VOICE FROM HEAVEN

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)

1 comment