Asa's Bamidele is a strongly written and content heavy-laden lyrical construction of
poignant verses. This song moves something in me. It's almost as though I
can envision what she's feeling, what emotion she's trying to evoke in the
listener. I used to listen to this song without lyrical translation. The simple
melody of her voice along with the musical flow of the lyrics and instruments
moved me with an element of awe and imminent devastation of the character she
was singing about. Initially, I never understood what she was singing but I was
sure it had been about something sad, a man and a woman and love. I used to
think it was about a generic story of love gone wrong.
Yet
once I caught hold of the lyrics and listened to the song along with the words she
was singing, the combination of an eloquent story she was singing and the
sorrow in her voice seemed to have only spoken to me played. The music flowed
on the empathy of its listeners and bespoke an emotion some have felt when
dealing with matters of the heart. The intensity of the song magnified into
more than just a sad love song. It spoke of the tragedy befalling a hopeful and
impossibly naïve woman who envisioned a love unreal and unfathomable to
most.
A
dear friend originally translated the verses of the song in similar wording as
those I've provided below by an excellent Nigerian blogger, writer and editor.
I felt in order to fully grasp and understand the intensity and underlying
meaning of this song, you must be able to read the lyrics clearly and feel the
music as it flows through.
Bamidele is a Nigerian song performed by
acclaimed Nigerian French singer Asa ( pronounced Asha)
Translation courtesy of Gbenga Awomodu
Bi’nu e ba dun, bi’nu e
o ba dun (Whether you are happy, or not)
On’ lati bami dele (You need to follow me home)
Bi o ba fe, bi o ba ko ye (Whether you like it, or you refuse to)
On’ lati bami dele ba’mi (You must follow me to my father’s house)
On’ lati bami dele (You need to follow me home)
Bi o ba fe, bi o ba ko ye (Whether you like it, or you refuse to)
On’ lati bami dele ba’mi (You must follow me to my father’s house)
Akinyele wants to marry
wife/ He don’t want to pay some bride price/ You better find it
Akinyele omo Jinadu (Akinyele Jinadu)
He don’t want to pay some bride price/ You better find it
Akinyele o… (x8)
Akinyele omo Jinadu (Akinyele Jinadu)
He don’t want to pay some bride price/ You better find it
Akinyele o… (x8)
Otutu mu mi/ eyin nro mi
o (Cold has taken hold of me/my back aches)
Wa bamidele ba’mi (Come, follow me to my father’s house)
Sebi the same thing lo so fun mi l’ana (Wasn’t it the same thing you told me yesterday?)
Mo tun de/ wa tele mi mo’le (I’m here again/ come, follow me home!)
Wa bamidele ba’mi (Come, follow me to my father’s house)
Sebi the same thing lo so fun mi l’ana (Wasn’t it the same thing you told me yesterday?)
Mo tun de/ wa tele mi mo’le (I’m here again/ come, follow me home!)
Lawyer alagidi (Stubborn
Lawyer!)
First class liar
Alakori sanwo k’o to j’obe (Headstrong fellow, pay before you ‘chop’ soup)
Iya mi l’o bi mi, l’o bi mi (My mother gave birth to me)
Baba mi lo to mi (My father trained me)
Mi o ki’n s’omo registry (I’m not for registry wedding)
Alakowe lawyer (learned lawyer)
Akinyele o….. (x8)
First class liar
Alakori sanwo k’o to j’obe (Headstrong fellow, pay before you ‘chop’ soup)
Iya mi l’o bi mi, l’o bi mi (My mother gave birth to me)
Baba mi lo to mi (My father trained me)
Mi o ki’n s’omo registry (I’m not for registry wedding)
Alakowe lawyer (learned lawyer)
Akinyele o….. (x8)
Lawyer, alagidi (Stubborn
Lawyer!)
First class liar
Alakori sanwo (Stupid fellow, pay up!)
K’oma mumu, K’oma jeun, K’oma s’omo ol’omo (You indulge in drinking, feeding and flirting)
Akinyele o….. (x8) [x2]
First class liar
Alakori sanwo (Stupid fellow, pay up!)
K’oma mumu, K’oma jeun, K’oma s’omo ol’omo (You indulge in drinking, feeding and flirting)
Akinyele o….. (x8) [x2]
Below is the link to the writer's original
translation and narrative analysis of the song
~Leelo
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