Zombie
Fela Anikulapo Kuti & the Afrika 70 Lyrics
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Zombie o, zombie (Zombie o, zombie)
Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go (Zombie)
Zombie no go stop, unless you tell am to stop (Zombie)
Zombie no go turn, unless you tell am to turn (Zombie)
Zombie no go think, unless you tell am to think (Zombie)
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Tell am to go kill
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Tell am to go quench
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Go and kill! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Go and die! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Go and quench! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Put am for reverse! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
Joro, jara, joro
Attention! (Zombie)
Quick march!
Slow march! (Zombie)
Left turn!
Right turn! (Zombie)
About turn!
Double up! (Zombie)
Salute!
Open your hat! (Zombie)
Stand at ease!
Fall in! (Zombie)
Fall out!
Fall down! (Zombie)
Get ready!
Halt!
Order!
Dismiss!
The song "Zombie" by Fela Anikulapo Kuti & the Afrika 70's is a protest song against the Nigerian government and the military regime in power in the 1970s. The song denounces the behavior of soldiers who blindly follow orders like zombies without questioning the morality and legality of their actions. In the song, Fela describes soldiers as zombies that do not act with intelligence, but as machines ready to follow orders given by their superiors. The chorus states that the zombie will not go unless told to go, will not turn unless told to turn, and will not think unless told to think. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, with this critical tone, denounces the dictatorship installed by the military, which led to arbitrary arrests, torture, and violations of human rights.
The verse "Tell am to go straight, Go and kill! Go and die! Go and quench! Put am for reverse!" indicates the orders that the soldiers receive to kill, die, and suppress the innocent population. Fela says that the soldiers do not have any sense of morality or humanity and that they follow orders blindly, which makes them just as dead as a zombie. In the end, Fela calls for attention, quick march, slow march, and different military training methods that are ironically juxtaposed with the image of the zombies.
Line by Line Meaning
Zombie o, zombie (Zombie o, zombie)
This refers to the zombies under a command that can only move when commanded to.
Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go (Zombie)
Zombie can only march forward when ordered to do so.
Zombie no go stop, unless you tell am to stop (Zombie)
Zombies will keep going unless told to stop.
Zombie no go turn, unless you tell am to turn (Zombie)
Zombies will only change direction as per orders.
Zombie no go think, unless you tell am to think (Zombie)
Zombies do not have the ability to think by themselves.
Tell am to go straight
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Tell am to go kill
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Tell am to go quench
A joro, jara, joro
No break, no job, no sense
A joro, jara, joro
Orders to make the zombies perform different tasks without a break, job, or sense.
Go and kill! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Go and die! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Go and quench! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Put am for reverse! (Joro, jaro, joro)
Orders given to command the zombie to engage in tasks without any thought or consideration, including self-threatening tasks.
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way
The zombies are unresponsive and will only take orders, making them a one-way entity.
Attention! (Zombie)
Quick march!
Slow march! (Zombie)
Left turn!
Right turn! (Zombie)
About turn!
Double up! (Zombie)
Salute!
Open your hat! (Zombie)
Stand at ease!
Fall in! (Zombie)
Fall out!
Fall down! (Zombie)
Get ready!
Halt!
Order!
Dismiss!
A list of commands that can be given to the zombies for physical movement and carrying out a particular task.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@giovannidefelice130
Man do some research
military coup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_coups_in_Nigeria#The_July_1966_coup
regime under:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakubu_Gowon
nigeria civil war:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War
who's using violence?
@felakuti
Hello everyone, and thank you all for watching Fela's Zombie on the "Official Fela Youtube Channel". We seen the amount of love this song gets around the world, so from us "Thank you very much :D".We would love you to continue the Fela Express on this channel by subscribing here ► https://goo.gl/8Q1pVw Take care and everyone say "Yeah Yeah" (y)
@StreamingSunrise
the new guy at work introduced me to this. thank you, fela kuti!
@chrisgreene2405
You are a musical genius
@Horus-Lupercal
You two know Kuti passed away in '97 right?
@Emzdrav
YEAH YEAH!!!
@kartelmoneyvevo3395
Fela Kuti boss world
@ulorohgrace9585
Who’s listening in 2024!!! What a master piece. Can Nigeria be worse than it is now? 😢
@oluseyeajose-adeogun2642
I swear
@bolajiadebiyi3684
I was privileged to watch Fela perform this live. Fela was the most courageous Nigerian that ever lived.
@justhuman1722
U're so lucky ❤️😭🙇🏽♀️