Nobody Touch Am

[Intro] (Claves only, dry and tense) [Verse 1] No be the guy wey press button make whole city dark, na network wey spoil, na wind, na bad luck pure. No be the one wey see dem carry im neighbor go, e just dey tire, e just close curtain quick quick. No be the one wey collect envelope make case disappear, na only small salary, na to feed im pikin dem. This guilt dey waka like shadow for wall, and everybody dey dodge am like say e no concern dem at all. [Verse 2] No be mama wey teach im pikin girl make she bend eye, na only to protect am from this world wey we sabi how e be. No be teacher wey tear the bad pages for book, na to no traumatize the small pikin with dirty truth. No be the one wey vote for the guy wey promise say e go clean everything with blood, e just want order, e just want make the noise stop. Now the noise na we, dey chew for silent the meat wey before get name and surname. [Bridge] All of us sabi the smell. All of us sabi the taste. All of us don put hand inside before. But when person ask, the answer always be the same: “I just dey pass by here, my brother.” [Chorus] Nobody touch am… nobody smell am… nobody carry am ever. This guilt dey float for the air wey we dey breathe every day, and we dey pretend say na only dust, na only smoke, na normal routine. Nobody touch am… but all of us get black nails. Nobody touch am… yet we dey drown inside am slow slow. [Verse 3] This guilt dey stick for skin like old cheap oil, the more you wash am, the more e enter your pore. Everybody get reason, everybody get story, every dirty hand dey hide behind small glory. “I’m sorry… lo siento… na mistake…” every mouth dey talk am like prayer wey dem rehearse. But nobody fit stand say: “na me do am… na my fault first.” No be me, na system. No be me, na hunger. No be me, na fear wey sleep under my tongue. But night go come, and mirror no dey lie. Even when mouth keep quiet, the eye still dey confess small small. [Chorus 2] This guilt no belong to nobody… like stray dog for road wey everybody dey feed. Small pity, small kindness, but nobody go carry am go home. “La culpa no es de nadie…” na anthem wey we sing to sleep at night. We dey throw am crumbs of “I’m sorry”, but we no fit call am “mine”. E dey follow us corner to corner, thin body, eye full of knowing. We pet am quick quick for daylight, but for dark we deny say we know am. This guilt no get owner… na why e no dey die. All of us dey keep am alive, but nobody go claim am. [Bridge Moro – call & response] Call: Who carry am? Response: Nobody o… Call: Who bury am? Response: Nobody o… Call: Who chop from am? Response: Everybody o… Call: Who go confess? Response: Silence o… [Final Chorus] Nobody touch am… nobody smell am… nobody carry am ever. This guilt dey float for the air wey we dey breathe every day, and we dey call am dust, we dey call am smoke, we dey call am normal routine. Nobody touch am… but all of us get black nails. Nobody touch am… yet we dey drown inside am slow slow. Nobody touch am… na why e dey grow bigger every day… heavy o. [Outro] No be anybody. E never be anybody. This guilt dey share so thin thin e turn invisible. And tomorrow we go stand up again, with the same clean face, the same dirty hand, pretending say we no sabi anything. Nobody touch am… and na why e dey grow bigger every day… heavy o.