Mandem Anthem – English Lyrics

• By: Burna Boy
• Album: Mandem Anthem

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Burna Boy's "Mandem Anthem," a vibrant Afropop track that offers a unique window into contemporary Nigerian street lingo and cultural expressions. This song's authentic lyrics, rich with relatable struggles and triumphs, make it an exceptional tool for understanding colloquial English and the power of storytelling in African music. Its raw emotion and powerful narrative will immerse you in a truly special listening and learning experience.

[English]

Straight crease, we are deal with

My man dem are busy

My man dem are easy

My man dem ah-ah, oh yeah, heee

My mandem ma fight for dem right like Nelson Mandela

My mandem ma still do the road 24/7 inna London a

Is my mandem ma, gun dem a rise up just like antennas

Ohhhh, mandem ma, mandem ma, mandem ma

My mandem ma

Fight for dem right like Nelson Mandela

My mandem ma

Still do the road 24/7 inna London a

Is my mandem ma, gun dem a rise up just like antennas

Ohhhh, mandem ma, mandem ma, mandem ma

I see me unno roll with the mandem

Don't know, don't know

My see man like A B in a phantom

Don't know, don't know

Tell me what's up world come true

Couple man in jail, couple man still on the run too

And everything get out of control

Police pop up anytime the mandem come through

My mandem ma

Bad man and black brothers

Ska rab inna bandana

Roll up in a G-time, we are creep

Lock off the road when the mandem reach

Mama tell me, watch the friend where you keep

Obviously, she'll know 'bout me

Mama, I'm the man now out in these streets

Ain't even gotta worry 'bout me

Mi tell you 'bout my mandem ma

Fight for dem right like Nelson Mandela

My mandem ma still do the road 24/7 inna London a

Is my mandem ma, gun dem a rise up just like antennas

Ohhhh, mandem ma, mandem ma, mandem ma

Straight loud packs, mandem are smoking

And the best we are deal with

None of my mandem pon no joking

All of my mandem are the realest

Can't tell what the mandem are thinking

When the mandem them start drinking

Some of the mandem drop out the bando

Don't know, don't know

Couple man living that bike life

Real real bikers

For you all of my mandem pon lockdown

Some of my mandem are lifers

This is for my youngest, reckless, go-go bars

Trying to make a name for themselves out here

This is for my olders, still manipulating youngest

Getting them to put in all the dirt work

My mandem ma

Fight for dem right like Nelson Mandela

My mandem ma still do the road 24/7 inna London a

Is my mandem ma, gun dem a rise up just like antennas

Ohhhh, mandem ma, mandem ma, mandem ma

When the mandem get stopped by police

Say the mandem don't speak

So no bother interrogate me

'Cause the mandem keep secrets

If you're not from around here

You just can't relate

And if you never ever seen it

Then you just might not believe it, no, no

My mandem ma

Fight for dem right like Nelson Mandela

My mandem ma still do the road 24/7 inna London a

Is my mandem ma, gun dem a rise up just like antennas

Ohhhh, mandem ma, mandem ma, mandem ma

My mandem ma, man like Ricky

All my mandem ma, man like One Way

Lord, my mandem ma, my mandem ma

Rest in peace, Cambo

Lord, my mandem ma, my mandem ma

Man like Lani

Lord, my mandem ma, my mandem ma

Man like Zinc

My mandem ma, my mandem ma, Lord

Man like Joe

Man like Drops

Get me

Man like Strider

Uncle T I ain't forget you, man like Ace

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mandem /ˈmæn.dɛm/ C1	noun - (informal, British/Caribbean slang) A group of male friends or associates; a crew or gang.
fight /faɪt/ A1	verb - to engage in a struggle or combat. noun - a struggle or conflict.
right /raɪt/ B1	noun - a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way.
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use. noun - (slang) The streets; street life, often implying criminal activity or hustle.
gun /ɡʌn/ A2	noun - a weapon incorporating a metal tube from which bullets or other missiles are propelled by explosive force.
rise /raɪz/ B1	verb - to move from a lower position to a higher one; go up.
police /pəˈliːs/ A1	noun - the civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
jail /dʒeɪl/ B1	noun - a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot. noun - a period of hurried escape or flight, especially from the law.
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events. verb - to determine the behavior or supervise the running of.
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - of poor quality or low standard; unpleasant or unwelcome. adjective - (slang, of a person) tough, formidable, dangerous, or cool; excellent.
bandana /bænˈdænə/ B2	noun - a piece of cloth, typically square, printed with a pattern or picture, worn as a head covering or around the neck.
creep /kriːp/ B2	verb - to move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.
bando /ˈbæn.doʊ/ C1	noun - (slang) An abandoned house, often used as a base for drug dealing or other illicit activities.
lockdown /ˈlɒkdaʊn/ B2	noun - an emergency measure or condition in which people are restricted from entering or leaving an area or building.
lifers /ˈlaɪfərz/ C1	noun - people serving a sentence of life imprisonment.
reckless /ˈrɛkləs/ B2	adjective - heedless of danger or the consequences of one's actions; rash or impetuous.
manipulating /məˈnɪpjəleɪtɪŋ/ B2	verb - to control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.
secrets /ˈsiːkrɪts/ B1	noun - something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
interrogate /ɪnˈtɛrəɡeɪt/ B2	verb - to ask questions of (someone), especially a suspect or a prisoner, closely, aggressively, or formally.