Shakara
Fela Kuti Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

To ba b'oni sakara pade
Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje
Kini won se npe o
Shakara oloje ni

Shakara oloje ni

Shakara oloje ni o

We get the Shakara man
We get the Shakara woman
Shakara man, him go say
"I go beat you, I go nearly kill you"

Na Shakara, I go beat you
You go be like you get accident
Na Shakara

You no know me, na Shakara
Wait make I commot my dress
Na Shakara

You see, even if you do nothing
Na Shakara oloje
We get a song for that
We dey sing am like this, we go say
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni

Ma kan na e, ma kan na e pa
Iwo ke, oti mo mi ni
To ba to ko duro de mi o

Duro de mi ki'nbo so mi
Wa je baba nla iya iro ni o ko le ja
Oje lo nyo, kini won se npe o

Shakara oloje ni

Shakara oloje ni o

The Shakara woman
Tell am say, "My dear I like you"
She go say, "You like who?, who you like?"

Commot jare, look at this man
Why you come from self?
Non be me and you, no touch me o

Ah, you see, she wan do
Na Shakara
We dey call am Shakara oloje

We get a song for that
We sing am like this, we go sing
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni

To ba f'owo kan mi
To ba f'owo kan mi
Jowo fi mi sile, tabi ki lo nse e
O m'egbe ni, nibo loti jawa

Nibo loti jawa
Nibo loti jawa to lokun lorun
Emi pelu re ko
Ah ah, Iro ni o, o fe se o oje lon'yo
Kini won se npe o

Shakara oloje ni





Shakara oloje ni o

Overall Meaning

Fela Kuti's song, Shakara, is a socio-political commentary in which he brilliantly criticizes the deceptive nature of people, particularly those in positions of power. The Yoruba phrase "To ba b'oni sakara pade" translates to "If you come across a sakara player," referring to the traditional Yoruba drummer, and Fela uses the image of a Sakara player to symbolize the people in power who deceive and oppress the masses. The phrase "Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje" means "The shot that won't kill the animal will only make the animal more fierce," implies that the people in power will become more ruthless if their strategies are unsuccessful. Shakara, which means "deception" or "drama" in Yoruba, is described in the song as the tool used by those in power to oppress the masses.


Fela paints a picture of both the Shakara man and woman in the song, highlighting their attitudes and tactics towards people. The Shakara man is arrogant and boasts about his abilities to intimidate, while the Shakara woman is cunning and deceptive in her interactions with others. Fela also shows how the Shakara people use music as a tool to manipulate and deceive people. He sings, "Even if you do nothing, we have a song for that, we sing it like this," emphasizing the power of music as a means of control.


The song ends with Fela singing, "To ba f'owo kan mi," meaning "If you owe me money," and he poses questions about what will happen in the event of non-payment. He points out that the Shakara people are liars and highlights the need for caution when dealing with them. In summary, Shakara is an outstanding critique of the deceptive nature of people in power, their use of music as a tool to manipulate people, and the importance of caution when dealing with them.


Line by Line Meaning

To ba b'oni sakara pade
If you come across a Shakara person


Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje
Someone who likes to boast and intimidate others


Kini won se npe o
That's what they call Shakara


Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life


Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life


Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life


We get the Shakara man
They have men who are experts in Shakara


We get the Shakara woman
They have women who are experts in Shakara


Shakara man, him go say
The Shakara man will say


"I go beat you, I go nearly kill you"
"I will beat you up, I will almost kill you"


Na Shakara, I go beat you
It's all part of Shakara to beat someone up


You go be like you get accident
You will look like you just had an accident


Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara


You no know me, na Shakara
You don't know me, it's just Shakara


Wait make I commot my dress
Let me take off my clothes


Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara


You see, even if you do nothing
Even if you did nothing wrong


Na Shakara oloje
It's all part of the Shakara lifestyle


We get a song for that
They have a song for that


We dey sing am like this, we go say
We sing it like this


Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni


Ma kan na e, ma kan na e pa
Don't touch me, don't touch me again


Iwo ke, oti mo mi ni
You, you know I didn't do anything


To ba to ko duro de mi o
If you continue to bother me


Duro de mi ki'nbo so mi
Leave me alone, what do you want from me?


Wa je baba nla iya iro ni o ko le ja
Come and see the great father, the mother of lying, no one can beat them


Oje lo nyo, kini won se npe o
Everything is for show, that's what they call Shakara


Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life


Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life


The Shakara woman
The woman who loves Shakara


Tell am say, "My dear I like you"
Tells him/her, "My dear, I like you"


She go say, "You like who?, who you like?"
She'll say, "Who do you like?"


Commot jare, look at this man
Just leave, look at this man


Why you come from self?
Where did you come from?


Non be me and you, no touch me o
"It's not me and you, don't touch me"


Ah, you see, she wan do
Ah, you see, she wants to


Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara


We dey call am Shakara oloje
They call it Shakara lifestyle


We get a song for that
They have a song for that


We sing am like this, we go sing
We sing it like this


Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni


To ba f'owo kan mi
If you owe me money


To ba f'owo kan mi
If you owe me money


Jowo fi mi sile, tabi ki lo nse e
Please leave me alone, or what do you want?


O m'egbe ni, nibo loti jawa
He's troublesome, where can we send him?


Nibo loti jawa
Where can we send him?


Nibo loti jawa to lokun lorun
Where can we send him to the end of the world?


Emi pelu re ko
It's not me and him


Ah ah, Iro ni o, o fe se o oje lon'yo
Ah ah, it's a lie, you want to do Shakara again?


Kini won se npe o
That's what they call Shakara


Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life


Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life




Lyrics © F.K.O. Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG VM MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Kuti Fela Anikulapo

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@felakuti

+Daphne Pitts
Hello Daphne Pitts. If you haven't seen the Finding Fela film and you would love to see it, you can purchase the film documentary in the shop section on http://fela.net/

Here some preview videos from the Finding Fela DVD/Blu Ray;

Finding Fela's Talking Heads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0y6P6-GNDs

The Music of Fela Kuti (discussion) - From Finding Fela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2zqz5jWF4

Enjoy



All comments from YouTube:

@anibiretemitope3441

My mother is sick with cancer and Baba fela songs are all she wants to listen too😂😂 To God be the glory is getting better 🙏

@prettyhollypolly7553

Aww I'm sorry hope she gets better.

@josemariaherrador2864

The only artist that every time he put a record out got arrested and suffer imprisonment.
Some balls. Respect to Fela.

@josemariaherrador2864

I know. Did you see 'Finding Fela documentary. Brilliant footage.

@josemariaherrador2864

+Daphne Pitts this is a 2014 documentary. watch. very good.

@felakuti

+Daphne Pitts
Hello Daphne Pitts. If you haven't seen the Finding Fela film and you would love to see it, you can purchase the film documentary in the shop section on http://fela.net/

Here some preview videos from the Finding Fela DVD/Blu Ray;

Finding Fela's Talking Heads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0y6P6-GNDs

The Music of Fela Kuti (discussion) - From Finding Fela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2zqz5jWF4

Enjoy

@dakotak51

+Jose Maria Herrador Gucci mane tho

@acehardy1393

+Jose Maria Herrador where are you from?

39 More Replies...

@lexifanpxge

i’m only 15 , my dad played Fela 24/7 now i know all the words to all his music & i just want to say rip to a legend 💚

@alexhelm6784

kiss ur dad for tht knowledge

More Comments

More Versions