Fela Kuti – Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense Lyrics
TEACHER, TEACHER-O NA THE LECTURER BE YOUR NAME
TEACHER, TEACHER-O NA THE LECTURE BE THE SAME
MAKE-EE NO TEACH-EE ME AGAIN OH
AS SOON TEACHING FINISH YES, DA THING-EE IT GON DIE IT DEY-O
AS SOON TEACHING FINISH YES, DA THING-EE IT GON DIE IT DEY-O
ME AND YOU NO DEY FOR THE SAME-U CATEGORY
NA THE SAME CATEGORY-O
Let’s get down, to the underground spiritual game
We all sing together, play music together in happiness
All you have to do is sing what I play on my horn
Now Let’s go…
A kujuba, A kujuba
YE-EHHHH!
Yehhhhhh-Ey!
Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-ke, Ke-re-Ji-Ke-Ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke-Ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!
All the wahala, all the problems,
All the things, all the things they go do,
For this world go start,
When the teacher, schoolboy and schoolgirl jam together
Who be teacher?
I go let you know
When we be pikin
FATHA/ MAMA BE TEACHER
When we dey for school
TEACHER BE TEACHER
Now dey University
LECTURER BE TEACHER
When we start to work
GOVERNMENT BE TEACHER
CU-ULTURE AND TRADITION (*after each line)
Who be government teacher?
Who be government teacher?
Cu-ulture and tradition
Cu-ulture and tradition
Now the problem side, of a teaching student-ee
I go sing about
I don pass pikin, I don pass school, university, se-fa pass
As I don start to work, na government I must se-fa pass
Da go for France
YES SIR/YES MAAM (*after each line)
Engi-land
Italy
Germany
Na dem culture
For der
Be teacher
For dem
Go China
Russia
Korea
Viet Nam
Na dem culture
For der
Be teacher
For dem
Go Syria
Jordan
Iran
Iraq
Na dem culture
For der
Be teacher
For dem
Let us face ourselves for Afrika
Na de matter of Afrika
This part-ee of my song
Na all the problems of this world
In we dey carry, for Afrika
Wey no go ask-ee me
WHICH ONE? (*after each line)
Problems of inflation
Problems of corruption
Of mismanagement
Stealing by government
Nothing we dey carry
All over Afrika
Na de latest one
Na him dey make me laugh
AUSTERITY (*after each line)
Austeri-
Austeri-
Na him dey latest one
Na him dey make me laugh
Why I dey laugh?
Man no fit cry?
Who be our teacher na Oyinbo?
Who be our teacher na Oyinbo?
A na false, the first election
And the second election held in Nigeria
Na the second election na it was pass
BOBA LA NONSENSE (*after each line)
Boba la nonsense
Boba la nonsense
He pass redeem
He pass corruption
Which kind election be dis?
People na go vote
Dem come get big big numbers
Thousands to thousands
Millions to billions
Which kind election be dis?
Boba la nonsense
Na dem-o-cr-azy be the deal
Na dem-o-cr-azy be the deal
Who don teach us ee dem-o-cr-azy?
(Bo-ptch!) Oyinbo teach-ee us
(Yuh-ngh!) Oyinbo for Europe-oh
Oyinbo teach us many many things-ee
Many of dem things I don sing about-ee
Me I no gin copy Oyinbo style
Let us think say, Oyinbo no pass me
When Shagari finish him elections
Wey dem no tell am, say him make mistake-ee
Say this yo, no be democracy
Oyinbo dem no tell army self
Na for England-ee, I me no fit take over
I come think about this demo-crazy
Democrazy
DEMO-CRAZY (*after each line)
Crazy demo
Demonstration of craze
Crazy demonstration
If it no be craze
Why for Afrika?
As time dey go
Things just dey bad
They bad more and more
Poor man dey cry
Rich man dey mess
Demo-crazy
Democrazy
Crazy demo
Demonstration of craze
Crazy demonstration
If good-u teacher teach-ee something
And student make mistake
Teacher must talk-ee so
But Oyinbo no talk-ee so
I suffer dem, Dey suffer dem
Dem dey say da teaching get meaning
Different different meaning
Different different kinds of meaning
That is why I say
That is the reason of my song
That is the conclude
The conclud-ee of my song
I say, I sing, I beg everyone to join my song (3x)
———————
TEACHER, TEACHER-O NA THE LECTURER BE YOUR NAME
TEACHER, TEACHER-O NA THE LECTURE BE THE SAME
MAKE-EE NO TEACH-EE ME AGAIN OH
AS SOON TEACHING FINISH YES, DA THING-EE IT GON DIE IT DEY-O
AS SOON TEACHING FINISH YES, DA THING-EE IT GON DIE IT DEY-O
ME AND YOU NO DEY FOR THE SAME-U CATEGORY
NA THE SAME CATEGORY-O
———————
Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-Ke, Ke-re-ke, Ke-re-Ji-Ke-Ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!
Ke-re-ke-Ke Ji Ke-ke
YAA!