Return Our Children
A song made by Adegboyega Adelaja
Return Our Children
A song made by Adegboyega Adelaja
Woe unto you, stealers of children.
Unspeakable curses are falling upon you like rain.
Thorns are now the leaves from which you shall eat.
May your upper teeth lock upon your lower teeth like the jaws of a vice, never to open again.
Woe unto you, stealers of children.
Unspeakable curses are falling upon you like rain.
Thorns are now the leaves from which you shall eat.
May your upper teeth lock upon your lower teeth like the jaws of a vice, never to open again.
You who touch our Yoruba child—the children of Ọ̀ṣun—are you not afraid of Our Mothers who fly at midnight?
Our Mothers will find you, will pluck your eyes that will know sleep no more.
Why should we want anything to do with your tribes again?
It was the British who started this rain that brought the hawk near the nest of our children.
Who wants anything to do with you again?
We want nothing more to do with your ilk.
We are tired of your foul breath.
Your very soul reeks of the rotten flesh you ply as beef.
Your egg has broken.
Your generations are wasted.
We desire your company no further, stealers of our human jewels.
Your ways are evil, like the dagger eyes of your ancestors.
We want you to stay away from us because light and darkness do not mix.
Unless you return our children unscathed, lùkúlùkú will devastate you and your loved ones….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Ọ̀ràmfẹ̀ will consume you with eternal flames….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Obalúayé will poke your skin with putrid pus….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Lákáayé will severe your heads like that of a rabid dog….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Agẹmọ will suck dry your blood out of your veins….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Egúngún will turn your music to dirges….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Láaróyè will confuse you at every crossroad….
Unless you return our children unscathed, Obàtálá will cripple your limbs, blind your eyes, and render you leprous….
Ha! You, from a caravan of lost values, have crossed the line when you stole our children.
And you shall enjoy no peace again, for you have crossed the boundary and laid your hands upon ỌMỌLÚWÀBÍ ỌMỌ YORÙBÁ.
We want our children back, we want them back now, they have committed no crime, nobody will sleep, and we will not stop chasing you until they return home to us in peace, not in pieces.
Seven times we curse you and reject you.
