Lyrics for ITHAKA album,
SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF SOMALIA (2001)
courtesy Memory lane Music Group-NY
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1.(intro) SO YOU’RE GOING THERE ?
Doctor: I see so you’re going there ?
Ith: Yeah
Doctor: I always ask, strictly in the name of science of course,
to measure the crania of everyone going THERE.
Ith: Why? Have you seen changes?
Doctor: I never see them…IF they come back
Ith: WHaaattttt ???!!!!
Doctor: Beside you know, the changes take place on the inside……
Are you absolutely sure you want to go there ?
Ith: I Gotta
Doctor:…excuse my question, but is there any history of madness in your family?
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2. WHATCHA GOTTA DO
Artist(s): ITHAKA (featuring E. BLACK & Don Stryke)
Produced by: Conley Abrams III
Where: from the NBA 2K7 xbox-360 game soundtrack
also appears on Ithaka´s album,
SOMEHWERE SOUTH OF SOMALIA (see ITUNES.com)
lyrics:
I'm out there going for mine
'cause time don't grow on trees
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
GOTTA GET DONE WHATCHA NEED TO GET DONE
'cause SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
(ithaka)
In my spiritual graveyard,
here I'm stuck
Gotta bust out like I was ol' Fin Huck
Gotta slip out the door, explore a little more
It ain't fun no more in the place I was born
Got to get out while there is going to get LA is hunter, Lisbon the net
Want to get out, but gotta fly alone
Ravenshark from two coasts who ain't got a zone
(eric black)
In the zone I stand along handling mine
Coming straight from the town where I had the sky
Bought a first class ticket to the LA town To explore new grounds, Ith hold me down
So I can do what I gotta do for success
You know I want it all, I expect nothing less
The rest will all come together in time
Eric Black, Ithaka and young Stryke on the grind
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA ROLL WHEN YA GOTTA ROLL 'cause SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA MOVE WHEN YOU GOTTA MOVE YOU GOTTA GET DONE WHATCHA NEED TO GET DONE 'cause SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
(ithaka)
Ain't from the old school, ain't from the new
I'm the Fishdaddy from the depths of the pool
Don't need a fly ride, don't need a fat crib
Don't need a woman looking for a 'grip'
Time to hit the road, time for me to roam
I'm tired of seeing the movies, I wanna live my own
Don't play by the book, 'cause you'll get took
Don't play by the book, 'cause you'll get shook
Don't play by the book, 'cause you'll get took
Don't play by the book, 'cause you're gonna get shook
(don stryke)
Times is hard as I walk the yard
My street way of living got me temporarily barred
From kicking it with my folks
So I'm forced to hit the weights and make some brand new yolks
In a situation do or die
Is when I do what I gotta do, tell mamma don't cry
'Cause I might not be coming home
If they keep testing me and making me sharpen my chrome
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA FIGHT WHEN YOU GOTTA FIGHT SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA STRIKE WHEN YOU GOTTA STRIKE 'cause SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
pick a ticket up, pick a ticket up
don't be afraid to ride that bus
pick a ticket up, pick a ticket up
don't be afraid to ride that bus
Ithaka, E. Black, D. Stryke
(ithaka)
Escaped from the place of shadows and devils
The mystery of life I wanted to unravel
(e black)
I had to move away, change my lifestyle
I didn't want to be locked down in the Penal
(stryke)
I feels ya 'Black', I'm in a dark place
I'm still trying to find my way out the maze
(ithaka)
Lisbon, London, Amsterdam, Nairobi
Fish outta water, like Oki from Muscogee
(e black)
I knew I had style, I could do my thing
So I hit the frontier on the quest for finer things
(stryke)
I wish I could hit the highway now
But I gotta hit my cell before the lock down
(ithaka)
Sell your longboard, your Pinto '74
Stick a pin in the map and let the dice roll
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
GOTTA GET DONE WHATCHA NEED TO GET DONE
'cause SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
YOU GOTTA GET DONE WHATCHA NEED TO GET DONE
'cause
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO
YOU GOTTA GET DONE WHATCHA NEED TO GET DONE
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3. MY MIND AND MY BODY
Lyrics By Ithaka -Music: Conley Abrams III
My Mind
and my body
Sometimes drift,
Over the mountains
And across the sea
Looking for someone
And someplace
to believe
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4. Dugout Canoe
lyrics: ithaka-music: conley Abrams III
You won’t believe it, but it’s true
Rode the barrel of my life in an old canoe
Coast flat like never seen, Not one swell from June 16
Cryin’ shame, reef would’ve formed
Perfect left front of my new home
But a typhoon blew in that night
Ripped the roof off the hut, like it was a kite
By morning the storm had passed us up
Left a lot of damage for us to clean up
Now the waves were huge, surface smooth
But my stick was missing from out my room
Did it blow away in the screaming wind?
Or was it stolen by some thievin’ kid ?
THE WAVES WERE HUGE, SURFACE SMOOTH
BUT MY STICK WAS MISSING FROM OUT MY ROOM
FINALLY GOT SWELL, WE GOT FAT TUBES
BUT I AIN’T GOT A BLADE, ALL I GOT’S A CANOE
Paddled out in that old wood tub
Handcut mango, a.d 31
Through the channel, didn’t even get wet
Then in front appeared a ten-meter set
Paddled with all the juice I could find
Hanging on the lip, spray a-makin’ me blind
Where was Seabra at a time like this?
The kind of day Senhor Phycho don’t miss
Tossed airborn down the face
Laid back coffin-style, but it wadn’t grace
Opened my eyes in tube bigger than a hut
Liquid-lip rollin’ glass cup
Sucked me up, sucked me over
Insane prehistoric El Rollo
THE WAVES WERE HUGE, SURFACE SMOOTH
BUT MY STICK WAS MISSING FROM OUT MY ROOM
FINALLY GOT SWELL, WE GOT FAT TUBES
BUT I AIN’T GOT A BLADE, ALL I GOT’S A CANOE
Landed upright inside of the lip
Should I stay or should I jump ship ?
But no choice, got spit off
Was it a wave, or mighty Neptune’s cough?
Sucked backed over and landed on the reef
Luckily for me landed on my feet
Gashed to the bone, two toes ripped off
When along came Zambizi river shark
Smelled the blood, ready to eat me
Said, I’m Ithaka one of you, let me be
But he didn’t accept me credential
Looking at my limbs like they edible
Saved in the nick by a flying sea turtle
Rescued me up with a single hurdle
On top his iron-like shell I rode
Bleeding everywhere, all the way to the shore
THE WAVES WERE HUGE, SURFACE SMOOTH
BUT MY STICK WAS MISSING FROM OUT MY ROOM
FINALLY GOT SWELL, WE GOT FAT TUBES
BUT I AIN’T GOT A BLADE, ALL I GOT’S A CANOE
Up da beach into cliff side cave
Where Dr. Baboon wait for me to save
A parrot flew in with my toes
Cursing the shark, calling him “foe”
Surgery began without further delay
Put to sleep with anesthesia from stingray
Sewed my toes with coconut twine
Seventy stitches using porky’s pine
With toes back in tack, was left to rest
In the back of a cave near a pirate’s chest
Doctor said, we got this box
Full of gold an’ transparent rocks
We got no use for these worldly things
Take-em away and the trouble they bring
Woke up back in my roofless hut
Looked down to my foot, but it wasn’t even cut
THE WAVES WERE HUGE, SURFACE SMOOTH
BUT MY STICK WAS MISSING FROM OUT MY ROOM
FINALLY GOT SWELL, WE GOT FAT TUBES
BUT I AIN’T GOT A BLADE, ALL I GOT’S A CANOE
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5. SNAKES IN THE RAFTERS
lyrics: ithaka-music: conley Abrams III
SNAKES IN THE RAFTERS AND RATS ON THE FLOOR
DON’T GOT NO WINDOWS, AIN’T GOT NO FRONT DOOR
MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE ROOF, SPIDERS UNDER THE BED
THERE’S A CAT IN THE CORNER, BUT I THINK IT’S DEAD
A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend
Of yet another friend of another friend
Had rooms to rent, coast-Tanzania
With reef-break bowls style-Polynesia
After weeks in ‘Robi* overdue for some glide
Mombassa Express down to seaside
Mount Kenya on the left, Mount Killy** on the right
Twelve-hour train ride through the African night
Then matatu*** rollin’ snail’s pace
Two more days just to find the place
Found Ali the man in question
Mr. Ali asked me my intention
For cheap rooms a friend sent me
He said, There’s only one, but we got vacancy
SNAKES IN THE RAFTERS AND RATS ON THE FLOOR
DON’T GOT NO WINDOWS, AIN’T GOT NO FRONT DOOR
MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE ROOF, SPIDERS UNDER THE BED
THERE’S A CAT IN THE CORNER, BUT I THINK IT’S DEAD
The price is twelve US Dollars
Twelve-dollars a night? Ali you’re a robber
No, twelve dollars a year-that’s the rent
But you got to get your own mosquito net
Twelve dollars a year ?! Does it have running water ?
No it don’t, but it ain’t that big a bother
Got a well nearby, all the water you need
And gardens of bud, if ya got the need for weed
We got a lotta sun, we got fresh fish
Mangos, coconuts…more things you couldn’t wish
Don’t judge our wealth, but the size of our smiles
Variety of fruit poisonous reptiles
Twelve dollars a year, discount on decade
My sisters be single and live up on the hillside
SNAKES IN THE RAFTERS AND RATS ON THE FLOOR
DON’T GOT NO WINDOWS, AIN’T GOT NO FRONT DOOR
MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE ROOF, SPIDERS UNDER THE BED
THERE’S A CAT IN THE CORNER, BUT I THINK IT’S DEAD
Ali’s sisters brought breakfast to the hut
Both fat n forty never had a husband
Good morning sleep well ? No, slept with a spider
Bit me twenty times, an erotic all-nighter
And that cat in the corner, that WAS dead
Chased rats in circles around the bed
Still could’ve slept if the lion didn’t roar
But when he stopped, monkeys started to snore
Eat this they said and you’ll feel better
Ostrich egg omlet with crocodile gizzards
Today Mzungo**** is your lucky day
Today you choose one of us to marry
SNAKES IN THE RAFTERS AND RATS ON THE FLOOR
DON’T GOT NO WINDOWS, AIN’T GOT NO FRONT DOOR
MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE ROOF, SPIDERS UNDER THE BED
THERE’S A CAT IN THE CORNER, BUT I THINK IT’S DEAD
* ’Robi= Nairobi capital of Kenya
**Mount Killy= Mount Kilamajaro
*** matatu=bus in Swahili
**** mzungo= foreigner in Swahili
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6. Three good shots
words: ithaka
Three shots
One rhino
Three good shots
One big bad dead rhino
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7. RANA LINDA (I can make a difference)
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley Abrams III
Met at the film lab on Kigali Road
I took the bus (but) she gave me a ride home
We went back to her little shack of hope
Held together with love and a little bit of rope
Photos on the walls from a hundred trips
All telling stories of endless hardships
Rana Linda from Colorado
At home in mountains, jungles and ghettos
She made rigatoni, told me her life story
Life full of gore, but not a lot of glory
Photographs war and death for a living
She hasn’t been home since last Thanksgiving
I KNOW WHAT I DO AIN’T GOOD FOR MY HEALTH
I KNOW WHAT I DO WON’T BRING ME WEALTH
BUT IS IT NAÏVE TO THINK
THAT I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?....
I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Last spring did a story in Rwanda
About perpetrators of local propaganda
The only reporter in war zone
To record raid of a thousand village homes
Just a preview of things to come
A massacre followed, but Rana didn’t run
The pictures, she knew, could save lives
But a boy came to her, blood pouring out his eyes
Should she go ? Or should she stay ?
Or take him to the hospital three hours away ?
Was it wrong or was it right?
Should she have stayed ? Or saved his life?
I KNOW WHAT I DO AIN’T GOOD FOR MY HEALTH
I KNOW WHAT I DO WON’T BRING ME WEALTH
BUT IS IT NAÏVE TO THINK
THAT I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?....
I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
On TV, it’s easy to believe
Peace is a choice that’s easy to achieve
But I can tell you this, it’s no pantomime
You can only turn your cheek yo so many times
Then you gotta stand up fo’ yo’self
Or be victim to dictators’ wealth
TIME* just called, now I’m off to Zaire
Every trip new terror, every trip new fear
I’m not feeling good about this, it’s easy to see
So if it’s not too much, can you just hold me?
Tomorrow I’ll be on the frontier
But this is NOW, we alive and here
I KNOW WHAT I DO AIN’T GOOD FOR MY HEALTH
I KNOW WHAT I DO WON’T BRING ME WEALTH
BUT IS IT NAÏVE TO THINK
THAT I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?....
I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
I KNOW WHAT I DO AIN’T GOOD FOR MY HEALTH
I KNOW WHAT I DO WON’T BRING ME WEALTH
BUT IS IT NAÏVE TO THINK
THAT I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?....
I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
* Time Magazine
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8. Mr. MOSQUITO
Lyrics: ithaka-music: zeldo (aka steve zeldin)
Down at the coast
Having a good time
Daylight’s trouble free
No stress to the mind
But at sundown
Coming out by the millions
The world’s number one
Killer of civilians
Mr. Mosquito don’t bite me
Don’t make me scratch, don’t make me bleed
Mr. Mosquito don’t bite me
Don’t want to catch your disease
If you don’t mind, can you spare my life ?
I used repellant, won’t you fly on by
I know you want my blood
But you ain’t gonna get it
Try as you must
But you might as well forget it
Mr. Mosquito don’t bite me
Don’t make me scratch, don’t make me bleed
Mr. Mosquito don’t bite me
Don’t want to catch your disease
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9. THE UGLY AMERICAN
lyrics: ithaka – music conley abrams III
Sold the house in LA, apartment New York
Twenty-hour nonstop to Nairobi airport
Bought a deluxe black Range Rover
With tinted windows and cd-sorter
Bought a map, headed for coast
Bought thirty-acres beachfront and brand new boat
Paid natives to burn down trees
Who the hell were they to disagree ?
Needed room for tennis court and swimming pool
In this land too, rich usually rule
Built a house like no house ever seen
Fifteen bedrooms all fit for kings
A year later, palace complete
Bel Aire mansion in the African heat
HE’S PAID HIS DUES
HE’S PAID THE PRICE TWICE
BUT HIS SOUL WILL ROT IN PARADISE
Electric fence, five-meters high
Keep out the crooks, but the monkeys die
But he’s a Man and a man has to protect his land
From thieves and thugs trying to get the upper hand
A satellite dish and internet
Alone he drinks gin at sunset
Out on the veranda overlooking the sea
Indeed he pretends to be pleased
No convenience did he sacrifice
Cuz he’s got the goods, he got the merchandise
He raped his maid, but what can she do ?
Her mama needs medicine, her kids need food
But he’s a Man, bad man, sick man, evil man
But a rich man and rich men rule the land
Killed a rhino while he smoked a cigar
High-powered shot from a moving car
Paid a bribe to the game park ranger
To keep his identity a stranger
HE’S PAID HIS DUES
HE’S PAID THE PRICE TWICE
BUT HIS SOUL WILL ROT IN PARADISE
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10. ONE GOOD SHOT (email to an ex-wife)
Words:ithaka
Dear Hilary,
I love this new world
That I’ve had the luck to discover.
The mountains, the sky and the sea
Are all helping me to recover
From some bad times and some bad years.
Finally forgiven my enemies.
Finally forgotten my fears.
(SHOT!)
ONE SHOT
ONE POACHER
ONE GOOD SHOT
ONE BIG BAD DEAD POACHER
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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11.BLACK ROCK
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
Pretty Mwanisha, the flower of this coast
On her way back to the village with fish for the roast
Stopped to make a wish under baobab tree
To remain forever happy as she’d been
But in her path, she met the big green mambo*
Who smiled at her and greeted her with, Jambo**
Fangs of death through her young skin
Given by a green slithering assassin
BLACK ROCK, BLACK ROCK SAVE HER LIFE
BITTEN BY THE MAMBO, TIME TO FIND A KNIFE
CUT THE BITE WOUND, OPEN WIDE
PUT THE BLACK ROCK ON AND PRAY SHE DON’T DIE
Found by a Digo*** boy named Bakari
Who knew about black rock sorcery
A magic black stone, dat could pull poison out a bite
And make someone near death suddenly feel all right
He cut through where the snake left its mark
Stuck the stone on and it did its part
Drank all the venom from out of her blood
And when the stone was done, it fell off with a thud
BLACK ROCK, BLACK ROCK SAVE HER LIFE
BITTEN BY THE MAMBO, TIME TO FIND A KNIFE
CUT THE BITE WOUND, OPEN WIDE
PUT THE BLACK ROCK ON AND PRAY SHE DON’T DIE
Isha opened her eyes and saw Bakari’s face
Trying to recall how she got to this place
He helped her up and up to her feet
She thanked him with a kiss then said, time to eat
Invited him back to her family’s hut
Where they roasted the samaki**** with cashew nuts
She said a prayer of thanks to be so blessed
Blessed to be alive, with the fish still fresh
BLACK ROCK, BLACK ROCK SAVE HER LIFE
BITTEN BY THE MAMBO, TIME TO FIND A KNIFE
CUT THE BITE WOUND, OPEN WIDE
PUT THE BLACK ROCK ON AND PRAY SHE DON’T DIE
*Green mambo= one of the most venomous snakes in Africa
** jambo=Swahili for, hello
*** Digo: one of the most prominent tribes in coastal Kenya
**** samaki=Swahili word for fish
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12. Lapis Lazuli/Mother of Pearl
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
Hey, why are you out here ?....Yeah, me too
You know, they say that when the moon
has that rainbow ring thing around it like tonight,
that amazing unusual things can happen
New Year’s party up near Tiwi Reef
I don’t like crowds, stayed out on the beach
And met a lovely, young goddess-like being
Just the moon, the sea, some understanding
We had an instant, spell-like connection
A mixture of attraction and perception
With the smell of magic in the air
Ravenshark and Goddess…unlikely pair
She said, I don’t know you’re name…but let’s walk
Down the beach, ‘til forever we can talk
LET’S KEEP ON WALKING ‘TIL THE END OF THE WORLD
YOU BE MY LAPIS LAZULI, I’LL BE YOUR MOTHER OF PEARL
The sky and the sea became the same blue.
She said, let’s start now our search for truth
LET’S KEEP ON WALKING ‘TIL THE END OF THE WORLD
YOU BE MY LAPIS LAZULI, I’LL BE YOUR MOTHER OF PEARL
Past the last of electrical wires
Past the remnants of tribal fires
Light-bugs glowed all around our heads
Like little magic flowers for some newlyweds
Then…..Come On, she said, taking off her dress
Let’s go for a swim, make a New Year’s wish
Skinny-dipping in a lukewarm see
Holding each other and soul-kissing
Just the dawn, the sea, some understanding
And for the New Year a new beginning
LETS KEEP ON WALKING ‘TIL THE END OF THE WORLD
YOU BE MY LAPIS LAZULI, I’LL BE YOUR MOTHER OF PEARL
The sky and sea became the same blue,
like the honeymoon of Luna and Neptune
LETS KEEP ON WALKING ‘TIL THE END OF THE WORLD
YOU BE MY LAPIS LAZULI I’LL BE YOUR MOTHER OF PEARL
spoken line alternates in later chores after trumpet solo:
The sky and sea became the same blue,
the full moon will be our time capsule
The sky and sea became the same blue,
She said, I don’t know you, but I still love you
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13. VISIT WITH PROFESSOR NGAWA
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
YOUR PROBLEMS IN LIFE AIN’T JUST BAD LUCK
YOU BEEN CURSED TO MAKE YOU SELF-DESTRUCT
YOU WEAR TUKANA* LIKE A DEATH COLLAR
BUT NGAWA CAN REMOVE FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS
River Road, Nairobi - Saturday the Eighth
Looking down the streets for a spot to stay
Read a sign, FORTUNE BY NGAWA
At the street door of an old wood tower
Something fun to tell the crew back home
Fortune told by a fake on River Road
Climbed six flights of creaky stairs
Laughing to myself, I’s still unaware
That Ngawa was a voodoo priest
From way down south in Mozambique
Paid a hundred Bob** at the door of his den
Sat on down next to a headless hen
With a fish, sea star and wooden mask
He began from the start to tell me the past
You were a shark in a past life, a raven in another
But followed through time by jealous blood-suckers
YOUR PROBLEMS IN LIFE AIN’T JUST BAD LUCK
YOU BEEN CURSED TO MAKE YOU SELF-DESTRUCT
YOU WEAR TUKANA* LIKE A DEATH COLLAR
BUT NGAWA CAN REMOVE FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS
Ya Mama’s bit by a spider on birthday morn
The widow’s bite almost left you stillborn
Another close call when you was ten
Hit by a car almost got done in
Left LA to make something of yourself
Left your family alone, you’re feeling selfish
Moved to Athens, then Tokyo
And on to Lisbon, broke no joke
You put out the juice, you dropped the hit
But USL didn’t pay you jack shit
YOUR PROBLEMS IN LIFE AIN’T JUST BAD LUCK
YOU BEEN CURSED TO MAKE YOU SELF-DESTRUCT
YOU WEAR TUKANA* LIKE A DEATH COLLAR
BUT NGAWA CAN REMOVE FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS
A spell so evil, a spell so cruel
To keep you living like a rat in a dark cesspool
A life of bad luck is what you’re gonna see
And only me, Ngawa can remove this deed
A thousand US Dollars should do the trick
You can pay with cash, you can pay with credit
Ngawa, I said, You know damn well
Ain’t got no curse, you can go to hell
The bad luck I had, I made myself
Along with the good, these cards I’ve delt
Take your hocus-pocus shove it up your ass
I live in the present, the bad was in the past
YOUR PROBLEMS IN LIFE AIN’T JUST BAD LUCK
YOU BEEN CURSED TO MAKE YOU SELF-DESTRUCT
YOU WEAR TUKANA* LIKE A DEATH COLLAR
BUT NGAWA CAN REMOVE FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS
Now if you’ll excuse me, I got things to see
Drinks to drink, people to meet
Trying to take advantage of mzungo-man***
Rot in hell with your witch doctor scam
You’ll be back, you’ll be back
You’ll be back, you’ll be back
Mzungo-man you’ll be back you’ll see
Mzungo-man no escape Uchawi****
YOU’LL BE BACK, YOU’LL BE BACK
Down I went out of that tower
On to River Road at the midnight hour
YOUR PROBLEMS IN LIFE AIN’T JUST BAD LUCK
YOU BEEN CURSED TO MAKE YOU SELF-DESTRUCT
YOU WEAR TUKANA* LIKE A DEATH COLLAR
BUT NGAWA CAN REMOVE FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS
•
•
*Tukana: Swahili for curse, black magic, to be cursed
** Bob: slang for Kenyan Schilling $
*** mzungo-man: Swahili for foreigner
**** Uchawi: Swahili for black magic
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14. UPENDO
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
How do you say…how would YOU say…I love you?
UPENDO
Taka-kua manamake
UPENDO
Shikwa na kapenzi
Shikwa na mapenzi
UPENDO
Ucho mahaba
Ashiki halili
UPENDO
Love
UPENDO
I love you
Hawa bembeleza
Tamani Pembeleza
UPENDO
Penda tiba mchumba
Upendo hawa huba
Pendo tiba
UPENDO
Pendo tiba mchumba
UPENDO
Nataka kukua
Penda tiba
UPENDO
Nampemba Mwanamume
Shikwa na mapenzi
UPENDO
Ucho Mahaba
UPENDO
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15. RIVER ROAD
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
THIS IS RIVER ROAD WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP
WHERE YOU CAN GIT YOURSELF KILLED
FOR THE PRICE OF A DRINK
SO IF YOU AIN’T FROM HERE, NO PLACE TO CREEP
CUZ PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM HERE WITHOUT A PEEP
Back out on the street paved with broken glass
Feeling fearless and ready to forget my past
People drinking and dancing on every corner
Each and all celebratin’, among them was no mourners
But got held up by a group of River Road kids
Only thirteen years old, but their blades was big
A street whore ran in to the building they ran
Came out five minutes later with my wallet in her hand
She gave it back to me. Believe it or not it’s true
My ID was there and my money too
I’m sorry, she said, but some people have no manners
My name is Esther and I charge by the hour
So let’s go upstairs, let me show you a good time
Cuz there ain’t nothing wrong with a little bump-n-grind
Well thank you dear Esther, but I think I’ll pass
Ain’t got no rubbers and I don’t pay for ass
But if you got the time, let me by you a drink
Well…ok, maybe one, she said with a wink
You’ll get yourself killed on River Road……..
THIS IS RIVER ROAD WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP
WHERE YOU CAN GIT YOURSELF KILLED
FOR THE PRICE OF A DRINK
SO IF YOU AIN’T FROM HERE,AIN’T NO PLACE TO CREEP
CUZ PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM HERE WITHOUT A PEEP
Now up some dirty stairs to a bar full of thugs
We drank fresh mnazi* outta giant wooden mugs
Fermented palm sap that’ll make your head spin
‘fore it makes it your stomach, it starts to kick in
Then Esther left the lounge to meet up with a client
Left me with her pimp named, Johnny The Giant
We sat down at a table with some rough-necked dregs
One guy had one eye, another guy had one leg
And there was Dragon-Breath Joseph and Gold-Tooth Jack
And Ngugi-The Kikuya, Nairobi’s mack of all macks
A motley looking crew from start to finish
I listened to their stories of survival of the fittest
Heard a hundred tales of the River Road life
“bout living off their hos, ‘bout living off the night
Selling a little dope and making a little Bob**
But still down and out, eating corn on the cob
THIS IS RIVER ROAD WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP
WHERE YOU CAN GIT YOURSELF KILLED
FOR THE PRICE OF A DRINK
SO IF YOU AIN’T FROM HERE, AIN’T NO PLACE TO CREEP
CUZ PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM HERE WITHOUT A PEEP
But the vibe seemed cool story after story
They had a lot of pride for their underground glory
Seven rounds later, I was feeling kinda whacked
Got up to take a whiz, telling ‘em, Be Right Back
Unzipped and let the stream flow
When alongside of me, a young afroed bro
Said: Mzungo*** brother, I speak to you as a friend
Overheard them thugs talking, you’s about to get done in
This is the wrong time, this is the wrong place
Disappear from here, you disappear with no trace
This is River Road, Nairobi where life is cheap
You can get yourself killed for the price of a drink
So take my advice, finish your piss and split
If ya hurry up, maybe you can give ‘em the slip
Paranoia swept over me
I had but one choice and that was to flee
Zipped up, bolted out the door
And down the stairs past a couple of whores
But them mongrels was already on to me
And I didn’t look back as I hit the street
AND THE CHASE WAS ON AT THE BREAK OF DAWN
AND THE CHASE WAS ON AT THE BREAK OF DAWN
AND THE CHASE WAS ON AT THE BREAK OF DAWN
AND THE CHASE WAS ON AT THE BREAK OF DAWN
With people laughing, screaming and cheering
At the long-haired mzungo about to git a skinnin’
THIS IS RIVER ROAD WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP
WHERE YOU CAN GIT YOURSELF KILLED
FOR THE PRICE OF A DRINK
SO IF YOU AIN’T FROM HERE , AIN’T NO PLACE TO CREEP
CUZ PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM HERE WITHOUT A PEEP
But kept a lead on ‘em all the way downtown
Hopped into a cab, I was lucky to have found
Cabbie said, Look like they wanted to kill
Yeah, guess I forgot to pay my bill
THIS IS RIVER ROAD WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP
WHERE YOU CAN GIT YOURSELF KILLED
FOR THE PRICE OF A DRINK
SO IF YOU AIN’T FROM HERE, AIN’T NO PLACE TO CREEP
CUZ PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM HERE WITHOUT A PEEP
• *mnazi: fermented palm tree beer
• **Bob: slang for Kenyan Schilling $
• *** mzungo: Swahili for foreigner
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16. NGAWA’S REVENGE
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley abrams III
Woke up one morning soaked with sweat
Delinquent payment for past karmic debt ?
Nairobi Hospital, urgency area
No need worry, probably malaria
Jab with needle and check the result
Cuz, if you no got it, we no give antidote
An hour later, test read “negative”
They said, Try again later…if you live
But that wasn’t funny, I kept getting sicker
My head burning, my tongue gettin’ thicker
“Negative” again, what had I caught?
In Room 20, I laid waiting to rot
AIN’T FEELING GOOD, CAN’T STOP SWEATING
GOT A TEMPERATURE OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
WILL I LIVE ? WILL I DIE ?
WILL I FALL? WILL I FLY ?
PRAYIN’ TO A GOD THAT I DON’T EVEN KNOW
PLEASE FORGIVE EVERYTHING I DONE WRONG
LET ME GO HOME, IF YOU DON’T WANT ME IN HEAVEN
BREAK THIS FEVER OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
There I was, six days in the mix
Like a broke watch with no chance of being fixed
No one to ask, nothing to be said
I wondered if others had died in this bed
That night, slept in a tub of ice water
Dreamt all night of my long-deceased father
He said, It ain’t your time, still got life to live
A lesson to respect both Good and Wicked
AIN’T FEELING GOOD, CAN’T STOP SWEATING
GOT A TEMPERATURE OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
WILL I LIVE ? WILL I DIE ?
WILL I FALL? WILL I FLY ?
PRAYIN’ TO A GOD THAT I DON’T EVEN KNOW
PLEASE FORGIVE EVERYTHING I DONE WRONG
LET ME GO HOME, IF YOU DON’T WANT ME IN HEAVEN
BREAK THIS FEVER OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
You’ll be back You’ll be back
You’ll be back You’ll be back
You’ll be back You’ll be back
You’ll be back You’ll be back
Professor Ngawa, Professor Ngawa
Professor Ngawa, Professor Ngawa
Professor Ngawa, you cursed me it was YOU !
YOU BE THE DEVIL, YOU TOOK ME FOR A FOOL !
Will I live ? Will I die?
Will I fall ? Will I fly?
Will I live ? Will I die?
Will I fall ? Will I fly?
Woke up in the tub with no fever
Free from, Professor Deceiver
Said a prayer to the god I don’t know
Thanking him it wasn’t yet the end of the show
Gonna steer of the twilight
Just wanna live my mortal ravenshark life
AIN’T FEELING GOOD, CAN’T STOP SWEATING
GOT A TEMPERATURE OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
WILL I LIVE ? WILL I DIE ?
WILL I FALL? WILL I FLY ?
PRAYIN’ TO A GOD THAT I DON’T EVEN KNOW
PLEASE FORGIVE EVERYTHING I DONE WRONG
LET ME GO HOME, IF YOU DON’T WANT ME IN HEAVEN
BREAK THIS FEVER OF A HUNDRED AND SEVEN
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17. ENDLESS BUMMER
words: ithaka
Looking out, above the beauty of the land
Hand-sculpted nature by a universal hand
Could the Last Act really be near ?
Why is earth still hunted by man’s own spear ?
Water be rising, ice be melting
Flowers be wilting, sun be pelting
…anyway you wanna look at it;
The endless summer is an endless bummer.
Be worse than having a drum,
Without having a drummer
We will always have love
We will always have hate
But will the birds and bees
and trees evaporate ?
Happiness ain’t no lie
It’s just hard to find
But don’t forget to love the world
When you’re trying to survive
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18. MWAJUMA
lyrics: ithaka – music: conley Abrams
Born a strong girl under the African sun
Up in the mountains of Kenya, 1951
Grew up poor on her tribal land
Turned sixteen and went to work for The Man
For more than thirty years, she’s made them their tea
Washed their clothes, cooked them their meat
SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR ME
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM FOR ME
IT’S BEEN A LOT OF LONG YEARS GONE
SINCE I STOPPED DOING THE DREAMING
One warm Langatta* morning in January
Amidst confusion, she was my sanctuary
I got lost on my way back to town
But instead, a new friend’s what I found
Met her every morning at the market in Karen**
Her forty-five minutes to conversate in freedom
For two months in my life, I had a best friend
She spoke British with Swahili accent
I was her confidante and she was mine
From eight-thirty in the morning, ‘til a quarter after nine
She always smiles, but inside she’s sad
She tested Positive and her kids have no Dad
SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR ME
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM FOR ME
IT’S BEEN A LOT OF LONG YEARS GONE
SINCE I STOPPED DOING THE DREAMING
On the Friday morning of my departure
She brought me a single solitary blue flower
Said, Ithaka-we didn’t know each other long
But I love you mzungo***, like you was my own son
I’m glad you had good times in my land
But don’t ever forget, heaven and hell go hand in hand
Lots of love and happiness and a lot of sorrow
Same as yesterday, same as tomorrow
‘member me, Mwajuma in your far away land
Once upon a time, a strong African girl
SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR ME
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM FOR ME
IT’S BEEN A LOT OF LONG YEARS GONE
SINCE I STOPPED DOING THE DREAMING
(spoken part)
Since we first met,
she was always trying to fatten me up.
She’s say, “Boy, you’re just skin and bones…
Gotta put a little bit of weight on ya”
And she’d bring me these brown paper bags of food
Down to the open air market where we’d meet up.
And wherever I’d spot her,
she’d always have this big paper sack
sitting on top of her cart
full of cookies or cornmeal or last night’s casserole…
whatever…an it was funny, cuz….
She’s always handed me the bag
in secrecy under the table
when no one else was looking,
like it was some exchange
of highly valuable documents…
something private and special between us…
…and in a way it was….
She always talked about her kids
And how happy she was
That they hadn’t met The Devil.
That’s how she talked
referring to her illness, The Devil.
Then she’d laugh and call Him a son of a bitch.
But I could never tell if she was talking about her illness,
or her dead husband that gave it to her….
SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR ME
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM FOR ME
IT’S BEEN A LOT OF LONG YEARS GONE
SINCE I STOPPED DOING THE DREAMING
*Langatta: suburb of Nairobi
** Karen: village outside of Nairobi named after
• legendary writer, Karen Blixen (Out of Africa)
***mzungo: Swahili for foreigner
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19. MY MIND AND MY BODY(reprise)
Lyrics By Ithaka -Music: Conley Abrams III
My Mind
and my body
Sometimes drift,
Over the mountains
And across the sea
Looking for someone
And someplace
to believe
