Femi Kuti is an award winning Nigerian musician, and the oldest son of lege… Read Full Bio ↴Femi Kuti is an award winning Nigerian musician, and the oldest son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

Femi was born in London on 16 June 1962 and grew up in the former Nigerian capital Lagos.

Like his father, Femi has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes throughout his career, but he differs in his religious views.

In 2001, Femi collaborated with a number of US musicians such as Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright, on his Fight to Win album. This album was widely regarded as the most influential Neo-Afrobeat album of the early 21st century.

Plenty Nonsense
Femi Kuti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You go see nonsense thing
wey go make you just dey cry
you go cry? blood go commot from you eye

You go see nonsense thing
wey go make you just dey vex
you go vex? till you break your head?

So fire engine go come quench fire
Dem go forget bring water
They tell you to quench the fire you must pay

In the name of free education
Jakonde build school for poto poto
the schools no get window
pikin don carry table chair to school

Police no get better salary
So arm robbers dey rob, dey go
They make police stand for road
Disgrace themselves they beg e money

Bribery and corruption
come enter our body
honesty no dey pay again
Na illegal business dey prosper?

When Babanginda dey spoil Nigeria
Abiola no talk against am

he follow am dey chop, dey enjoy
Together they want make Nigerians craze

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Femi Kuti's song "Plenty Nonsense" shed light on societal issues and the struggles Nigerians face in their daily life. The song starts with a rhetorical question, "You go see nonsense thing wey go make you just dey cry?," which is followed by the statement that something senseless that can bring tears to one's eyes is witnessed frequently. The second verse highlights another prevalent issue - people getting angry to the point of hurting themselves when they come across some nonsense.

The third verse talks about the rampant corruption in Nigeria. It highlights the irony of how the fire brigade, an essential emergency service, forgets to bring water when called for help. The listeners are made aware of the corrupt practices where those who need emergency services are made to pay money. In the name of free education, corrupt politicians build schools with no windows and inadequate facilities for the kids. The kids, in turn, carry their chairs and tables to school. The fourth verse offers insight into the dangerous situation when the police force is underpaid, and the criminals are allowed to roam free. The police have to stand on the road, waiting for bribes from passing cars, making their profession a joke.

Finally, the song concludes on an existential note, pointing out how bribery, corruption, and dishonesty have become so common that people have no choice but to participate in illegal activities. The song highlights the need for people to rise above these challenges and work together to change the social and political landscape.

Line by Line Meaning

You go see nonsense thing
You will witness foolishness that may evoke sadness.

wey go make you just dey cry
This can lead to tears that will flow like blood from your eyes.

You go see nonsense thing
You will eventually encounter something incredibly frustrating.

wey go make you just dey vex
And it could easily cause you to lose your mind in anger until you pound your head.

So fire engine go come quench fire
When there is a fire outbreak, firefighters will come and render assistance.

Dem go forget bring water
Unfortunately, the firefighters could be negligent and forget to bring along their most crucial tool: water.

They tell you to quench the fire you must pay
And if you want to stop the fire by availing yourself of their expertise, you must pay some money first.

In the name of free education
In the guise of providing free education programs

Jakonde build school for poto poto
Jakonde builds schools for underprivileged areas.

the schools no get window
However, they failed to equip such schools with basic necessities such as windows.

pikin don carry table chair to school
As a result, school children had to carry furniture to school.

Police no get better salary
Police officers are not receiving sufficient pay.

So arm robbers dey rob, dey go
This leads to instances of armed robbery, where criminals operate with relative ease.

They make police stand for road
Compelled to take desperate measures to earn some money, police officers resort to setting up checkpoints.

Disgrace themselves they beg e money
But in the end, the officers end up begging for money, bringing disgrace to themselves.

Bribery and corruption
Bribery and corruption continue to be major problems.

come enter our body
These problems have become embedded in our society.

honesty no dey pay again
Being honest is no longer rewarding in today's world.

Na illegal business dey prosper?
Thus, the question arises: Is illegal business the only road to success?