[Chorus]
I get my money
Plan my plan finish
Start to go for market
Start to go for shopping
Before I reach market nko o?
Government show don enter
My plan don spoil o
Government show don enter
My plan don spoil o

[Chorus]
Overtake don overtake overtake!

Ah! I beg let us get down
Into another underground spiritual game
I beg, after my "pass o, pass o"
You go dey help me end am with "wen"
Because them go hear wen, yeah!
Pass o, pass o, pass o, pass o...

[Chorus]
Wen!

When they want to call, eh
When they want to call, eh
When they want to call Nigerian government
Them give am name, "Federal Military Government"
(Federal Military Government!)
For Libya dem give am name, "Liberation Council"
(Liberation Council!)
For Liberia dem give am name, "Redemption Council"
(Redemption Council!)
For Zaire dem give am name, "Revolutionary Council"
(Revolutionary Council!)
Them get different different names
For different different governments
But the correct name for them
Na "soldier go, soldier come"

[Chorus]
Soldier go, soldier come!

Soldier go, soldier come
Federal Military Government
Libya Liberation Council
Liberia Redemption Council
Zaire Revolutionary Council
Soldier go, soldier come
Soldier go, soldier come

When Obasanjo and Yar'Adua
Chop belly full and go
Them put civilian friends for there
Them shout, "Second republic!"
People wey no know dey happy
People wey know them dey look
Them baptize the civilian government
Them name am federal government
Me I know by their name
Me I call them "soldier put, soldier go"

[Chorus]
Soldier go, soldier come!
Soldier come, soldier go!

Na so our lives for Africa dey roll
Since them say we get independence
The civilian government wey them dey
Na soldier dey protect them
When our lives roll small
He go go knock head for wall
When our lives roll small
He go go knock head for tree
When our lives roll small
He go go knock head for stone

When I see say our lives dey roll
Like one yeye ball
Wey one yeye wind
Dey blow from one yeye corner
I put my mouth for song:
"Kalakuta Show"

[Chorus]
Yeye rolling!
Gaga gugu, gaga gugu!
Woko woko, woko woko!

Look the man he dey waka
Hungry dey run for him face

I put my mouth for song:
"Mr. Follow Follow"

[Chorus]
Yeye rolling!
Mr. Follow Follow!

Mr. Follow Follow, make you open eye
Mr. Follow Follow, make you open sense

I put my mouth for song:
"Zombie o, Zombie"

[Chorus]
Yeye rolling!
Zombie o, zombie!

Zombie no go go unless you tell am to go and stop
Attention, quick march, left turn
Right turn, about turn, quick march
Quick march, left turn, right turn
About turn, quick march, left turn

I put my mouth for song:
"Shuffering and Shmiling"

[Chorus]
Yeye rolling!
Suffering and smiling!

Every day my people dey inside bus
Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing
Them dey faint, them dey wake like cock
Every day na the same thing

I put my mouth for song:
"Unknown Soldier"

[Chorus]
Yeye rolling!
Unknown soldier!

That my mama wey you kill
She is the only mother of Nigeria
Which kind injustice be this?
Wetin concern government inside?
If na unknown soldier
Them turn blue into red
Them turn pink into green

[Chorus]
Soldier go, soldier come!
Soldier come, soldier go!

The reason suffer our suffer
He don dey show him face to us
When black man want to start business, na big wahala
Na big wahala, he go run orisirisi running
When he start the business nko? Another wahala
Another wahala, he go beg orisirisi begging
To settle wahala, na to start wahala again
To start wahala again you go fall orisirisi falling

And things don come change again
Soldier don put everybody for reverse
Na back the country take dey walk
Soldier don put everybody for reverse
Na back the country take dey walk
Soldier don put everybody for reverse

Ah, I beg, we wan change the mood of this music now
We wan inject second bass and the big conga drums
Oya! Pop!

[Chorus]
Na from back!

If them wan to knock your head
Eh-eh, na from back o
If them wan to knock your head
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to run, be running
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to run, be running
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to beg, be begging
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to beg, be begging
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to fall, be falling
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to fall, be falling
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to get wahala
Eh-eh, na from back o
If you wan to get wahala
I say, na from back o
If anybody wan to try to run forward
Soldier boots go kick am back
Eh-eh, na from back o

Ah! Oya, pass o and wen
Pass o, pass o, pass o, pass o...

[Chorus]
Wen!

Ah! Oya, second bass... pop!

My friend wan come buy fan
Him dey sweat for him dey sleep for room
Him dey fall level of tree
The fan na seventy-five naira
My friend him dey follow salary
Him dey try to save and save and save
Every time he nearly buy the fan
Government go add ten naira more
Every time he nearly buy the fan
Government go start one activity
Till the fan reach two hundred naira
My friend nearly die, he never die

My friend he no wan die
Die-die no dey for him dictionary
For where? Huh...
Him dey try to save and save again
Him save for one year and six months
Inside cupboard
Under pillow
Under, under cooking pot
Inside socks
Under carpet
Him dey on his way to buy the fan
When alarm come blow

[Fela vocalizes a police siren]

Government announce second tier
Everything come tear to pieces
Everything come expensive
Even water become expensive

Second bass, jare... pop!

Fan don become seven hundred naira
Me and my friend start to look ourselves
He remain small make my friend dey cry
Na laugh laugh he catch monkey
Na now he come understand him life
Enjoyment can never come him way
Na now him life dey go reverse
In Africa, him fatherland
One more time...

[Chorus]
Soldier go, soldier come!
Soldier come, soldier go!

Na so Africa man life dey be
Suffer don daburu him sense
When you wear police uniform
Na to collect money for road
Abi I lie?
When you wear police uniform
Na to collect money for road
I no dey lie!
Police station don turn to bank
D.P.O. na bank manager
Police station don turn to bank
I.G. na managing director
Na big e wahala for man to waka for road at anytime

So you see, my brothers
Overtake don overtake overtake, eh-yah
Overtake don overtake overtake, eh-yah

[Chorus]
Overtake don overtake overtake!

Eh-yah
Eh-yah
Eh-yah...

That my mama wey you kill
She is the only mother of Nigeria
Which kind injustice be this?
Wetin concern government inside?
If na unknown soldier
Them turn blue into red
Them turn pink into green

[Chorus]
I get my money
Plan my plan finish
Start to go for market
Start to go for shopping
Before I reach market nko o?
Government show don enter
My plan don spoil o
Government show don enter
My plan don spoil o

[Chorus]
Overtake don overtake overtake!