Unknown Soldier
Fela Kuti Lyrics

Make you no go anywhere
Stay here and listen to what I have to say.

[Chorus] Fela, you don come again! I never come again I still live dey faraway Make you wait till I reach where I dey go
This is not a musical performance, I have an important message to deliver but I am not physically present. Wait for my return.

Where you dey go? Make I reach... Make I reach Don't ask me Wait and see I say, I say, I say...
I am traveling to a particular destination but I cannot reveal it because I am being followed. Just wait and see what will happen.

This thing wey happen Happen for my country Na big big thing First time in the whole world If you hear the name, you go know Government magic Tell me the name now Government magic!
What happened in my country is a significant event that has never occurred anywhere else in the world. It is called Government magic, a process by which the government can manipulate anything to suit its interests.

Them go dabaru everything Them go turn green into white Them go turn red into blue Water dey go, water dey come Them go turn electric to candle I see dey come Small, small Look o, look o
The government can change anything, even the laws of nature. They can make water flow backwards, turn electricity into candlelight, and make colors appear different from what they actually are, all without explanation.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left!
The soldiers are marching towards their destination.

One thousand soldiers them dey come People dey wonder, dey wonder, de wonder One more time: people dey wonder, dey wonder, de wonder Stevie Wonder dey there too Na one week after FESTAC too And dey broadcast on American satellite Around that time too now, I say to you Where these one thousand soldiers them dey go?
A thousand soldiers are en route to their destination, including Stevie Wonder. This event takes place a week after FESTAC and is being broadcast on American satellite TV. The purpose and destination of these soldiers are unknown.

Look o Na Fela house Kalakuta Them don reach the place, them dey wait Them dey wait for... Order!
The soldiers have arrived at Fela's home in Kalakuta and are waiting for orders.

Now listen Them surround the place, kwam kwam kwam, them dey wait Wait them helmet and them guns And them petrol and them matches
The soldiers have surrounded the house with their helmets, guns, petrol, and matches, creating a dangerous sense of anticipation.

Then again... Stand at ease! Fela dey for house Beko dey there too Them mama dey there too Beautiful people dey there too Frenchman dey there too Press man dey there too One-fifty of us dey there too
Fela, Beko, and other people including a Frenchman, press man, and 150 others are in the house at the time of the soldiers' arrival.

Then suddenly, suddenly, suddenly, suddenly... Jaba, jaba... Jubu, jubu... Jebe, jebe... Jawa, jawa... Them dey break, yes Them dey steal, yes Them dey loot, yes Them dey fuck some of the women by force, yes Them dey rape, yes Them dey burn, yes Them commot one student's eye, yes Them break some some head Them throw my mama Seventy-eight-year-old mama Political mama Ideological mama Influential mama...
The soldiers suddenly break into the house and begin to steal, loot, rape, and burn, causing chaos and destruction. They even threw Fela's mother, a political and ideological figure, out of a window to her death.

Them carry everybody Them carry everybody go inside jail Fall out! Everybody dey inside jail We dey wait twenty-seven days Them lock us Press dey shout Radio dey ring People dey talk Them go burn Fela house Wettin this Fela do?
The soldiers arrest everyone in the house and put them in jail for 27 days. Meanwhile, the press, radio, and people discuss the incident, and the government burns down Fela's house in retaliation. Fela is accused of being responsible for the incident.

This government e bad o Wetin this Fela do? Fela talk about soldiers Flogging civilians for streets Fela talk about government Wasting money for FESTAC People start to talk o Government start to shake o Government bring instruments of magic Them bring inquiry Them bring two men One soldier, one Justice The name of Justice: Mr. Justice Agwu Anya The other Justice: Mr. Justice Dosunmu Them start magic
The government is corrupt and unjust, and Fela is targeted for speaking out against soldiers abusing civilians and for criticizing the government's spending on FESTAC. The government responds with an inquiry and judicial process involving two men, one of whom is soldier Justice Agwu Anya.

Them seize my house wey them don burn Them seize my land Them drive all the people wey live in area Two thousand citizens Them make them all homeless now Them bring flame, them bring hat Them conjure, them bring rabbit Them bring egg, them bring smoke Them dey scream, them dey fall Them conjure, spirit catch them Them dey fall, them dey scream Them dey shout Them dey, them dey say Unknown soldier!
The government seizes and burns Fela's house and land, forcing thousands of people to become homeless. They use magic and conjuration to instill fear and terror in the population, including the phrase 'Unknown Soldier.'

Na him do am I get some information for you That my mama wey you kill She fought for universal adult suffrage She is the only mother of this country She is the only mother of Nigeria Which kind injustice is this? Wetin concern government inside? If na unknown soldier I said, wetin concern government inside? We get unknown police We get unknown soldier We get unknown civilian All is equal to unknown government Them go kill nine students Them go kill two soldiers I say unknown police And then unknown soldier And then unknown civilian Them turn green into red Them turn blue into white Them turn green into blue I'm finished, mother
The government is responsible for Fela's mother's death, despite her fighting for universal adult suffrage and being considered the mother of the country. The concept of 'unknown' implies that citizens are powerless and have no control over their government or law enforcement. The government is indiscriminate in hiring and killing police, soldiers, and civilians, and can change the facts or truth at will. The singer fears retaliation for exposing the government's corruption and scandal.