Trouble Sleep
Fela Kuti Lyrics


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When trouble sleep
Yanga go wake am
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o)
Palaver, he go get
Palaver
When cat sleep
Rat go bite him tail
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver

Tenant lost him job
Him sit down for house
Him dey think of job
Mr. landord come wake am up
He say, "mister, pay me your rent"
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver

My friend just come from prison
Him dey look for work
Waka waka day and night
Police man come stop am for road
He say, "mister, I charge you for wandering"
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver

Mr. husband marry for church
He make big party
Then he start to spra
Because him love him wife
Him say, "wife come run away"
Bank manager run come
He say, "mister, pay me your debt"
Waking him dey find, for lagos e-o
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver

When trouble sleep
Yanga go wake am
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver, he go get-e o

When cat sleep
Rat go bite him tail
Waking him dey find
Palaver, he dey find
Palaver, he go get-e o
Palaver, he go get
Palaver, he go get e-o





Ra ra-ra ra

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Fela Kuti's song "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" describe how trouble never sleeps and how it always seems to come knocking at the door of those already in difficult situations. The song presents a series of scenarios that highlight the struggles and challenges faced by people in different situations, all trying to survive and make ends meet. When trouble sleeps, it is said that "yanga" (a slang term for cunningness) will wake it up, and once awakened, trouble will always bring more troubles or "palaver."


The first scenario portrays how when a troublemaker is idle, trouble will come looking for them. The second scenario about a cat and a rat speaks to how when someone is vulnerable, their enemies will take advantage of them. The third scenario about a tenant who has lost their job and cannot pay rent is a common problem in Lagos, Nigeria, where Fela lived and worked as a musician. The fourth scenario is about a friend who has just been released from prison and is being harassed by the police. The fifth scenario is about a man who has spent all his money on a wedding for his wife but cannot pay his debts. In all of these situations, trouble never seems to go away.


Line by Line Meaning

When trouble sleep
When there is calm, problems arise


Yanga go wake am
Problems will arise on their own


Waking him dey find
The one with the problem will try to find a solution


Palaver, he dey find
He will find problems


Palaver, he go get-e o)
He will surely have problems


Palaver, he go get
He will definitely have problems


Palaver
Problems


When cat sleep
When there is no suspicion of trouble


Rat go bite him tail
Problems will arise on their own


Tenant lost him job
A tenant has lost their job


Him sit down for house
They are sitting at home


Him dey think of job
They are thinking of finding a job


Mr. landord come wake am up
The landlord comes and demands rent


He say, "mister, pay me your rent"
The landlord asks for rent payment


My friend just come from prison
A friend has just been released from prison


Him dey look for work
They are looking for a job


Waka waka day and night
They are walking around day and night


Police man come stop am for road
The police stop and accuse them of wandering


He say, "mister, I charge you for wandering"
The police accuse the person of wandering


Mr. husband marry for church
A man got married in church


He make big party
He had a big party


Then he start to spra
Then he starts showing off


Because him love him wife
Because he loves his wife


Him say, "wife come run away"
He tells his wife to run away


Bank manager run come
The bank manager rushes in


He say, "mister, pay me your debt"
The bank manager demands payment of the debt


for lagos e-o
In Lagos


Palaver, he go get-e o
He will surely have problems


Palaver, he go get
He will definitely have problems


Palaver, he go get e-o
He will surely have problems




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE), BMG Rights Management, EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@Lina-ws3sy

I was in a very hard, dark period of my life when I forced myself to go on a walk. I had this song suggested and played it. And suddenly, life didn't seem as bad. It sounds silly, but it's just how it happened. This song is so complex, incredibly special, there's both hardship and beauty in the sound of it. It was like a light. I started looking around and I found all that ordinary beauty I had forgotten. And I listened this song on repeat during that long walk, and I laughed for the first time after a long time, because there it was, simple happiness, the ordinary and yet magnificent greatness of being and experiencing life. The good and the bad. This song pulled me out when nothing couldn't. Thank you Mr. Kuti! I will always come back to it, and it will always be light!

@themickdon2004

You are very right... that's everything the song encapsulates --- good and bad at the same time... when trouble sleep , yanga come wake am

@simonejustice5252

Damn this hits home so hard! I was going through a difficult time as well and this shit really made life ok. It’s amazing to know he’s STILL touching people years later

@dunjajovicic404

Spot on description of comfort this song brings. It has consoled many a soul facing difficult times.

@pichichipichi

Not silly at all, dear! Take care of yourself with good sleeping, food, exercise, ART and let yourself go with music and movement. Cheers!

@logooluwamuyiwaadeyemi4187

More than 20 years later there is still no song from Nigeria that is so sonically and narratively perfect! I am glad it does for you what it does for me everytime!!!!

23 More Replies...

@davidoluwasholaadepoju2263

I was an house-maid selling cooked rice in front of GONDOLA NIGHT CLUB at YABA, Late Fela ANIKULAPO KUTI comes every Friday to play. He rode on VOLKSWAGEN KOMBI BUS LY 360 & 360.
He played exactly this music 🎶 🎵, I went to him to take me with him, he said to me that I was too small. I was 12 years old then, I cried for not let me followed him.

@skaloghiros

He is the greatest .I grew in Africa and was raised with Fela's music. No one can compare himself to Fela. He is the King of Afrobeat. You are always alive trough Femi and Seun. Thank you ever so much for the heritage you left us.

@derwildunger

Where were you raised?

@jerrycole1309

He is not the king of afrobeats he is the god and creator of afrobeats

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