Shuffering and Shmiling Songtext
von Fela Kuti

This is only a taste of our next release
Suffering And Shmiling

You Africans, please listen to me as Africans
And you non-Africans, listen to me with open mind

Suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer
Suffer for world
Na your fault be that
Me I say: na your fault be

Suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer
Suffer for world
Na your fault be that
Me I say: na your fault be

I want you all to please take your minds
Out of this musical contraption
And put your minds into any goddamn church
Any goddamn mosque
Any goddamn Celestical
Including Seraphoom and Cheruboom


Now, we are all there now
Our minds are in those places
Here we go

Suffer, suffer for world (amen!)
Enjoy for Heaven (amen!)
Christians go dey yab (amen!)
"In Spiritum Heavinus" (amen!)
Muslims go dey call (amen!)
"Allahu Akbar" (amen!)

Suffer, suffer for world (amen!)
Enjoy for Heaven (amen!)
Christians go dey yab (amen!)
"In Spiritum Heavinus" (amen!)
Muslims go dey call (amen!)
"Allahu Akbar" (amen!)

Open you eye everywhere
Archbishop na miliki
Pope na enjoyment
Imam na gbaladun

Archbishop na miliki
Pope na enjoyment
Imam na gbaladun


Archbishop dey enjoy
Pope self dey enjoy
Imam self dey enjoy
My brother wetin you say?
My brother wetin you say?
Archbishop dey enjoy
Pope self dey enjoy
Imam self dey enjoy
My brother wetin you say?
My brother wetin you say?

My sister wetin you go hear?
My sister wetin you go hear?

Archbishop dey for London
Pope dey for Rome
Imam dey for Mecca
Archbishop dey for London
Pope dey for Rome
Imam dey for Mecca

My people them go dey follow Bishop (amen!)
Them go follow Pope (amen!)
Them go follow Imam (amen!)
Them go go for London (amen!)
Them go go for Rome (amen!)
Them go go for Mecca (amen!)
Them go carry all the money (amen!)
Them go juba Bishop (amen!)
Juba Pope (amen!)
Juba Imam (amen!)
Then them go start to yab themselves (amen!)

Every day, for house
Every day, for road
Every day, for bus
Every day, for work

Every day, for house
Every day, for road
Every day, for bus
Every day, for work

My people, my people, my people, my people

We now have to carry our minds
Out of those goddamn places
Back into this musical contraption
Right opposite you
Now we are back here
This is what happens to we Africans every day
Now wetin I want tell you now
Na secret o, na confidential matter
Don′t tell anybody outside
Na between me and you
Now listen

As I dey say before
E dey happen to all of us every day
We Africans all over the world
Now listen

Every day my people dey inside bus (suffering and smiling!)
Every day my people dey inside bus (suffering and smiling!)
Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing (suffering and smiling!)
Them go pack themselves in like sardine (suffering and smiling!)
Them dey faint, them dey wake like cock (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach house, water no dey (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach bed, power no dey (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach road, go-slow go come (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach road, police go slap (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach road, army go whip (suffering and smiling!)
Them go look pocket, money no dey (suffering and smiling!)
Them go reach work, query ready (suffering and smiling!)

Every day na the same thing (suffering and smiling!)
Every day na the same thing (suffering and smiling!)
Every day na the same thing (suffering and smiling!)
Every day na the same thing (suffering and smiling!)

Suffer, suffer for world (amen!)
Enjoy for Heaven (amen!)
Christians go dey yab (amen!)
"In Spiritum Heavinus" (amen!)
Muslims go dey call (amen!)
"Allahu Akbar" (amen!)
Suffer, suffer for world (amen!)
Enjoy for Heaven (amen!)
Christians go dey yab (amen!)
"In Spiritum Heavinus" (amen!)
Muslims go dey call (amen!)
"Allahu Akbar" (amen!)

How many, many a many you go make? (amen!)
Many, many (amen!)
How many, many a many you go make? (amen!)
Many, many (amen!)
How many, many a many you go make? (amen!)
Many, many (amen!)
How many, many a many you go make? (amen!)
Many, many (amen!)
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen