Ok, yes we all know this by now but I wanted to take this opportunity to take down the campaign banner from my blog as I also peel off the bumper stickers and throw out the yard signs. It’s a great pleasure and source of pride to me that Obama is president-elect, no denying that, but it’s now time to move on. Part of that will be joining MoveOn, Avaaz, SaveDarfur and others to help Obama move this lumbering country to a human rights based relationship with the world.
But first, let me also share my Obama theme song, available through YouTube. This song gave me encouragement throughout the year and helped me to keep going.
I first learned about Coco Tea’s Obama song in a post on the overthinkingit.com blog, which made me nostalgic about Kenya and brought home to me the significance of Obama’s candidacy for Africa and the world:
Last week, I was sitting in a bar in the village of Ngare Ndare in northern Kenya, nursing a Krest Bitter Lemon, and listening to the radio. The radio was tuned to Metro FM, “Kenya’s House of Reggae.” Amidst the chain of nondescript contemporary reggae hits, the refrain of one song in particular caught my attention: “Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, woi wooooi” As soon as I got back to my computer, I learned that the song is by Jamaican reggae artist Cocoa Tea, whose substantial back catalogue is only probably familiar to reggae and dancehall enthusiasts. Despite Cocoa Tea’s relative obscurity in the US, the song is already becoming massively popular in Kenya, even though it was only released sometime last week.
The lyrics are so great, I looked them up and found them in full at Cocoa Tea - Barack Obama Reggae Song, Video, Lyrics. Reposted below for your pleasure:
Barack Obama Lyrics, Music by Cocoa Tea
Woy woy why why why woy why whyyyy lord
Be bungi yungi dengi yungi denga denga denga deng
diggadiggadiggadiggadeng
Well, this is not about class,
nor color, race, nor creed.
Make no mistake it’s the changes
whey all the people dem need
Dem a shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Now you can hear it in the morning (Obama!),
And you can hear it inna the evening (Obama!),
Black man and white ‘oman shouting (Obama!),
Dem inna the groove and dem is moving (Obama!).
And you can hear them saying…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
The momentum is hot (hot)
And no one can’t stop that (that)
Well some of dem a dress back
And some ah take back dem chat
All some of dem who was racist
jumping and dancing in the street
and a shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
It is not Hillary Clinton (Obama!)
and it is not John McCain (Obama!)
It is not Chuck Norris (Obama!),
And I know it’s not John Wayne (Obama!),
It is not the one Rambo (Obama!),
And it is not the Terminator (Obama!),
But a new trendsetter (Obama!),
Him hottin’ up the whole America
and dem a shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
African-American rise…
and keep your eyes on the prize (Obama!),
Cause now nuff of dem a realize,
the black man is in their eyes. (Obama!)
Well it’s no joke it’s a fact,
we’re gonna paint all the white house black (Obama!),
And nuff cyan believe a true
black house fe run the red, white and blue…
Dem a shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Me callin’ all liberal Indians (Obama!),
whey live up on the reservation (Obama!),
the Japanese and all the Chinee-man (Obama!),
the Indian and all the Mexicans (Obama!),
Arabs and Jews and Palestinians (Obama!),
all time fe we join up as one,
and a shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Cause this is not about class (Obama!),
nor color, race, nor creed (Obama!),
but it’s about the changes (Obama!),
what the Americans need (Obama!).
So, whether you come from California (Obama!),
Or you live in Nort’ Dakota (Obama!)
You could have come from Texas (Obama!),
Or you’re living inna Florida
I want ya join disya line ya (Obama!)
And let me hear you start shout,
Just shout out…
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
Dem say
Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Woyy woyy
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