Njerep On The Border Road

Paroles de « Njerep On The Border Road »

Intro: a field recording of a roadside market

Drop

Say it with me — Njerep!
Louder on the border road — Njerep!
Flip that bucket, here we go — Njerep!
Say it with me — Njerep!

Verse

Nigeria, Cameroon, where the dirt road splits the hill.
Four speakers left, and three of 'em sittin' still.
Njerep ain't a village, it's a way the mouth was made.
Mambila on the signs now, Njerep on the fade.
I'm countin' on my fingers like the old man taught me to:
one, two, three, and a maybe — that's the crew.
So when I call it out, don't let it drop.
Keep that cowbell runnin', 'cause the bell don't stop.

Chorus

What's the word? — Njerep!
What's the word? — Njerep!
Pass it down the line now — Njerep!
What's the word? — Njerep!

Break

Bucket upside down, slap it with your palm.
Rebar on a wheel rim, keep the market calm.
Little man in the blue shirt, give it to the room.
Njerep! — Njerep! — Njerep!

Verse

Tuesday at the market, mangoes and the flies,
grandmother says it soft and the young ones say, "What's that?"
She says it again. They answer her in English.
That's how a mouth goes quiet — no bang to it, just flat.
So we hand it to the kids, 'cause the kids gonna keep it.
Four speakers on the road, we tryna make it eight.
Three times each — that's the rule in here.
Say it in the back, say it loud, say it clear.

Instrumental world jazz

Chorus

What's the word? — Njerep!
What's the word? — Njerep!
Pass it down the line now — Njerep!
What's the word? — Njerep!

Bridge

Hold up. Hold up, don't nobody cut the pocket.
Y'all hear that? That's a kid in the back who got it.
He heard it one time in a crowded little hall
and he carried it home like a mango in his shirt.
We don't take the music to the bridge no more —
we the bridge. Walk across. Walk across.

Break

Njerep! — on the one.
Njerep! — on the three.
Njerep! — tell your mother what you learned from me.
Njerep! — Njerep! — Njerep!

Outro

Four voices on the border road — Njerep!
Four hundred in this room tonight — Njerep!
Don't you let that cowbell stop — Njerep!
Njerep! Njerep! Njerep!