Back to all translations
App is best experienced on desktop or tablet.
Translations are AI-generated and unedited. AI can make mistakes. When in doubt, trust someone who speaks the language.
Translations are AI-generated and unedited. AI can make mistakes. When in doubt, trust someone who speaks the language.
Chorus
| Original | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owu sa gi ooo | You don't have money | Direct statement about being broke/lacking money. 'Owu sa gi' literally means 'you don't have money' in Igbo. |
| Ke ega mara ife eeeh | Then you will know things/understand | Suggesting that when you're broke, you'll truly understand life's realities |
| Nwanne m owu sa gi ooo | My brother/sister, you don't have money | 'Nwanne m' means 'my brother/sister' - a term of solidarity and kinship |
Verse 1
| Original | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| To hammer money, no be small thing o | To make money/succeed is not a small thing | Nigerian Pidgin. 'Hammer' means to succeed or make it big financially |
| Brother sister, poverty ajogbuo la owen ya | Brother, sister, poverty has destroyed many people | Mixed Pidgin and Igbo. Commentary on how poverty devastates people's lives |
| From monday to sunday i dey on top my system | From Monday to Sunday I'm working hard on my craft | Nigerian Pidgin. 'System' refers to his hustle/work, likely music production |
| Dey tidy siquencing, ka odi kwa ka ana eme | Doing sequencing, however it's being done | Mix of English and Igbo. 'Siquencing' refers to music production; 'ka odi kwa ka ana eme' = however/whatever way it's done |
| Now i don make my money, fizzy to efizy | Now I've made my money, from level to level | Pidgin/English. Celebrating financial success after hard work |
| Onye were obi eji eri ego | The person whose heart/mind one uses to eat money | Igbo proverb about being strategic and smart with money |
| Make you carry dey go, jikeleji | Just keep it moving, hold it well | Pidgin and Igbo. 'Jikeleji' means hold well/tight - advice to secure your wealth |
| Brother, jikeleji, sister, jikeleki paddy | Brother, hold it tight, sister, hold it tight friend | Repetition for emphasis, addressing both genders. 'Paddy' = friend in Pidgin |
| No let money fall your hand oh | Don't let money slip through your fingers | Nigerian Pidgin warning about managing money wisely |
Verse 2
| Original | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owusagi bros, you go mala ife | When you're broke, brother, you will understand things | The main theme - being broke teaches hard lessons |
| If you doubt me ask john malaife | If you doubt me, ask John who understands things | Reference to someone named John who has experienced poverty |
| M'jide ego guys ana ta ife | I'm holding money, guys are buying things | Igbo. Observing how those with money can purchase what they want |
| Umu nwanyi ebenile ana elife | Girls everywhere are enjoying themselves | Igbo. Commentary on how women gravitate toward those with money |
| But beta anu beta anu, na aru nama | But better meat, better meat, it's about getting meat | Pidgin/Igbo metaphor - 'meat' symbolizes the good things in life that money can buy |
| Onye jide nke ya, opam uo | Let everyone hold their own, it's complete | Igbo. Suggesting everyone should focus on their own hustle |
| Gbaji akwala, na kwara | Don't run away/flee in Kwara | Reference to Kwara State in Nigeria, warning about running from problems |
| One girl onye gala m'furu na buka nga di hausa na gba salah | One girl that I met, bigger than a Hausa man praying | Humorous comparison, mixing Igbo with reference to Islamic prayer practices of Hausa people |
| Im jiri make ya, go ye everybody amala | The way I made it happen, everyone now knows | Igbo/Pidgin. 'Amala' is a Yoruba dish but here used as slang for 'understands' |
| Ndi igbo ibe'm nu di e, bu yen ha udara | My fellow Igbo people who are there, that's what they've fallen to | Commentary on the state of fellow Igbo people struggling with poverty |
| Day by day, ego'm ana gbada | Day by day, my money is decreasing/running out | Igbo. The reality of money running out despite making it |
| I need to sell my Honda halla | I need to sell my Honda car | English/Pidgin. Showing financial struggles requiring selling possessions |
| Like play like play, a depot um from kwara m'nata cool city now ne elezi gala | Unexpectedly, deported from Kwara to the city, now roaming around | Mixed languages. Story of displacement and hardship |
| Allah, owu sala m, m'bili akwa | God, I don't have money, I'm crying | Prayer/lament. 'Allah' used generally for God, showing desperation |
9ice's Verse
| Original | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [9ice performs in Yoruba and English] | [Featured artist contribution] | 9ice typically performs in Yoruba language mixed with English. His verse adds a Yoruba dimension to this primarily Igbo song, creating a pan-Nigerian collaboration. The exact lyrics for 9ice's verse were not available in search results. |