Bye-Bye-oh, Abayomi Bye-bye.
By Mohamed Boye Jalloh-Jamboria, Bergen, Norway.
Tem don rich for go; nartin nor dae for ever
Tem don rich for ask yu sef, watin yu don do for wi
Tem don rich for knack off,
En wi nor geh for ask watin yu don do
Yu woke go fallah yu, nor to wi go judge yu;
Ask yu sef, how yu don woke
Yu pillar go tell yu, if yu get considration;
Wi go only say ehkaboh, ehkuseh!
Ohdaworeh! Abayomi! Ohdaworeh! Foulahtong boy!
Ehkuseh for woke!
Yu meet democracy en turn am to democrazy!
Nar tin pas rikishi en alakie!!
Yu say yu cam wit law en oder,
Wen nar yu broke di law fuss, en bring disorder Nex!
Wi nor get nartin for say pass:
Kusheh for woke, en ohdaworeh! God go wit yu!
If yu don do good, good go fallah yu,
But if yu don do bad nar bad go fallah yu!!
Di seed wae yu plant, nar im yu go reap;
Orinch nor go bear mangro! Watin mit yu nar yu yone!
Yu Na man wae don woke na orl den intanasional offis,
En yu for know better, but yu nor get sens!
Yu forget manuel noriega, saddam,
En orl de wan dem wae tan lek yu;
Yu forget sae dem bin woke for empire en now dem nar empire jailbord dem!
Or yu sef dae pan manifest destiny crap?
Yu sel yu birthrite for kokoyebeh?
Hep broke yu ose for please trit?
Now dem don begin! Dem don ask oos tem eleksion
en whodat yu go lef?
Wait oh! Dem go ask for inga en sankoh dem buziness jisnor!Yu feel sae yu dae go skot free?
Yu dae go irish free!
wait normor,tem go fit clock jisnor!
Wen yu load nar ungrateful boat Yu go land nar regret warf!
Jisnor, jisnor yu get for tell de worl bot sandlines,
branch energy en all di mafia buziness yu don rob han pan! We nor get natin for say pas ehkaboh! Ehkusseh!
Ordahworeh, yu kop go full jisnor!
Bye!Bye oh abayoumi! Ekonomik hitman!
Slave driver! bye bye!
Yu nar man wae get plenti luck sef,
Dem bring yu foullah tong as men pikin yu reach leader,
Dem gi yu back all yu tiff,
Yu imprison momoh,
dem make yu hademan, Yu imprison inga!
Wetin lef for yu for do?
Ungrateful menpikin!
Yu forget sae nar good dem do mami fatmata,
en di good fallah yu!
Now yu do bad to di wan dem wae do yu good all round!
Yu woke go fallah yu! bye bye!
Wae yu don yu go tork english lek Yorkshire owl,
Orl tem u make innocent en Mr Good,
But insie yu na shark!
Bye Bye-oh abayomi, bye bye!
Photo: Ex-president Kabbah, also known as "Abayomi" in the Foulah-Tong area of Freetown where he grew up. This poem was first published in July 2006.
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