Unknown Soldier - Fela Kuti

Make you no go anywhere

Just wait make I tell you something

Fela, you don come again!

I never come again

I still live dey faraway

Make you wait till I reach where I dey go

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Don’t ask me

Where you dey go?

Wait and see

Where you dey go?

Make I reach

Where you dey go?

Don’t ask me

Where you dey go?

Wait and see

I say, I say, I say…

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!

Them go dabaru everything

Them go turn green into white

Them go turn red into blue

Water dey go, water dey come

Water dey go, water dey come

Them go turn electric to candle

Them go turn electric to candle

Government magic

Government magic

I see dey come

Small, small

Look o, look o

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left!

One thousand soldiers them dey come

People dey wonder, dey wonder, dey wonder

One more time: people dey wonder, dey wonder, dey 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?

Look o

Na Fela house Kalakuta

Them don reach the place, them dey wait

Them dey wait for…

Order!

Now listen

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left!

Them surround the place, kwam kwam kwam, them dey wait

Wait them helmet and them guns

And them petrol and them matches

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

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 dey burn, yes

Them dey burn, yes

Them commot one student’s eye, yes

Them break some some head

Them break some some head

Them throw my mama

Seventy-eight-year-old mama

Political mama

Ideological mama

Influential mama…

Them throw my mama out from window

Them kill my mama

Them kill my mama

Them kill my mama

Them kill my mama

Them kill my mama

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?

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

Wetin this Fela do?

This government e bad o

People start to talk o

Government start to shake o

Then suddenly, suddenly, suddenly, suddenly…

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

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 start magic

Them start magic

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!

Na him do am

Government magic

I get some information for you

I get some information for you

That my mama wey you kill

She fought for universal adult suffrage

That my mama wey you kill

She fought for universal adult suffrage

That my mama wey you kill

She is the only mother of this country

That my mama wey you kill

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?

If na unknown soldier

We get unknown police

We get unknown soldier

We get unknown civilian

All is equal to unknown government

We get unknown police

Them go kill nine students

We get unknown civilian

Them go kill two soldiers

We get unknown soldier

I say unknown police

And then unknown soldier

And then unknown civilian

All is equal to unknown government

Them turn green into red

Them turn blue into white

Them turn green into blue

I’m finished, mother