EYO – Adamu Orisha Masquerader, Lagos, Nigeria
Eyo o, eee, Eyo o!
Eyo o, eee, Eyo o!
Eyo baba nt’awa,
To n’fi goolu ns’ere,
Awa o le san’wo onibode,
O d’ile-e-e!
Isale Eko o,
Eee, Isale Eko o!
Isale Eko o, a’mo’ra wa,
Awon atohun’rinwa o, won mo’ra won.
Isale Eko o,
Eee, Isale Eko o!
Ibe sha l’orisun,
Adamu Orisha, Okan l’aba,
Olegede, Eyo Oniko,
Eyo Agere, Isale Eko,
Awa lo’ni’won,
Ti’wa ni won’se.
B’e d’Enu-Owa,
Ibe na nd’ade.
Ade ori Oba;
Odi inu Iga, Iga Idugaran.
(Eyo’s Greeting)
Mo yo fun e; mo yo fun’ra mi.
Eee-suaaaaaaaaaa!
E sunrunkunrun, we ma j’agbon die!
(ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY DELE AJAJA)
Eyo, hail, Eyo!
Eyo, hail, Eyo!
Ours is the master-masquerader,
Who plays with gold,
We are exempted from the toll-keeper’s fee,
We are free to go home!
Downtown Lagos,
Hail, Downtown Lagos!
Where the natives know one another,
And the drifters know each other.
Downtown Lagos,
Hail, Downtown Lagos!
Source of varieties of masqueraders,
Including Adamu Orisha, Okan l’aba,
Olegede, Oniko masquerader,
Agere masquerader, all from Downtown Lagos,
We own them all,
They are all ours.
When you arrive at Enu-Owa,
They, too, wear crowns,
The King’s crowns;
Off to the palace, the royal palace.
(Eyo’s Greeting)
I congratulate you; I congratulate myself.
Eee-suaaaaaaaaaa!
Fear nothing; enjoy a coconut bite!
