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Discuss,
and Learn About the World
No Buredi (No Bread) 1975
Fela was born in 1938 and passed away in 1997. His family is of the same home town of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria as mine. That may or may not be the reason for my passionate love for the man’s music and my respect for his socio-political consciousness.
Look you…well…well…well
(look you) 2/ce
(look you) 2/ce
You stand for ground your leg im dey shake
(look you) 2/ce
Na your leg weak; ground no dey shake
(look you)
Your face im look like you don reach “GB”
(look you)
You siddon for chair like you don reach “GB”
(look you)
Your head dey ache; well well, mouth dey dry; well well stomach dey turn; well well, hungry dey show im power 2/ce
You no get the power to fight
You no get the power to fight
(No buredi)
On di day, on di night, on di afternoon
(look you)
The trouble of di world e catch you for road
(look you)
Man mus wak na im put you for di road
(look you)
You no fit make di tin now for your wife
(look you)
You start to find excuse for your fault
(look you)
Your mouth dey shake; well well music no dey; well well eye dey roll; well well like tif im eye; well well…
Na so e dey do you everytime, abi? (repeat above)
Problem dey show im power
Your mouth dey shake; well well music no dey; well well eye dey roll; well well like tif im eye; well well…
Na so e dey do you everytime, abi? (repeat above)
Problem dey show im power
You no get the power to fight
(No buredi) 2/ce
One more time (sax)
(No buredi)
For Africa here e be home 2/ce
(No buredi)
Land boku boku from north to south
(No buredi)
Food boku boku from top to down
(No buredi)
Gold dey underground like water
(No buredi)
Diamond dey underground like san san
(No buredi)
Oil dey flow underground like river
(No buredi)
Everything for oversea na here e dey go
(No buredi)
Na for here man still dey carry sh!t for head
(No buredi) 2/ce
Na for here we know di tin dem dey call
(No buredi) 2/ce
Me I tire for dis thing dem dey call
(No buredi) 2/ce
(disdainful) Look at yourself
You’re standing and your legs are trembling
You’re the one who’s trembling, not the ground
You look like you’re at the end of your ropes (GB is an alphabet in the Yoruba language)
You sit like you’re at the end of your ropes
Your head’s pounding; your mouth’s dry; your stomach’s flipping; hunger’s overwhelming you
You have no power to fight
(No bread)
At any time of the day…
At any time of the day…
You’re way-laid by the troubles of the world
You’re constantly pounding the pavement for a paycheck
You’re rendered sexually impotent
You make excuses for your shortcomings
You’re disoriented. Your eyes roll; shifty eyes like a thief’s
That’s how it is with you everytime, isn’t it?
Problem overwhelms you
You have no power to fight
Problem overwhelms you
You have no power to fight
Salute to Motherland Africa!
Plenty of land from north to south
Plenty of food from top to down
Plenty of gold underground like water
Diamonds are plentiful like sand on the beach
Oil flows underground like river
Yet we import everything from abroad
It is here in Africa that you still have human transportation of body waste
It is here we know real poverty
I’m fed up with poverty!
Lyrics
General Translation
Fela then proceeds to parody the name of Udoji, chairman of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Udoji Commission (1975) which gave away money to Civil Servants contrary to all counseling from economic experts. His parody plays on the resemblance of the name’s last syllable to one of the numbers in the Yoruba language.
As typical of Fela’s songs, No Bread is a 15-minute track.
Soundtrack edited and lyrics compiled by Bolaji (Sept. 2009)
sung in West African Pidgin English
No bread means “no money” and this Fela piece marked the advent of major economic discomfort for Nigeria’s middle and lower classes. Sudden oil wealth and government myopia visited serious inflation on the country, the likes of which government after government have, as of 49 years of independence, had no intellectual or moral capacity to reverse. Fela’s No Bread captures Nigerians’ dilemma in the mid-70s.
Also by Fela - Why Blackman dey Suffer (click to listen and learn)
Also by Fela - Don’t Gag Me (click to listen and learn)
Lagbaja - Justice for Woman (click to listen and learn)