Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Lyrics: Democracy, by DaGrin

Intro: 
Corruption ti hit nation
Gbogbo wa la n live in desperation
Tori 'e n'mo se n drink medication
Fun protection against starvation pelu corruption
Tori generation yii, a need salvation
Through a strong constitution
Ninu studio, owo naa l'afi n book session
E joo e stop sensation
A need action ko n se prosecution
Free/Fair pelu alaafia ninu nation
E gbo nnkan ti mo fe so 
eleyii 'o nse body vibration

(Clear throat)
1. 
Nigeria ni mo ti ri t'olopa ma n toro bara
Nitori twenty naira won le fi ba e faa ya!
Agbero maa n f'agidi gba Gala lowo driver
E'e ri nnkan kan se si, eyin ijoba e n kaalara
Gbogbo owo ti e ti gbe mi l'awon omo omo yin maa bi
E'e ri bi awon ara ilu se n pariwo: Ebi!
T'oba ri life ti talika n live ni Birnin Kebbi
Gbogbo yin patapata ni Olorun maa da l'ebi. 

A'a ran omo lo si school, ko ni si textbook
E de promise pe e maa fun wa ni free education
Ki l'on je bee? Owo nla ma l'a fi n s'admission.
E de ti ko gbogbo awon omo ti yin kuro ninu nation.

A ti igba ti mo ti n ko'rin, mi o ni money
E'e tie ki n soro rara nipa music industry
Economically, agidi l'a fi n ra bread
Ta lo so wipe President o ki n fine ninu telly?

E'e mo ju ki e so'ro petrol, pelu football
A ti igba ti a de ti n gba World Cup, a'a gba cup.
O ga o! Boya gan an l'atie gba second.
Awon yen naa, won a maa play ball bi alakan.

Graduate maa maa wa'se, gbogbo bata e a je,
a'a ye s'egbe, everywhere ko si employment,
Eni ti o ti n kole tele, ko le ra cement,
Increase ni rent, decrease ni salary payment.

Chorus:
Shey democracy leleyii abi crazy demo? 
Oluwa shaanu wa dakun ma ma je ka jego.
Ba'a laju awon ijoba ko to di quarter-to. 
Mo de pariwo titi fun yin 'pe kee ma dibo. 
Se democracy l'eleyi abi crazy demo? 
Oluwa s'aanu wa dakun ma ma je k'a je'go.
Ba wa laju awon ijoba ko to di quarter-to.
Mo de pariwo titi fun yin wipe k'e ma d'ibo. 

2.
Awon eeyan n sise, won n gbe ninu ise,
Awon elo mii, nitori owo, won ti gb'ese.
Awon elomii n gb'owo ni ita, nitori won le ju ese,
Nigba to je awon ijoba gan an, won o p'ese ise.

Wo'a lo si university, wa se tan, waa gba pali,
Pelu pali re, wa tun maa wa'se ka kaakiri,
Gbogbo ibi ti o ba lo, won a ni kosi vacancies.
Gbogbo kini yen, o maa ma fun e ni headache.

Awon elomii n jale tori ko si ise ni igboro.
Economically, most obinrin ti di ashewo.
O ga o! Ko de 'n se ejo elomii ti e ba ro o.
Sugbon aso yellow ti di white, l'owo o lilo.

Ijoba, e wa na.  (clears throat).  E duro na. 
O ga o.  Eekan l'osu l'a ma n ni ina. 
O n happen all over Nigeria, pelu Kaduna,
Minna, gbogbo yin ti e ba ilu je l'e maa gb'ina. 

Aimoye titi ti o je'pe moto o le gba 'be.
Lo si under bridge l'Oshodi, gbogbo ibe ti baje.
Ti ojo ba ro, gbogbo ibe yen maa di kpenshen-kpenshen.
Ti o ba ya, a si maa gbe oko oju omi koja ni be. 

Gbogbo promise ti e make, iro l'o wa n' be
Sebi eyin naa, e ma n travel lo si Yankee. 
E'e ri bi titi won pelu economy won se ri?
Eyin kan n lo si be, e kan lo n se faaji!

Gbogbo nnkan l'awon ijoba yii fi ni wa l'ara.
Ko de ri bee nigba ti a koko gba ominira.
But nigba ti awon Big Bros ti take over,
Gbogbo owo wa patapata ni won fi n da agbada.

Nigeria, gbogbo wa l'a n fi ori f'aya
A t'omode a t'agbalaba, pelu t'oko t'aya,
Baba, mama, pelu awon omo mefa ma sun si inu yara
eyo kan.  Bawo ni won o se ni maa l'alakala? 

Chorus / Se democracy ...

3.
Awon eeyan maa n ni Nigeria, Giant of Africa,
Lo wo bi economy won se better ni South Africa.
Ghana celebrate ten years ti won ti ni ina, ti won o tan atupa.
Ti tiyin e'e mo ju ki e s'oge, ki e tun wo agbada. 

Igba kan ni won maa n ko awon were l'oju titi,
awon were maa n rin kiri pelu awon eeyan gidi.
Ni isinyin, awon were, won o l'identity -
Local Government kan, o le pade were fifty. 
 
Ki lo de?  Awon olowo nikan lo n s'oge.
Awon omo yin, pelu awon iyawo nyin, won n gbe gele. 
E n gbe fila.  Democracy alagbada. 
O ga o.  Owo gbogbo wa l'e fin n yi ata. 

National ID Card, owo l'a fi n register. 
A o ri nnkan kan.  E da passport wa pada. 
E n waste time omode pelu agbalagba.
E se o.  E ranti 'pe Olorun wa.
Igba ti a gbo National ID Card, inu wa dun. 
Asee won n d'ogbon, won fe ki Oba wole. 
Oba ti wole, agidi l'a fi n san'wo ile.
School ma n strike, ohun yen, se iyen la fe pe ni holiday? 

E'e san owo awon osise, ranti pe awon naa l'omo n'le.
Awa l'a ni petrol, ki lo de ti petrol 'o flow?
E n gb'owo le e l'ojoojumo, ki lo se yin o? 
Ti Olorun ba binu, gbogbo yin ni petrol maa jo. 
Se democracy alagbada l'eleyii tabi shimi? 
E ranti 'pe most people l'o te'ka fun yin
A'a le ra Maclean(s), pako l'a maa fi n fo eyin
Ki lo se yin?  Eeyan sha l'awon Bill Clinton.

O'o le ji l'ojo kan, ki o so 'pe o fe je iyan.
Lai se ojo Sunday.  Garri nikan gan an ti won. 
Alagbara l'eni ti o ba ra rice De Rica kan.
O pay mi ki n kuro ni Nigeria, ki n sa lo si Abidjan. 

Chorus / Se democracy ...
Chorus / Se democracy ...

Advertisement: Read my books.
###Three Sisters, novel #1 here###
Rapper DaGrin died in April 22, 2010 at age 22, just months after the release of his massive hit album C.E.O. (Chief Executive Omo-ita).  I previously wrote about him here
Democracy is from one of his earlier projects, I believe.  I have it 
(along with Ndigbo/Ndi Igbo, If You No Fit Fly, Kekere, Bounce With Me, and many more experiments) 
on one of the bootleg CDs that was labelled brand new music and hawked in the streets mid-2010.  
Listen to Democracy here.
If you have details or corrections, put them in the comments.  Thanks.
I have also translated the lyrics in the comments.  

13 comments:

t said...

Intro:
Corruption has hit the nation
All of us 're living in desperation
This is the reason I drink medication
For protection from starvation and corruption.
'Cos this generation, we need salvation
Through a strong constitution.
In the studio, we need money to book sessions.
Please stop sensation(-alizing)
We need action, not prosecution (persecution?)
Free and fair life, and well-being in the nation.

Listen to what I have to say,
This (music) isn't body vibration:

(Clear throat)
1.
Only in Nigeria - police begging for alms.
For just twenty naira, they would f' you up.
Thugs forcibly collect fees from drivers,
While you do nothing, the government is getting on my nerves.
All the money you swallowed, your children's children will vomit.
Don't you see how the townspeople cry: Hunger?
If you see the life of the poor in Birnin Kebbi.
Every one of you, God will hold responsible.

We send children to school, they have no textbooks.
But you promised to give us free education.
(Yeah, right) what's that? We pay big just for admission.
While you've taken all YOUR kids out of the nation.

I've been making music for so long, yet have no money.
You never even talk at all about the music industry.
Economically, we can barely afford bread.
Who says the President doesn't look nice on TV?

All you know is to talk petrol and football.
We've been playing the World Cup for long too, never win the Cup.
Wow/Wonder/Damn! I don't think we've even been runner-up (second).
Those players too, playing like crabs! :)

Graduates looking for jobs, till their shoes are worn,
Shoes crooked/bent to one side, everywhere no employment,
The one who was building houses, now can't buy cement.
Increase in rent - decrease in salary payment.

Chorus:
Is this democracy, or 'crazy demo'
God have mercy, please don't let us screw up.
Open the eyes of the government folk, before it's too late.
You know I shouted all this while, saying y'all shouldn't vote.


Continued...

t said...

2.
People are working, but living in poverty.
Some people, because of money, have sinned.
Some people earn money out there for throwing punches,
Since the government itself didn't provide jobs.

You'd go to university, finish, get a certificate.
With your certificate, you're roaming looking for a job.
Everywhere you go, they'll say 'no vacancy'
All these things will give you a headache.

Some people steal because there are no jobs out there.
Economically, most girls have become prostitutes.
Woah, but it's not their fault sometimes if you think on it,
The yellow cloth has turned white now, from overuse.

Government, come here a sec. (clears throat.) Wait a minute.
Really - We get (electric) light once a month.
This happens all over Nigeria, including Kaduna,
Minna; all of you who ruined this town will explode (catch fire)

Uncountable roads that can't let cars through.
Go under the bridge in Oshodi, complete ruins.
When it rains, the whole place turns to mud,
Soon we'll need boats/ships to drive there.

All the promises you made, full of lies.
But don't you also travel to Yankee (America)?
Don't you see how their roads, their economy, are?
Instead, you just went there to party.

This government makes our lives a hassle in every way.
And it wasn't so when we first gained independence.
But now the Big Bros have taken over,
Every last bit of our money is spent on their grand robes.

Nigeria, we're all sleeping/suffering (?) together,
Imagine children and grown-ups, husbands and wives,
Father, mother, and six children sleeping in a room.
Together. Tell me why they won't dream strange things? :|

Chorus / Democracy

3.
People say Nigeria is the Giant of Africa.
Go see how much better the economy of South Africa.
While Ghana celebrated 10 years of electricity, no oil lamps or lanterns needed.
But your only concern is to look good, and wear grand robes.

There was a time they used to clear mad people from the streets,
Mentally ill people used to walk the streets with regular people,
But now, the mad ones have no identity.
In one local government area, you'd meet 50 crazies.

But why? It's only the rich people looking pretty.
Your children, your wives, wearing headties.
You have caps. A democracy of grand robes.
Wow. It's the collective money that you're spending/eating.

National ID card: we paid to register.
We saw/got nothing. Return our passports.
You're wasting our time - young and old.
Thank you. Remember: there is God.
You know, when we heard 'National ID card', we were happy.
Didn't know it was a trick, to get Oba(=king) in.
Oba has entered now, but we can't afford our rent.
School's closed, on strike, should we call that a holiday?

You don't pay salaries; remember they too have kids at home.
We own the petrol, why is petrol not flowing?
You raise the price every day, what is wrong with you?
If God gets angry, petrol will burn all of you.
Is this a democracy of outer robes or underwear?
Remember that most people voted for you.
We can't afford toothpaste, we brush with wood.
What is wrong with you? Can't you be like Bill Clinton? (Literally: aren't people like Bill Clinton mere humans?)

You can't just wake one day and wish to eat pounded yam,
Like, unless it's a Sunday. Even garri is expensive.
Great is the one who can buy one tin of rice.
I'd be better off leaving Nigeria, and running off to Abidjan.

Chorus / Democracy
Chorus / Democracy

t said...

Edit in first verse: Gala, not 'kala'. Gala is a bestselling brand of an inexpensive sausage snack sold in Lagos traffic.

Unknown said...

Good lyrics, bad government

Unknown said...

I like the way you rewrite the lyrics

Unknown said...

Thanks Alot
Much love πŸ’•πŸ’πŸ’Ÿ

Anonymous said...

Dagrin national. I still love you

Anonymous said...

Lovely,how I wish our musicians can continues using their song conveying messages to the government like dagrin,R I P DAGRIN you will forever be missed

Anonymous said...

Respect from day 1

Anonymous said...

Respect for dagrin evergreen

Anonymous said...

I love the way you write the lyrics

Anonymous said...

Awesome rewriting

Anonymous said...

Everything is now happening 😭😭😭😭😭...No money,no light,no food,no petroleum,no enjoyment,no peace of mind...May God punish the government and bless the nation and the peopleπŸ™πŸ™πŸ™