Kilometre – English Lyrics

• By: Burna Boy
• Album: Love, Damini

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Afrobeats with Burna Boy's "Kilometre"! This track is a perfect introduction to the genre, showcasing Burna Boy's unique Afrofusion style that blends rich African rhythms with elements of reggae, dancehall, and hip-hop. Through its energetic beat and compelling lyrics, you can explore Nigerian Pidgin English phrases and gain insight into the artist's journey of success and resilience. The song's infectious chorus and rhythmic flow make it an engaging way to learn and appreciate the dynamic musical landscape of West Africa.

[English]

Big tune, big tune

Big tune, big tune

Woah

Ahh, kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome-kilometres

I don come, I don come, kilometres

I don waka how many kilometres

Down from the teacher

I don tey for the game, Shina Peters

I dey sight bad man from a distance

No dey sweet, I be alomo bitters

Odogwu ni mi sha

Shey you dey confirm am for your speaker?

This time I call Chopstix for assistance

Shey we dey blow your mind after mister?

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilomе

Kilome-kilome-kilometrеs

I don come, I don come, kilometres

I don waka how many kilometres

Down from the teacher

I don tey for the game, Shina Peters

I dey sight bad man from a distance

No dey sweet, I be alomo bitters

Oya come make I give you the gist, (gist)

When is the last time somebody did it like this? (This)

Too much ice on my bumbaclaat wrist, (wrist)

That's why everybody hating on me like Chris, (aje)

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome-kilometres

I don come, I don come, kilometres

I don waka how many kilometres

People think I be Johnny just come

Like I just got rich, like my money just come

Send them back to where they come from

For talking like the product of a torn condom

So tell no come from mi no care, mi brother

One sexy don for one chair, mi brother

Come try, know we make you disappear, mi brother

Long time, it takes to reach here, mi brother (aje)

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome

Kilome-kilome-kilometres

I don come, I don come, kilometres

I don waka how many kilometres

Down from the teacher

I don tey for the game, Shina Peters

I dey sight bad man from a distance

No dey sweet, I be alomo bitters

(Kilome-kilome-kilome-me-me-me)

(Kilome-kilome-kilometres)

(Kilome-kilome-kilome-me-me-me)

(Kilome-kilome-kilometres)

(Kilome-kilome-kilome-me-me-me)

(Kilome-kilome-kilometres)

(Kilome-kilome-kilome)

(Kilome-kilome-kilome-kilometres)

Chopstix, Chopstix, Chopstix...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tune /tjuːn/ A2	noun - a melody
come /kʌm/ A1	verb - to move or travel towards a place or person
kilometres /ˈkɪləmiːtərz/ A1	noun - a unit of length, equal to 1,000 meters
waka /ˈwɒkə/ B1	verb - to walk, travel, or move (Nigerian Pidgin)
teacher /ˈtiːtʃər/ A1	noun - a person who teaches
game /ɡeɪm/ A1	noun - an activity that you do for entertainment or competition
sight /saɪt/ B1	verb - to see something noun - the ability to see
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
distance /ˈdɪstəns/ A2	noun - the amount of space between two things
bitters /ˈbɪtərz/ B2	noun - a type of alcoholic drink
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that enables them to be aware of the world, think, and feel verb - to be bothered by something
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - a point in time
wrist /rɪst/ A2	noun - the part of your body where your hand joins your arm
everybody /ˈevribɒdi/ A1	noun - every person
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively.
rich /rɪtʃ/ A2	adjective - having a lot of money and possessions
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
brother /ˈbrʌðər/ A1	noun - a male sibling

Key Grammar Structures

• I don tey for the game, Shina Peters

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous (implied) + Noun Apposition

  ➔ "I don tey" is a Nigerian Pidgin English expression meaning "I have been" or "I have stayed". It implies a long duration. "Shina Peters" is placed after to identify who he's been in the game with, functioning as an apposition.

• I dey sight bad man from a distance

  ➔ Present Continuous (Pidgin English) + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ "I dey sight" is Pidgin English for "I am seeing". The sentence uses the present continuous to describe an action happening now. "From a distance" modifies 'sight', indicating *where* he's seeing the 'bad man'.

• No dey sweet, I be alomo bitters

  ➔ Negative Present Continuous (Pidgin English) + Copula + Noun

  ➔ "No dey sweet" means "It is not pleasant/good". "I be" is Pidgin for "I am". "Alomo bitters" is a specific brand of herbal bitters, used metaphorically to describe his personality as harsh or strong.

• Shey you dey confirm am for your speaker?

  ➔ Tag Question (Pidgin English) + Indirect Object + Verb + Pronoun

  ➔ "Shey" is a Pidgin English question marker. "Dey confirm" means "are you confirming". The question asks if the listener is verifying the song's quality on their sound system.

• When is the last time somebody did it like this?

  ➔ Indirect Question + Past Simple

  ➔ This is an indirect question, starting with "When". It asks about a past event, using the past simple ("did"). The phrase "like this" refers to the unique style of the song.