…
(Behold the dance of the beautiful maiden)
4. DEAR AFRICA
Ṣe b’à nd’árò ara wa ni o
Ṣe b’à nd’árò ilẹ̀ wa ni o
Ṣe b’à nd’árò Africa ni o
(This is a lament for ourselves; an elegy for Africa)
We had a dream to build a great nation
We had a desire to rule the world
We lost our way and we should have turned around
But all we do is keep on going wrong
How many more years of sorrow will come?
How many more wars will we fight?
Dear Africa I’m worried for you
Come on and tell me, what (are) we going to do?
Tell me where we going to go for love?
Where we going to go for hope?
Show me how we (are) going to live without justice
How (are) we going to live together?
We’ve got the children scattered all over the world
They contribute to those economies
Back in the land the forest has become a desert
We shift the blame from one to the other
How much more blood are we going to shed?
How many more kids will go to war?
Dear Africa I’m down on my knees
Come on and tell me what (are) we going to do?
The sky is bright and the music is high
The spirits of our fathers returning home
Dear Africa give me some hope
Come on and tell me what (are) we going to do?
5. GREEN MEADOWS
Green meadows through the window
Time is static; my heart is full of fire
Take me higher; light so bright and near
Take me higher, over the hills and
Lift me over, above the clouds
Carry me on your wings of an eagle
Give me your peace so cool
I’m willing to go
Willing, I’m willing to go
Mystery spirit of the night
Guardian spirit of the day
Watch my footsteps, be in my eyes
Take my hands in your hands
Take me higher, over the hills…
6. SO MANY GIRLS
The story begins with a letter
Which I got in the month of November
Said I’ve got to go and serve my nation
All for national integration
So I popped my head in the kitchen
And took my mum from her cooking
She got the gist and she shouted
“You are going to have fun baby!”
She must be so happy to be rid of me
So I found my way to Awgu
Where they woke us up with a bugle
Early morning drills were a terror
And the messy toilets a horror
At parade I did my best
When they said “right turn’, I turned to the left
Made everyone think I was a dunderhead
The khaki boys called me a moo-moo
So I shook my head and I zoomed off
I ain’t going back to that place no more
Not on your life, man
So I picked a pen and wrote my mum
Say old woman you may think it’s funny
But service ain’t no fun game
Here in camp I’ve got no money
All the girls behave like virgins,
Even the hookers I knew in school
We got the floor but the party flopped
The only thing was a dry bonfire
The flames went higher as the fun sank lower
I tell you mum, this ain’t no fun game
Out of camp and I heaved a sigh
Everyone was waving bye
I sailed into town with a heavy boot
And got a job in a home of soot
See what my friends are doing out there
Chux is there in Imo, he’s drinking away his boredom
Frank is here in Ngwo, he’s humping around with abandon
Now they say he’s got three babies on the way
And Gentleman AIDS too
So I asked myself, what’s this service thing anyway?
Is about leaders and we the led?
Leaders come preaching what is good
Though they also steal when they are in the mood
They call us leaders of tomorrow
But they have made today such a sorrow
There’s a dark cloud hanging over this land
Perhaps the future is truly in me and you…
For now I try to think of little
Else my sanity wears brittle
It’s my sixth month here in Enugu
And I haven’t learnt a word of Igbo
But I’ve got twenty girls in the kitty
The latest one is a scorcher
She’s got sexy eyes, milky thighs
She knows how to make me holler:
Open up baby, I’m coming in!
7. VOICE FROM HEAVEN
All my life I have sought for real joy and peace of mind
All I wanted was to be a winner
I’ve climbed my hills and I have swum the deepest rivers
But I am not fulfilled, so I beg of you
Jah, what is my mission?
I’ve got to have a vision
You know life is such an illusion and everything is in vain
I’ve come to take a decision on my present situation
So I’m waiting to hear from you, speak on Lord
I’m awaiting the voice from heaven
The rain will fall for both the good and the evil
Seasons come and they go
The sun will surely shine in the sky tomorrow
But I may not be here, so I beg of you
Jah what is my mission?
In my heart there’s an emptiness,
I don’t know what to do
Open my eyes and bless my tongue
So I may sing of your love
Jah what is my mission?
8. JUST BELIEVE
I knew you son as a little baby
In a rambling house just down the road
With other kids in an orphanage kept
You learned to rise and walk before your time
So many times I saw how you suffered
But not for once did tears caress your face
You learned to grow in an unfeeling world
One day you left to find your destiny
I see you son, you’re sweating in the hot sun
Grasping a shovel, carrying heavy loads
The hair is grey at the young age of nineteen
But in your pains you kept your dreams alive
The world is filled with many who want something
What those who have don’t know how to use
Your chance will come, just be ready to grab it
Then you will rise; one day you’ll be away
I see you son, you’re coming into your own
I see the joy, the victory in your eyes
I told you son, I knew all along I was right
One day you’ll rise and then you’ll be away
9. ALL IT TAKES
Woke up this morning, got nowhere to go
Something in my heart tells me I shouldn’t cry
Tears are for babies, worries are for fools
Life will always bow down to the man with faith
I have climbed the mountain and I have seen the valley
Here is everything I’m always longing for
So it doesn’t matter whatever they say
I know where my destiny is taking me
And all my brothers say-
Give it all it takes, and I’ll give it all I know
Give it all my heart and all my soul
I’ve just said my prayers with a breath of fire
Bright is the day that will follow the night
I have a little son and he thinks I am great
In his trusting eyes I see a world of love
Said I’ve been there before, the valley of death
And the all-seeing father says it’s okay
So it doesn’t matter whatever they say
I know where my destiny is taking me
And all my sisters say-
Give it all it takes, and I’ll give it all I know
Give it all my heart and all my soul
10. THE VOICES
Hear the voices from the depth of the ocean
Don’t you know they died for you?
Now you’re living a life of abandon
Don’t you know it’s a shame?
Your brothers died so you’ll be a free man
Free from materialism and lust
You’re living fine; your neighbour is hungry
Don’t you know you’re a shame to all of us?
The world has seen so many rich people
Tell me where (are) they gone now?
The man who sows good seeds will never die
Lives in the heart of the people
You’ll do anything to make another dime
Sell your mother to get along
When you die, your memory will fade away
Some strangers will grab all you had
Don’t you know to give is such a blessing
Don’t you when you give, you will receive ten-fold?
11. DRY DAYS (WET NIGHTS)
Dry days, dry winds; hope is knocking at the door
Rain is going to fall today
Worn thin, worn out but I’m still full of life
Very soon I will be strong again
The rain is going to fall
The sun is going to shine
Soon I will be fine
The rain is going to fall
Wet nights, wet dreams; love is knocking at the door
Sun is going to shine today
Blown dry, blown out but I’m still number one
In no time she’s coming home again
The rain is going to fall…
A man with a dream is a lonely man (3ce)