Authority Stealing Songtext

von Fela Kuti

[Chorus]
Authority stealing!

You be thief (I no be thief)
You be rogue (I no be rogue)
You dey steal (I no dey steal)
You be robber (I no be robber)
You be armed robber (No be armed robber)

I no be thief (You be thief)
I no be rogue (You be rogue)
I no dey steal (You dey steal)
I no be robber (You be robber)
I no be armed robber (You be armed robber)

[Chorus]
Argument, argument!

Argument, argument, argue
Them argue
Everbody dem argue
Them dem dem argue
Up and down them argue
Everbody dem argue
Them dem dem dem argue
Yes yes, them argue
Everbody dem argue

Argument about stealing
Somebody don take something
Wey belong to another person

Then you go hear:
You be thief (I no be thief)...

On top of the road, on the side
People dey waka
Office workers, labourer workers, workers' workers
Them go dey waka
Inside bus them go dey
Motorcycle them dey ride
Plenty, plenty crowd
Inside this crowd
Sometimes for one corner
Sometimes for one street
You go dey hear: ha ha!

[Chorus]
Thief, thief, thief!
Rogue, rogue, rogue!
Robber, robber!

Catch am, catch am! Thief, thief, thief!
Catch am, catch am! Rogue, rogue, rogue!
Catch am, catch am! Robber, robber!
Catch am
Pull am
Get am
Keep am
Ole...

[Chorus]
Catch am, catch am!

Looking go start
Watching go start
Chasing go start
Somebody go dey
Wey them go grab

Them go beat am well-well
Them go lynch am well-well
Police go come well-well
Them go carry am go court
Them go put am for jail

Them fit put am six months
(Them go put am for one year)
Them fit put am two years
(Them go put am for five years)
Them fit put am seven years
(Them go put am for ten years)

If not them go shoot am well
Them go shoot am for armed robbery
On top of the road, on the side
People dey waka
Office workers, labourer workers, workers' workers

Them go dey try
To try to make ends meet
Them go dey hustle
To try to make ends meet
Them go put hands for back
To try to make ends meet
Them go dey beg oga
To try to make ends meet
Them go be slaves for them town
To try to make ends meet

I say turn your face small
To the right wing
Oga patapata dey for there
Authority people dey for there
Instead of workers
We have officials
Instead of buses
Them dey ride motor-car
Instead of motorcycle
Na helicopter
Instead of them waka
Na worker go waka for them

Authority people them go dey steal
Public contribute plenty money
Na authority people dey steal
Authority man no dey pickpocket
Na petty cash him go dey pick
Armed robber him need gun
Authority man him need pen
Authority man in charge of money
Him no need gun, him need pen
Pen got power gun no get
If gun steal eighty thousand naira
Pen go steal two billion naira

[Chorus]
Thief, thief thief!
Rogue, rogue, rogue!
Robber, robber!

You no go hear them shout
You no go hear them shout at all
You no go hear them say
You no go hear them say response at all

Na different way be them way
Na civilize style be them style

[Chorus]
Yes, yes, yes, yes!

"Oh yes, of course, contract, have some money back in hand, ha ha"
Hear the words them dey take deceive the people:

Misappropriation
Maladministration
Nepotism
Mitigation
Make I remember another one wey them dey use
Defraudment
Forgerylization
Embezzlement
Vilification
Mismanagement
Public inquiry

Authority stealing pass armed robbery
We Africans we must do something about this nonsense
We say we must do something about this nonsense
I repeat, we Africans we must do something about this nonsense
Because now authority stealing pass armed robbery

Authority man him go dey steal
Public contribute plenty money...

[Chorus]
Authority stealing!