Gratitude – English Lyrics

• By: Asake
• Album: M$NEY

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rhythmic world of Asake with 'Gratitude'! This song is a perfect gateway to learning Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba influences within contemporary Afrobeats. Its soulful melodies and repetitive, emotive phrasing make it an excellent tool for practicing listening comprehension and understanding how spiritual themes are expressed through modern African pop music.

[English]

I no fit lie you wetin my eye don see, o pọ gan-an o (mm-mm)

So many good wey man don do, but na bad dem go talk (mm-mm)

Even Jesus Christ, the Lord, dem nail am for cross (mm-mm)

You no fit please anybody, ọmọ, o mọ p'ẹnu l'ẹbọ o

(It's not personal, rara o)

Personal rara o, rara o

No give me yawa o (yawa o), no give me yawa o, yawa o

Ọmọ araye kala o, ti o ba s'owo wọn ma japa o

Don't take it personal (uhn), owo epo l'ọn ba'ni la

(Hm-mm-mm-mm)

Mo ṣ'ori re meje-meje (mm-mm-mm)

Ori mi ko ma kọ blessing (mm-mm-mm)

Credit alert (mm-mm-mm)

Gratitude, shinning

Mo ṣ'ori re meje-meje (mo ṣ'ori re)

Ori mi ko ma kọ blessing (ori mi)

Credit alert (mm-mm-mm)

Gratitude (shinning)

It's not personal, rara o (rara o)

Personal rara o, rara o

No give me yawa o (yawa o), no give me yawa o, yawa o

Ọmọ araye kala o, ti o ba s'owo wọn ma japa o

Don't take it personal, owo epo l'ọn ba'ni la

(Hm-mm-mm-mm)

Mo ṣ'ori re meje-meje (mo ṣ'ori re)

Ori mi ko ma kọ blessing (ori mi)

Credit alert (mm-mm-mm)

Gratitude, shinning

Mo ṣ'ori re meje-meje (mo ṣ'ori re)

Ori mi ko ma kọ blessing (ori mi)

Credit alert (mm-mm-mm)

Gratitude (shinning)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
gratitude /ˈɡrætɪtjuːd/ B2	noun - the quality of being thankful
blessing /ˈblesɪŋ/ B1	noun - God's favor and protection; a beneficial thing
personal /ˈpɜːrsənəl/ A2	adjective - belonging to or affecting a particular person
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ A2	adjective - giving out or reflecting bright light
credit /ˈkredɪt/ B1	noun - the ability of a customer to obtain goods before payment
alert /əˈlɜːrt/ B1	noun - a notification of a warning or event
please /pliːz/ A2	verb - to make someone feel satisfied or happy
lie /laɪ/ A2	verb - to say something that is not true
nail /neɪl/ B1	verb - to fasten something with a nail
cross /krɒs/ A2	noun - a structure of two crossing beams, especially used as a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus

Key Grammar Structures

• I no fit lie you wetin my eye don see, o pọ gan-an o

  ➔ Pidgin English Modal Verb Construction

  ➔ "No fit" is used to express inability, equivalent to 'cannot'.

• So many good wey man don do, but na bad dem go talk

  ➔ Relative Clause marker 'wey'

  ➔ "Wey" acts as a relative pronoun (that/which) connecting the noun to its description.

• Even Jesus Christ, the Lord, dem nail am for cross

  ➔ Object Pronoun 'am'

  ➔ "Am" is used as a gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, meaning 'him/her/it'.

• You no fit please anybody, ọmọ, o mọ p'ẹnu l'ẹbọ o

  ➔ Yoruba contraction 'p'ẹnu' (pe + ẹnu)

  ➔ The apostrophe represents the elision of a vowel to merge two words for rhythmic flow.

• Ti o ba s'owo wọn ma japa o

  ➔ Conditional Clause with 'Ti'

  ➔ "Ti" introduces the 'if' condition in Yoruba within this context.

• Owo epo l'ọn ba'ni la

  ➔ Focus particle 'lẹ' (l')

  ➔ The particle 'l' emphasizes the subject or the action, highlighting specific information.

• Mo ṣ'ori re meje-meje

  ➔ Reduplication for emphasis

  ➔ Repeating words like 'meje-meje' (seven-seven) intensifies the meaning, suggesting abundance or repetition.

• Ori mi ko ma kọ blessing

  ➔ Negative imperative/wish 'ko ma'

  ➔ This construction expresses a prayer or strong wish that one's head ('Ori') should not reject blessings.