Heal the World — Remix

Lyrics

BURG CITY RECORDS In Poetic Collaboration with tHE JB StUDiOs presents HEAL THE WORLD FROM Area — Remix GOD'S LOVE FOR JUJU BE HEALING THE WORLD! JiNG & BiNG come for the brave & the bold Afro-Juju Continuum Grooving make glory unfold. (slow-burning, rolling Afro, ~68 BPM in a loose 12/8 sway. Round bass, talking drum, shekere, clean guitar, warm sax) PROLOGUE: THE SOVEREIGN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (Bass rolls in alone, like a tide. Shekere breathes underneath. One slow guitar line.) We bow to the Giver, the Keeper, the Guide, The Hand wey hold us steady when di waters rise wide. Let JiNG & BiNG be JiNG & BiNG, Because GOD is in love with JiNG & BiNG! Mend di small wound before we judge di whole, Heal di Area first, and di world go feel di soul. [INTRO: HUM, THEN THE ROLL BEGINS] (hum) Ooh... drum knock, heart rock, Block wake slow, / morning smoke, charcoal glow. Gate swing wide, / pride rise high, GOD's love for Juju... / hear di Area sigh. [VERSE 1: DEEP SOUL, THE GROOVE SETTLES] (Talking drum answers each line end. Stay slightly behind the beat.) Area, my story, / my glory, my grind, Red dust on my feet, / na true blues I find. Waffi pen dey bleed ink / like pink e dey blink, Mrs. Olololo dey try run from her past, / Area still dey remind her, From Street to Screen, / dem hide behind her. Gutter to summit, / pressure to purpose, Put di people for di picture, / make di progress be service. (ad-lib) Oh Lord... make di blues become di service. [CHORUS: CHOIR SWELL, GROOVE ROLLS WIDER] LEAD: GOD's love for Juju... mend di street, mend di beat. CHOIR: (low) GOD's love for Juju... heart to heart, we no retreat. LEAD: Hands up... plans up... stands up. CHOIR: Heal di Area... heal di world. ALL: Small fire, big choir, / lift am higher, truth no tire, Start for here... make love spread like wire. [VERSE 2: MAMA'S BLUES] (Guitar picks a slow rolling figure. Drums drop to rim and shaker.) Mama sweep di dust / before di cock dey crow, Trust dey her prayer, / care dey her glow. Danfo hum for di corner, / drum come, sun climb, None go despair / when di hand dey keep time. Children read by candle, / handle hardship, bright light tight, Ink on dem finger, / hope for dem sight. Backs bend, dreams mend, / di track na forward flight, (ad-lib) Ooh, mama, / you carry di whole night. [VERSE 3: MARKET BLUES] (Bass walks up. Sax hums a line between couplets.) Market woman, tailor man, / driver, teacher, nurse, Each one carry a piece of di cure, / no be curse. Pepper and thread, / needle and bread, Every small hand dey stitch di world together. Share di load, mend di road, / make di burden unload, Seed to seed, need to need, / na di good we sowed. No wait for gift from far, / na our own star we chase, Local hands, global plans, / grand stands for every face. [READ-ALOUD VERSE: DEEP AFRO SOUL VOICE] (Voice low and gravelly, like an elder talking at dusk. Bass only, shekere barely there. The groove slows to a single heartbeat pulse. Breathe at every slash. Hold the last word of each stanza.) (hum) Mmm... / make I talk to you small, No beat... / no noise, Just di Area... / and di truth... and di voice. Dem say heal di world... / eh... / but where we go start? Na for di door wey we sweep, / na for di neighbour heart. Na di woman wey dey sell / till di last light go down... / ooh, Na di boy wey dey read / under di streetlamp crown. Nobody send us letter, / nobody ring bell, But di work dey call us, / and we dey hear am well. No wait for stranger... / no wait for sign, Di hand wey dey near you... / (softer) na di hand wey go shine. So if your neighbour dey fall, / no look away, If your brother dey hungry, / make we share today. Di world no too big / for love to reach... Na one small act / wey dey teach... (hold) and teach. (Two seconds of silence. Voice drops almost to a whisper.) Heal di Area... / (hum, rising slightly) and di world go hear. (Shekere swells on "hear." The full rolling groove returns, rolling into the Bridge.) [BRIDGE: SLOW CALL-AND-RESPONSE] LEAD: Listen... CHOIR: (low) Glisten. LEAD: Mend... CHOIR: Tend... defend. LEAD: Feed... CHOIR: Lead... succeed. LEAD: Together... CHOIR: Forever... whatever. ALL: No be show... na grow. No be fame... na flame. No be me... (held) na we. [VERSE 4: CLIMAX, THE SOUL RISES] (The groove builds slowly: more choir, horns enter, talking drum rolls faster but the tempo never rushes.) New Benin to Lasgidi, / Waffi to di coast, Different tongue, one song, / na love we boast. Roots deep, vows keep, / sleep light, fight right, Wrong turn, lesson learn, / burn bright, shine tight. Elders get honour, / young ones get a chance, Truth lead di line, / make justice join di dance. Heal di home, heal di hand, / heal di land, heal di plan, Heal di heart, heal di part, / start again, na so we stand. [FINAL CHORUS: FULL SWELL, SAX AND CHOIR] GOD's love for Juju! Fire catch, hope latch, none detach! Soul no quench, voice no flinch, / blues go drench every inch! (slowing, groove thins to bass and shekere)