Coffin For Head Of State
Kuti Lyrics
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Through Jesus Christ our Lord
By the grace of Almighty Lord
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
By the grace of Almighty Lord
"In Spiritus Christus..."
"Allah Wakubar Mohammed Salamalekum..."
Waka, waka, waka!
So I waka waka waka
I go many places
I see my people
Them dey cry cry cry
Amen, Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen, Amen
I say I waka waka waka...
I waka many village anywhere in Africa
I waka many village anywhere in Africa
Pastor's house na him dey fine pass
My people them dey stay for poor surroundings
Pastor's dress na him dey clean pass
E hard for my people for them to buy soap
Pastor na him them give respect pass
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)...
Waka, waka, waka!
So I waka waka waka
I go many places
I go business places
I see see see
All the bad bad bad things
Them dey do do do
Call corruption
Them dey call nepotism
Inside the promotions
And inside all business
I say I waka waka waka
I see see see
So I waka waka waka...
I waka many business anywhere in Africa
I waka many business anywhere in Africa
North and South them get them policies
One Christian and the other one Muslim
Anywhere the Muslims them they reign
Na Senior Alhaji na him be Director
Anywhere the Christians them they reign
Na the best friend to Bishop na him be Director
It is a known fact that for many thousand years
We Africans we had our own traditions
These moneymaking organizations
Them come put we Africans in total confusion
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)...
Waka, waka, waka!
So I waka waka waka
I go many places
I go government places
I see see see
All the bad bad bad things
Them dey do do do
Look Obasanjo!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
"Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, Almighty Lord!"
"Oh Lord, oh God!"
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
By the grace of Almighty Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
I say, look Yar'Adua!
I say, look Yar'Adua!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
"Habba Allah, habba Allah, habba Allah!"
"Habba Allah, habba Allah!"
And them do, yes yes
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Mohammed our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
By the grace of Almighty Allah
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
Waka, waka, waka!
So I waka waka waka
I go many places
I go government places
I see see see
All the bad bad bad things
Them they do do do
Them steal all the money
Them kill many students
Them burn many houses
Them burn my house too
Them kill my mama
So I carry the coffin
I waka waka waka
Movement of the People
Them waka waka waka
Young African Pioneers
Them waka waka waka
We go Obalende
We go Dodan barracks
We reach them gate o
We put the coffin down
Obasanjo dey there
With him big fat stomach
Yar'Adua dey there
With him neck like ostrich
We put the coffin down
But them take am!
Them no want take am
Them no want take am
Who go want take coffin?
Them must take am
Na the bad bad bad things
Wey they don do
Them no want take am
Obasanjo grab am
Yar'Adua carry am
Yes, them no want take am
Obasanjo carry am
Yar'Adua tow am
Them no want take am
Them no want take am
E dey for them office
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now...
But them take am!
The song βCoffin For Head of Stateβ by Fela Kuti can be interpreted as a commentary on the corruption and injustice present in the government and religious institutions of Africa. The song begins with the repetition of βAmen,β reaffirming a belief in a higher power, which is then followed by a reference to Jesus Christ and Allah, suggesting that these two religions are dominant in the region. The singer then βwaka waka wakaβ, traveling around Africa and observing the plight of the people, who are crying and living in poor surroundings.
The song continues with references to the corrupt practices of those in power, including nepotism and manipulation of promotions in business and government. Kuti highlights the fact that different religions dominate different regions, with Muslims in control in the north and Christians in the south. He also points out the cultural colonization of Africa by foreign organizations, which have confused and corrupted traditional beliefs.
Throughout the song, Kuti maintains a sense of disapproval and anger, culminating in a description of a protest in which a coffin is carried to the gates of the government offices. However, the coffin is taken away by the very people it was intended for, indicating the futility of protesting against the corrupt system. The song concludes with a repetition of the phrase βe dey there now now now now nowβ, emphasizing the present and ongoing presence of corruption and injustice in Africa.
Line by Line Meaning
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
By the power of Jesus Christ our Lord
By the grace of Almighty Lord
Through the blessings of the Almighty Lord
"In Spiritus Christus..."
"In the Spirit of Christ..."
"Allah Wakubar Mohammed Salamalekum..."
"Allah is Great, Mohammed is His Prophet..."
So I waka waka waka
So I travel a lot
I go many places
I visit many different locations
Them dey cry cry cry
My people are crying due to their struggles
Pastor's house na him dey fine pass
The pastor's house is the nicest
My people them dey stay for poor surroundings
My people are living in poor environments
Pastor's dress na him dey clean pass
The pastor has the cleanest clothes
E hard for my people for them to buy soap
It is difficult for my people to afford soap
Pastor na him them give respect pass
The pastor is respected the most
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
And they commit terrible deeds
Call corruption
They call it corruption
Them dey call nepotism
They also call it nepotism
Inside the promotions
Even during promotions
I go business places
I go to places of business
All the bad bad bad things
All the terrible actions
Na Senior Alhaji na him be Director
The senior Muslim is always the director
Na the best friend to Bishop na him be Director
The bishop's best friend is always the director
We Africans we had our own traditions
We Africans had our own traditions for thousands of years
These moneymaking organizations
These money-making organizations
Them come put we Africans in total confusion
They came and put us Africans in complete confusion
Look Obasanjo!
Look at Obasanjo!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
Before anything else, he begins to shout:
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
And they commit terrible deeds
By the grace of Almighty Lord
Through the blessings of the Almighty Lord
I say, look Yar'Adua!
I say, look at Yar'Adua!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
Before anything else, he begins to shout:
And them do, yes yes
And they commit, yes yes
By the grace of Almighty Allah
Through the blessings of the Almighty Allah
Them steal all the money
They steal all the money
Them kill many students
They kill many students
Them burn many houses
They burn many houses
Them kill my mama
They have killed my mother
So I carry the coffin
So I carry the coffin
Movement of the People
The movement of the people
Young African Pioneers
The young African pioneers
We put the coffin down
We placed the coffin down
But them take am!
But they took it!
Who go want take coffin?
Who would want to take a coffin?
Obasanjo grab am
Obasanjo grabbed it
Yar'Adua carry am
Yar'Adua carried it
E dey there now now now now now
It is there now now now now now
Lyrics Β© BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE), BMG Rights Management, EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Michael-bj2wd
So many listeners praise the composition but people are not listening to the lyrics, to the story, it is airy, chilling ...
We go Obalende
We go Dodan barracks
We reach them gate o
We put the coffin down
Obasanjo dey there
With him big fat stomach
Yar'Adua dey there
With him neck like ostrich
We put the coffin down
But them take am!
Them no want take am
Them no want take am
Who go want take coffin?
Them must take am
Na the bad bad bad things
Wey they don do
Them no want take am
Obasanjo grab am
Yar'Adua carry am
Yes, them no want take am
Obasanjo carry am
Yar'Adua tow am
Them no want take am
Them no want take am
E dey for them office
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now
E dey there now now now now now...
@nonyagbo
FELA is the Greatest - If you agree give a like to Fela's Memory - He deserves it.
@eeerabbit5945
Hell yeah re open this thread
@siphorasana8454
The Best of the Best
@samuelendeley8322
This man had big balls!! Insulting a man who just did you bad like that, anyone who disrespects your legacy is a FOOL!!
@IFWE_.
BIGVIB3R ALSO HAS BIG BALLS TOO, TRUST ME THEY'RE QUITE BIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjvnVRq227U&ab_channel=Bigvib3r-Topic
@TheWavNG
Who is still here in 2023? π REST on great Visionary.
@IFWE_.
WERE STILL HERE OH
BUT THERE'S SOMEONE WHOS COME TO CARRY ON HIS LEGACY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjvnVRq227U&ab_channel=Bigvib3r-Topic
@rickexcelarms
"I waka waka, waka , I see MY PEOPLE, dem dey cry, cry. cry" This beautiful song & many others symbolises why Fela will forever be known as the PEOPLE'S CHAMPION.
He was the voice of the voiceless and hope of the hopeless, the true definition of the people's champion.
@gbolagadeolajide8595
On my way to the Island, I see the same suffering everytime. People are living the life animals should be living. It's a terrible life most Lagosians live
@anthonyowolabi
Them no wan take am !