Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision - July 11, 2017
This pancocojams post showcases Nigerian Afrobeats singer Davido's 2014 record entitled "Aye"
"Aye" is pronounced "ah yeh" [with "yeh" being pronounced the same as the English word "yeah"].
The lyrics to this song are included in this post along with explanations of some of those Nigerian pidgin English or Yoruba words and phrases.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Davido for his musical legacy. Thanks also to al those associated with this featured video and all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the YouTube publisher of this video.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/similarities-differences-between-yoruba.html for the pancocojams post: Similarities & Differences Between The Yoruba Word "Aiye" ("Aye") And The American Word "Ayee"
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/10/flavour-gollibe-video-igbo-lyrics.html for another Nigerian love song which, in contrast to the plot of Davido's "Aye", is about a prince who chooses a poor girl as his bride.
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INFORMATION ABOUT DAVIDO AND HIS SONG "AYE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davido
"David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992),[1][2] better known by his stage name Davido, is an American-born Nigerian recording artist, performer and record producer. His 2011 single "Dami Duro" was well-received throughout Nigeria. Along with his elder brother Adewale Adeleke, Davido is the co-owner of HKN Music (a record label home to Sina Rambo, B. Red and DeeKay).[3][3][4] He has produced songs for Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa Savage and Sauce Kid. In April 2012, he signed an endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria.[5] On October 23, 2013, Davido partnered with Guinness Nigeria for the "Guinness World of More" concert.[6]
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Davido relocated to Lagos at a young age. His debut album Omo Baba Olowo, released in
2012...
2013–2015:The Baddest promotional singles and Africa Rising campaign
In early 2013, Davido began recording his second studio album....
On February 2, 2014, Davido released "Aye" as the fourth single from the upcoming album. The song was produced by T Spice.[46] The music video for "Aye" was released on February 7, 2014, and was directed by Clarence Peters. According to the music video's synopsis, "Davido plays a poor farmer who falls in love with the prince’s love interest.”...
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LYRICS: AYE
(Davido)
Le le le
Le le le le le le le
A le le
A le le o le
[Chorus:]
Aa yeee
(Oya shekele)
Aaa yeee
Cause you want my love o
She no want designer
She no want Ferarri
She say na my love o
You belong to meee
And I belong to her o
babyyy
You go killie somebody
They say love is blind
but I dey see am for your eyes o
Aa for your eyes o
[Verse 1:]
She fine pass Darego
She dey do like Ronaldo
My sweetie poraro (potato)
Ha! Eminado
She like e my song
She like e my song
Her favorite artiste na Davido
Davido
And I like what I see
I like what I see
Baby girl just Dobale for me*
Dobale for me*
Aaa
Cause nobody can love you like I do
Nobody can touch e you like I do
Nobody can love you like I do
Nobody can touch you like I do
[Chorus:]
Aa yeee
(Alelelele)
Aaa yeee
Cause you want my love o
Aa yee
(Oya shekele mama)
Aaa yee
Cause you want my love o
She no want designer
She no want Ferarri
She say na my love o
You belong to meee
And I belong to her o
babyyy
You go killie somebody
They say love is blind
but I dey see am for your eyes o
Aa for your eyes o
They say love is blind
but I dey see am for your eyes o o o o
for your eyes o
[Verse 2:]
The baddest!
Baby girl you the baddest
Oya shakee your asset
Make e man no go forget
Emergency!
Baby you cause emergency
Baby you loose your manners
Baby you the latest e
Oya gbe si oun, dancee
Oya gbe down gently
Oya dey dancee,legendary
Oya gbe si oun for them
Cause nobody can love you like I do
Nobody can touch e you like I do
Nobody can love you like I do
Nobody can touch you like I do
[Chorus:]
Aa yeee
(Alelelele)
Aaa yeee
Cause you want my love o
Aa yee
(Oya shekele mama)
Aaa yee
Cause you want my love o
She no want designer
She no want Ferarri
She say na my love o
You belong to meee
And I belong to her o
Babyyy
You go killie somebody
They say love is blind
but I dey see am for your eyes o
Aa for your eyes o
They say love is blind
but I dey see am for your eyes o o o o
for your eyes o
Tspize
O.B.O baddest
Its all about love baby
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/davido/aye.html
-snip-
The lyrics gave the name as "David O" instead of the singer's stage name "Davido". These lyrics probably need additional corrections.
*This is a correction given by Rachel Bello (2014), a blogger in the discussion thread for a lyric video for this song. The words given in azlyrics.com were "come balance with me". The blogger's full quote is given in the "More Explanations" section of this post.
Here's the English language meaning of "dobale" from http://www.nairaland.com/261964/nairaland-official-igbo-hausa-yoruba/4 Nairaland Official Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba Dictionary by biina: 6:28pm On Dec 28, 2009
"dobale in yoruba means to prostrate, which is an act of respect when a male is greeting one who much older than him (or a king). Females are expected to kneel down."
-snip-
Added July 11, 2017
"Ronaldo" refers to the famous footballer (soccer) player "Ronaldo" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo The line "She dey do like Ronaldo" may mean something like "To me she would be a big star like Ronaldo."
**
Here's a comment from the official video's discussion thread:
Dee Joseph, June 2017
"Davido like to compare women with soccer players lol she dey do like Ronaldo"
Also, some other explanations for lyrics in this song:
fine = African American Vernacular English word meaning "very good looking"
**
Darego = reference to Nigerian model and beauty queen
From Lolade Adewuyi, June 2017 [in the official "Aye" discussion thread]
(written in response to a comment by Muusa Maxamed) - "Muusa Maxamed "She look like Darego" (Agbani Darego was Miss World 2001)"
**
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agbani_Darego
"Agbani Darego, MFR (born Agbani Asenite Darego, 22 December 1982) is a Nigerian model and beauty queen, best known as the first native African to win Miss World."
-snip-
"Shake your asset means the same thing as "Shake what your mama gave you" / "Shake your booty".
**
In the context of Davido's song "Aye" and the lyrics "Oya shekele", "Oya" undoubtedly means "Hurry up. It's time". I don't know what "shekele" means, but my guess is that it's a term of endearment like "honey" or "sweetheart".
Remarkably, a comment from a Marvel comic discussion thread is the source of that translation for "Oya" [in the context of Davido's song]. I'm quoting almost the entire comment because of the cultural information it includes.
From https://comicvine.gamespot.com/oya/4005-73388/forums/does-oya-mean-anything-671585/:
Posted by clockpenalty2, 2013
1. Oya" is a Yoruba goddess...
2. In Yoruba, the letter "O" represents two distinct sounds, which have different meanings. One is pronounced "Oh" while the other is pronounced "Aw".
If you say "Oh-Ya", that translates to "It is time", which is why you may hear Yorubas (Actually, most Nigerians, since the term has spread to most parts of the country as a sort of slang) saying "oya, oya, oya!!!!" when trying to get people to hurry up. The word "Ya" is a verb that means something along the lines of "expire". A more direct translation of "Oh-Ya" is "It Expires (time)!!!". You may also hear "oh ti ya" (It HAS expired), which is said when "time has passed"
If you say "Oh-Ya-a", THAT translates to "He/She/It tore". The verb "Ya-a" with a dipthong is different from "expire" and means "to tear". This is the furthest thing from the pronounciation of Oya's name, as it would be spelt "Oyaa" with accents over the two letters. Yoruba is a tonal language, and the tone of a sound completely changes its meaning. For example, the word "oko" can mean forest or penis, depending on the tonal accents used, and failure to understand this can cause an innocent statement to be interpreted as a deadly insult. "Oyaa" has a double accent, and is usually spoken in a forceful manner (to emphasize the tearing)
3. The goddess Oya has the second form of "O" as the first sound, which is pronounced "Aw-Ya". There is NO translation or breakdown of this- as a name it is axiomatic. Oya is a river goddess, and like many orishas, she has dominion over more than just goddesses.... she has a pretty complex history with the Yoruba Iron and thunder gods that determine what her powers are....
-end of that addition-
-snip-
Additional comment added July 15, 2017
From http://www.nairaland.com/1361399/whats-meaning-emi-nado-which What's The Meaning Of ''Emi Nado'' & From Which Language?
"Eminado" [Emi nado] in igbo: "a luck charm made of cowries normally ware by wreastlers for goodluck"
Summarized:
Emi Nado is the Title of a 2013 Nigerian "R&B" song by Tiwa savage ft Don Jazzy.
"Emi Nado" also has two Yoruba meanings, one of which has a sexually explicit reference.
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Additional comments/corrections about these lyrics are found below. Please add your corrections for these lyrics in the comment section for this post and/or in this videos' discussion thread.
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MORE LYRIC EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS SONG
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKpcZHG3y7U
Davido -Lyrics (Aye)
1. Mathias Tondi, 2014
"+Gmek Gozie "she dey do like Ronaldo" what does it mean please ?"
**
2. Obed Lartey, 2014
Reply
"+Mathias Tondi it depends on context of the sentence, in this case dey means "is" or "are". So hes saying that " she does me like Ronaldo, besically she amazes him in a positive way."
**
3. Rachel Bello, 2014
"Thanks for the lyrics but here are some you didn't get right
...''Baby girl just Dobale for me'' instead u wrote ''Baby girl just come balance for me''.
.....''The baddest baby girl you be goddess'' instead you wrote ''Baddest twice''
.........''Baby you are my elegancy'' for the second line after majesty
Thats all i heard...lovely song i enjoyed it, cheers!"
-snip-
Added July 15, 2017
"Dobale (my pronunciation guess: doh-bah-lay)
From http://www.nairaland.com/261964/nairaland-official-igbo-hausa-yoruba/4
biina: Dec 28, 2009"dobale in yoruba means to prostrate, which is an act of respect when a male is greeting one who much older than him (or a king). Females are expected to kneel down."
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From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUGZHSR4CgM
4. kansascityrocky, 2015
"I think the lyrics are no one can (toju) like I do instead of (touch you) like I do! In the yoruba language toju means to take care of! That's what I hear when I listen!"
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Davido - Aye (Official Video)
DavidoHKNTV, Published on Feb 7, 2014
HKN Music presents the official music video of Aye, Davido's fourth single off his forthcoming sophomore album. Directed by Clarence Peters, the video is shot in a rural setting and tells a tale of love between different classes.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM DAVIDO'S AYE (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ-_HIoEBE8
These comments are given in chronological order, with the exception of responses, with the oldest comments given first. I've assigned numbers for referencing purposes only.
Most of these comments either summarize the plot of this song and video, or provide information and explanations about the meaning of these Nigerian pidgin English or Yoruba words.
1. Annabelle C, 2015
"Davido - Aye (Official Video)
"Aye" (pronounced ah yay) is a song by Nigerian recording artist Davido, released as the fourth single from his upcoming studio album. The song was produced by TSpize, a record producer affiliated with Runtown. It peaked at number 5 on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart from March 28 through April 3, 2014.The song was primarily released to celebrate Valentine's Day.
**
2. Dabimana, 2014
"What does aye mean"
-snip-
[Added: July 11, 2017]
Several bloggers asked the same question. Here's a exchange response from in the discussion thread for the official video:
Jewel Love, 2016
"What does Aye mean?
**
Reply
Tayo Awoniyi, 2016
"It means Mother earth in Yoruba. Though he has misspelled it. It should be spelt Aiye."
-end of addition-
It appears to me that the word "Aye" is used as an exclamation that means excitement and/or pleasure. Read comment #1 for information about how "aye" is pronounced in Nigeria. I gave another pronunciation representation that may be clearer for Americans in the introduction to this post, but I believe that both of those pronunciation representations are the same. Also, read comments #3, 4, and 5 for what I believe are examples of that exclamation with that meaning.
**
3. Lamou Papillon, 2014
"Ayéeeee! I like that !!"
**
4. lizzy Clark, 2014
"Aye! Fantastic! This is so wonderfully done indeed. It's different from the rest our modern day African music videos which look somewhat too modern, not that anything is wrong with that. This video is classy, romantic and very African. I wonder what instruments were those, they sound so good and the song is equally breath-taking.This scenery reminds me of my childhood days, I love it. This kid is just too much, I'm a bit jealous 'coz boys were not this romantically expressive when I was young. We had to hide our little love letters from our parents. Good for you guys! Loving it!"
**
5. Rachel Moseley, 2014
"Ayyyyeee!!! I'm feeling Davido's music, I want this song played at my wedding "
**
6. Kelsey Morrison, 2014
"I have this song on repeat. Can some please tell me what he means by I dey see am for your eyes?"
**
7. louie dana, 2014
Reply
"Dey say love is blind but i dey see am for ur eyes oh!"...It actually means he see's love in her eyes"
**
8. James Orji, 2014
"davido na somebodys wife oooo, is not our tradition i think you know that not african culture may GOD forgive u for taking somebodys wife lol"
**
9. Victory Ekwueme, 2014
Reply
"She is engaged to the king but not yet his wife. She loves the poor farmer even with the kings wealth"
**
10. Odu Oba Ara, 2015
Reply
"+Victory Ekwueme prince not King."
**
11. yemi odejobi, 2014
"I think she was forced to an arranged or betrothed marriage to a rich king but she doesn't love him n does not desire in material stuff t4 she prefers to love Davido who's not rich but a hard working man . She no want designer, she no want Ferrari, she say na my luv o ............."
**
12. Odu Oba Ara, 2014
Reply
"Correction, a prince."
**
13. Patience Young, 2014
"i thought she was d king's daughter not wifey......"
**
14. Odu Oba Ara, 2014
"No, the prince's fiancée"
**
15. courage sings, 2014
"at first i thought the plants were marijuana plants lool
**
16. bukster, 2015
+dewi4love It's a cassava farm which is one of the staple foods in Nigeria.
-snip-
This is one of a number of comments that explained that the crop that is shown in the video is cassava and not marijuana.
**
17. Sarah Fadika, 2015
"eventhough he wasnt born in africa he still carries on with the culture no matter what and that is that makes him unique keep up the good job"
-snip-
Davido was born in the United States of Nigerian (Yoruba) immigrant parents.
**
18. Odu Oba Ara, 2015
Reply
"That's Yoruba's code for you...our culture must keep evolving from the Latin world to Europe etc. Proud to be one."
**
19. okuomose okuns, 2015
"That's just a unique dance. There must be a name for that kind of dance.
**
20. Cece Lamah, 2015
Reply
"well im from Guinea close to Liberia and Ivory Coast, i assume u r from Nigeria, i dont know the name of the dance but thats how the ladies dances where im from. this video is amazing, i love it, i live in the states but it makes me closed to my home...it just beautiful to see a gorgeous woman perform traditional dances.."
**
21. Odu Oba Ara, 2015
Reply
"Bata dance, ancient Yoruba dance
**
22. Traron Johnson, 2015
"I love her hair style I wonder what it is called"
**
23. Odu Oba Ara, 2015
Reply
"Hair style is shuku"
**
24. Alice Maile, 2015
"What does Emi Nado mean?"
**
25. N.K Anene, 2015
Reply
"+Alice Maile Please don't mind these people. Eminado = Good luck charm (treasure)
-snip-
Some commenters wrote sarcastic and/or sexually explicit comments in response to this request for information.
**
26. Aminata coco sidibe, 2015 [quoting the lyrics]
"Nobody love you like I do you belong to me I belong to you oh baby you go kill somebody"
-snip-
I wonder if "You go kill somebody" means that since it's dangerous to be with her since she's the prince's fiancée. In standard American English, the colloquial saying "You're gonna kill somebody" may also mean that she's so fine (beautiful) that she can cause a lover to have a heart attack (because of he feels so much passion towards her).
**
27. RootRastadotCom , 2015 [quoting the lyrics]
"you belong to me and I belong to her ooo, they say love is blind ooo but I see am for your eye ooo, she likey my song, and I like what I see, nobody can love you like I do..a hey ah hey…He said na my love ooo, I am the baddest, and I know it..lol"
-snip-
I am the baddest"= I'm the best. I'm the greatest. ("the baddest: is lifted from African American Vernacular English, i.e. Michael Jackson's 1986 song "Bad".
**.
28. atte Stephanie, 2015
"I dey see am for your eyes oh " it's pidgin English can be translated as "I can see it in your eyes oh "
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