The Life Series: You First

Happy Sunday folks. Hope you went to church and you had a great time. My article is inspired by a song that I was listening to yesterday. The artist name is Teni and the music is in Nigerian pidgin. The lyrics goes like this

'I wan talk my mind o

For anyone wey fit relate o

Ri-di-mah-kool-a-yooo

Sometimes it feels like success is a trap

And sometimes it feels like people don't understand

Cos the pressure e plenty and expectations high

Even your day ones wey suppose get your back sometimes day ones dey fight

And everybody has an opinion on how you suppose live your life

And even people wey suppose to show you the way na the people dey backbite

No be pride, no be ego

Sometimes I gas change my mind

Sometimes I gas dey behind

Sometimes I will have to say no

Sometimes I gas pour water on top my head

Make this pressure no drive me insane o

So if you see me outside and I no greet you

No vex baba, my head e full o

And baba you know the level

Na this hustle I dey so

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

Na this hustle I dey so

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

This hustle can be so overwhelming sometimes

No add your own join my own

I gat so many things I dey reason

No bother me o

Wo ni iru pala pala wo gan gan leleyii

Ki lo se t'eni kan o se ri o

Cos family go call, enemy go call

I don't know who is who

No be pride, no be ego

Sometimes I gas stay away

When I have nothing to say

Sometimes I will have to say no

Sometimes I gas pour water on top my head

Make this pressure no drive me insane o

So if you see me for show and I no greet you

No vex baba, my head e full o

And baba you know the level

Na this hustle I dey so

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

Na this hustle I dey so

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

Of course, of course, Them say Teni pompous, yeah

Cos I put myself first

Whoa, they say Teni pompous, yeah

But it's all love, all love, brother, yeah, it's all love

Whoa, it's all love, my brother, it's all love

And I'm good with it'

Translation (English)

'I want to say that which bothers me

For those who can understand

Sometimes it feels like success is a trap

And sometimes it feels like people don't understand

Cos the pressure is quite much and expectations are high

Even those that are suppose to watch your back, sometimes have their own fight

And everybody has an opinion on how you are suppose to live your life

And even those that ought to guide you will sometimes backbite you

It ain't pride, it ain't ego

Sometimes I have to change my mind

Sometimes I have to stay behind

Sometimes I will have to say no

Sometimes I will have to take a break

So this pressure doesn't drive me insane

So if you see me outside and I don't acknowledge you

Please don't be mad, my head is full

And you know what I'm saying

It's the hustling, I'm hustling

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

It's the hustling, I'm hustling

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

This hustle can be so overwhelming sometimes

Don't add your trouble to mine

I've got a lot to worry about

Don't bother me

Cause family will call, enemies will call

I don't know who is who

It ain't pride, it ain't ego

Sometimes I have to change my mind

Sometimes I have to stay behind

Sometimes I will have to say no

Sometimes I will have to take a break

So this pressure doesn't drive me insane

So if you see me outside and I don't acknowledge you

Please don't be mad, my head is full

And you know what I'm saying

It's the hustling, I'm hustling

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

It's the hustling, I'm hustling

(Aye aye ah, aye aye ah, aye aye ah)

Of course, of course, They say I'm pompous, yeah

Cos I put myself first

Whoa, they say I'm pompous, yeah

But it's all love, all love, brother, yeah, it's all love

Whoa, it's all love, my brother, it's all love

And I'm good with it'

It's really a beautiful song, talking about how we and society puts an immense amount of pressure on ourselves to 'succeed'. Due to this pressure, we hustle and grind every single day at the expense of our physical, psychological and mental health. This pressure weighs down on us and not all of us can take it, some of us crumble and crash underneath all that weight and quite sadly, we are forgotten by the same people who put that pressure on us. The moral lesson of the song is as follows;

1. No one wants to be 'unsuccessful', so no need to put pressure on anyone, they are already doing enough of that themselves, if anything, encourage people. A little encouragement, a pat on the back can go a long way.

2. Do not succumb to societal pressure, you're already doing your best. If you can improve, do so but don't push yourself beyond your limit and over the edge.

3. Hustle wisely. Do not put your mental, psychological, material or physical health on the line unnecessary. Do not ignore your health. The greatest wealth is health.

4. Do not feel entitled to what belongs to another. They have things they want to use it for too.

5. Envy no one. Even the richest men in the world have their own problems, no one is free from the harsh realities of life until death.

6. Suicide is never a good option, for where there's life, there's hope.

7. Be your number one support system, because at times those other people in your supper cycle would have their own battles to fight and won't be in a position to support you.

I'll find a download link for the song and add it to this article for my Filipino friends who are in love with Nigeria

Thanks for reading!