Baba Ese (You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life), Part 3

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part 3 in a three part series on the Nigerian song "Baba Ese" (and similar titles). "Baba Ese" is Yoruba for "Thank you, Father". In the context of religious songs, the word "father" means "Father God".

Part 1 and Part 2 of this series focus on selected Yoruba versions of this song.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my.html for Part 1 of that series.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my_07.html for Part 2 of that series.

Numbers are assigned to these featured videos throughout the three blog posts in this series.

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Part 3 of this series features selected videos of the sub-set of songs from the "Baba Ese" family that include the line "You Are The Pillar The Holds My Life". A clip of that line "You Are The Pillar" often serves as the title for those songs.

I consider those songs is a sub-set of "Baba Ese" because they may include the phrase "Baba o ese" & other lyrics from the "Baba Ese" songs. Furthermore, "You Are The Pillar" uses the same tune as "Baba Ese".

As an aside, it's interesting to note that (apart from a dancehall rhythm arrangement of this song found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_d-pGtggdE x), video versions of "Baba Ese" that I have viewed & listened to consistently have a rather slow tempo. This consistency in tempo is in sharp contrast to the various different tempos and rhythms that are used for another popular Nigerian Gospel song "Jehovah, You Are The Most High God". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/africa-gospel-song-you-are-most-high.html for Part 1 of a four part pancocojams series on that song.

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PART 3
Video Example #9: You Are The Pillar



Uploaded by sbadu2 on Nov 8, 2008

African Worship 2008 with Sonnie Badu

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Video Example #10: You are the Pillar



Uploaded by RonkeAdesokan on Dec 1, 2009
-snip-
Here's a verse of that song that was posted on this video's viewer comment thread by the vocalist, Ronke Adesokan:

When I think of what i've been through
through the fire and the storm
so many times I felt like
I would never make it through
but by Your grace, mercy and Power
God you saw me through
Now, look what the Lord has done
You are my Pillar
-RonkeAdesokan; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=U010NQftLyk; 2010

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Video Example #11: You are the Pillar - Sabina Worships @ Redeemed Christian Church



Uploaded by mabentex on Nov 28, 2009

Sabina Ministers a powerful Worship medley! You are the pillar, Adonai, Ese O Baba (Thank You Father) at Redeemed Christian Church of God
-snip-
According to the comments on this video's viewer comment thread, the vocalist, Sabina Prempeh, is from Ghana, and the church service was in the United States

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Baba Ese (You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life), Part 2

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part 2 in a three part series on the Nigerian song "Baba Ese" and similar titles. "Baba Ese" is Yoruba for "Thank you, Father". In the context of religious songs, the word "father" means "Father God".

Part 1 and Part 2 of this series focus on selected Yoruba versions of this song. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my.html for Part 1 of that series.

Part 3 of this series focuses on several additional versions of this song have include the line "You Are The Pillar That Hold My Life". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my_4951.html for Part 3 of that series.

Numbers are assigned to these featured videos throughout the three blog posts in this series.

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PART 2
In the first post to this series I wrote that the song "Baba Ese" is an old song from Yoruba (Nigeria) culture. I also indicated that I was unsure if that song was used for pre-Christian worship, however it is definitely embraced by Christians now. Here's another video of "Baba Ese" being sung by Christians:

Video Example #5: Ese o Baba- Lionel Petersen @ 2008 Festival of Life



Ade Roi, Uploaded on Oct 26, 2008

Lionel Petersen @ R.C.C.G 2008 Festival of life
the unchangeable lord

Editor: As a reflection of how the Yoruba song "Baba Ese" has become widely known outside of Nigeria, West Africa, the featured vocalist in this video, Lionel Peterson, is from South Africa and this concert was held in the United States.

The entire lyrics to this song may have been shown on a large screen during the concert. Here's only a small portion of those lyrics that were captured by the video:

Baba, Ese O Baba
(Father, thank you Father)
Ese O Baba
(Thank you Father)
Awa dupe Baba
(We’ve come to thank you Father)

-snip-

Here's a post that was written on that video's viewer comment thread wrote:
"yoruba has gone global. God is good. Ese Baba adupe Oluwa
-femigirl; October 2011; http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=6R1n5GP_ghI

-snip-

Here is another version of this song that is sung for Christian worship & praise:

Video Example #6: Baba Ese featuring Sister Funmi Aremu


Uploaded by sergephilo on Feb 5, 2010

This song is a testimony of how God's mercy can heal and restore the brokenhearted. It's sung in Yoruba and features Sister Funmi Aremu.
-snip-
Baba Ese
(version featuring Sister Funmi Aremu)

The words of this version are transposed on the video screen. Here are those words:

Thank you
Father thank you
Thank you
I can only praise you.
When I look at how the world is going
I once was crying and crying broken hearted
That I was sick no father, no mother
There was no confidence for me.
I lacked money, friends deserted me.
But the Rewriter of Destiny came and healed me.
comforted me.
Blessed me with money
honored me with friends.
Father, I can only praise you!
Thank you Father thank you!
Thank you, I can only praise you!
Thank you for my life.
Thank you for my work.
Thank you for my family.
(Thank you Father)
Thank you, I can only praise you!
Thank you.
Father, thank you.
Thank you!
I can only praise you!
Thank you.
Father, thank you.
Thank you.
If I only had ten thousand tongues.
for the praise of my Saviour
The glory of my God and King
The triumph of His Grace.
Thank you!
I can only praise you!
Thank you for my home.
Thank you!
I can only praise you!
Thank you for all my relatives.
Thank you!
I can only praise you!
Thank you for your mercy.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father. Thank you, Thank you Father!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father for my life!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father for my work!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father. Thank you! Thank you Father!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father for my life!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father for my work!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father. Thank you! Thank you Father!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father. Thank you! Thank you Father!
(I can only praise you)
Thank you Father for my life!
(I can only praise you)

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Video Example #7: I just want to say (Baba o Ese)



Uploaded by l0ser25 on May 17, 2011

sooo tired as u can see but we fought the fatigue and praised and worshiped God lol

-snip-
I'm not sure where this video was taped.

Here is a question & response from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3pPs-ledvA&feature=related :

"The hook you sing ending in hallelujah before "imela imela..." what does that mean?
-MzRoxiie90 ; October 201l

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@MzRoxiie90 It means "We bow before you Lord"
-l0ser25 ; November 2011

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Video Example #8: African Kids 4 Christ: Ose Baba (Yoruba)



Uploaded by jasonlohrmd on Apr 30, 2010

From the DVD "All About Jesus"

Editor:
Unfortunately, the English translation of the Yoruba words that were transposed on the video screen were cut off. From reading the titles of other "Baba Ese" videos, I gather that "Ose Baba" is written in Yoruba as "O Se Baba". Although the arrangement and tune of this song differs from other versions of "Baba Ese" songs that I have found online, I still believe that it is a member of the "Baba Ese" family of songs.

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Viewer comments are welcome.

Baba Ese (You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life), Part 1

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part 1 in a series of 3 posts on the African Gospel song "Baba Ese". Both Part 1 and Part 2 of this series focus on selected Yoruba versions of this song.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my_07.html for Part 2 of that series.

Part 3 of this series focuses on selected versions of this song have include the line "You Are The Pillar That Hold My Life".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my_4951.html for Part 3 of that series.

Numbers are assigned for these featured videos throughout the three blog posts in this series.

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Few lyric versions of "Baba Ese" are available online. Because I don't know Yoruba (the language from which this song comes) I'm unable to transcribe examples sung in that language. However, in the cases that those transcriptions, or portions of those transcriptions, are available for these featured example, I have reposted those transcriptions with that particular video.

By no means am I an expert on "Baba Ese" or on any other African Gospel song. I'm an African American community folklorist who is interested in West African cultures, and finds African Gospel songs both spiritually uplifting and aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, I'm concerned that there's so little information about African Gospel songs online. It's my hope that these blog posts on African Gospel songs will motivate those who are knowledgeable about those songs to document their history, lyrics, and meanings online.

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PART I
"Baba Ese" (pronounced bah bah eh-shay) is a Yoruba song which is particularly popular among Christians in Nigeria. The title "Baba Ese" means "Thank you Father", with "father" here meaning God. A number of Christian Gospel songs with titles similar to "Baba Ese" can found on YouTube. Among those titles are "Baba Baba Ese Baba", "Baba Ese O", "Baba Ese O Baba" and "Ese O Baba". "You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life" is a line in certain "Baba Ese" (and similar named) songs. That entire line or the line "You Are The Pillar" is used as a title for those "Baba Ese" songs.

It appears that the first recording of songs from the "Baba Ese" family may have been Gospel artist Gbenga Wise's August 1999 recording of "Jehovah/Baba Baba Ese". After an instrumental interlude which follows the "Jehovah" song, Gbenda Wise begins singing his version of the song "Baba Baba Ese".

Video #1: Gbenga Wise -Jehovah/Baba Baba Ese Baba



Uploaded by gbengawise on Sep 9, 2010

"Gbenga Wise" Gospel "African Praise"
-snip-
On 1/6/2012 I contacted Gbenda Wise and asked him several questions about the songs "Jehovah (You Are The Most High God" and "Baba Baba Ese Baba". I also asked Gbenda Wise if there was any connection between "Baba Baba Ese Baba" and the Yoruba song "I Se Oluwa" ("The Work of the Lord"). I admit to being pleasantly suprised that that renown Gospel artist promptly and graciously responded to my queries and gave me permission to share his responses. With regard to the age of the songs "Jehovah You Are The Most High God" and "Baba Ese", Gbenda Wise said that both songs were old, and he didn't know which was the oldest. With regard to my question was there any connection between the song "Ise Oluwa" and the song "Baba Ese" (besides the fact that they are both old Yoruba religious songs), Gbenga Wise wrote that there were no connections between those two songs.

For more on the online responses I received from Gbenda Wise, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/africa-gospel-song-you-are-most-high.html African Gospel Song "You Are The Most High God", Part 1.

For a contemporary, uptempo version of "Ise Oluwa" click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/various-interpretations-of-ise-oluwa.html for the Example #7 video of Lara George - "Ko Le Baje (God's Work Will Never Be Destroyed".
-snip-
Gbenda Wise's rendition of "Baba Baba Ese Baba", and a number of other versions of that song that I have heard online, have a tune that is quite similar to "Jehovah You Are The Most High God". In contrast, some songs in the "Baba Ese" family differ in the tunes and/or tempo that they use. For example, Shola Allyson's rendition of "Baba Ese" has a slow tempo, and uses a different tune than Gbenda Wise's "Baba Baba Ese Baba". In contrast to the English lyrics used for the "Pillar That Holds My Life" subset of "Baba Ese" songs, only Yoruba words are used in Shola Allyson's version of "Baba Ese".

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Video #2: Shola Allyson - Baba ese



Uploaded by WASHNEW on Jun 28, 2011

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Video #3: Oluwa ti se'un nla (Ese Baba) Thank You Father



CCC VoiceofGrace, Uploaded on Jul 8, 2008

Oluwa, Jesus, Thank God, praise, worship, CCC, Voice of Grace, Celestial Church of Christ
-snip-
No information is given as to the location of this choir. I'm assuming this church service was in Nigeria, in part, because the choir sings in Yoruba, and also because the video is on a page of other Yoruba Christian videos.

At certain parts of this rendition, a member of the choir "testifies" (speaks about God, exhorts others to believe and/or praise God).

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Video #4: Ese Baba - Thank You Father



Uploaded by cccvog on Mar 7, 2010

CCC Celestial Church Of Christ VOG Voice Grace Praise Worship

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