Spoken Water

Yo gather round
E'rybody... yo, you, you e'rybody gather round
E'rybody gather round as I pass words
To unlock your mind

So now I'm on the run
Cos of the damage I did
I left another family in tragedy
That's why I had to flee
And now they shutting down the city
What started with mama packing foodstuff
You know the good stuff
Has ended in this running in the woods stuff
The wet leaves give my face a beating
I ran like I was competing
Almost running short of breath
And the route I took
Was one I sort of guessed
Well, as long as I ain't got arrested
I left my belongings
I don't care for the money
Just glad I have my life in check
No flaming tyres hung around the neck
No slugs to the chest
Please God, no slugs to the chest
I know her family won't rest
Unless they got their pound of flesh
So I pondered on my options
And in my mind the memories are tossed in
I remember my cousin Austin Peterside
Who carries logs for a saw mill by the riverside
And he decides
You go need to hide for village
Till this thing subsides
There was no road so we had to take a boat
And then the tide raise enormously
With no life jacket I was praying I ain't forced to swim
But I took it in stride
Cos come he'll or high water
I'm gonna survive
But then like Jonah
I fell into the water... a loner a loner a loner
Kicking at the abyss
I was at the bottom screaming at the top of my lungs
Water drowning up my insides
Ain't that a life
A boat had to be capsized
For me to be baptized
Ain't that a life
I was gasping for air
I thought u had one life to live
But God grant me a pair
I was on the stairs
And then an angel told me it was just a scare
I woke up and I was here...
But where???!
A village in the oil rivers
No politicians and no deceivers
The people are the leaders
The elders are the judges
Youths who in truth
Could barely speak a word of English
Were the law
They found me in the shore
I spoke their dialect...
And that's the only reason I ain't died yet
Chairman of the youths
Gave me clothe and shelter
To the surprise of his tribe
And his younger brother
Who said I had the eyes of a spy
He was high so they gave him the floor
You know the house rules
You can say what you want
If your house rules
I just stood there like a fool
Covered in drool
Looking at a youth covered in jewels
As he suggests that I'm stripped
And covered in fuel
And set ablaze
I was amazed
But then the elders disagreed
Saying (hih hih) na Itsekiri
When did we start killing we
So now I'm with the people
And we are the government
I rose to prominence
I was never in the bench
I went on missions
I've stopped work at flow stations
To provoke settlements
This little ghetto nation
I showed them how to operate their ammunitions
They used to test the arms
On each others arms
Confident that their charms
Will prevent any harms
But now they test their bullet proof
On tree barks
They got me to thank for that
I had a big diesel tank for that
And all I had to do was sell it
See in these parts that's the easy part
Why you think it's called DIESEL
People DIE tryna SELL it
I was a felon
Hanging guns around like necklace
Walking reckless... huh
They took me to a native doctor
To turn me to a super hero
Skin made of armour
Ate as much alligator pepper you can count
For Odidi and shoot and bounce
He picks the rocks and rolls
And sings incantations
Cuts me with the razor
Place the black powder
I balled up a fist and was feeling black power
Black soap, dirty water in the dark shower
Scrub me clean with some shrubs at a dark hour
To remove the blood of the sacrifice
I had to bathe at night
Every oath was made at night
Now I'm feeling safe at fights
I paid the price

So as not to fumble
I played the humble
After all life is a jungle
I often go out late tho
Drinking with the locals
(You hear my voice)
Throat full with home brew
More in my tumbler
But I never took a tumble
I was very watchful
Cos it's wise to watch fools
Late nights it's was always fun
See as the ladies come by the boat load
From coast to coast
Expatriates drinking fish pepper soup
Ordering an extra plate
Then I see the kind o' girl I wanna date
I was quick to relate before it was late
She said she was a youth corper
I said she was mine to beholden
And she was golden
Led by my silver tongue
To do the wrong thing
It was after wards that I saw her diamond ring
She is to be wed to the brother
Who is not my friend
After the discovery I fled
Knowing if I'm found I'd be dead
Heck!
I slept in a cabin in a ship wreck
Many clicks west
I awoke with a machete on my neck
Deep in the night
Beat up and dragged along the shore
By a company of four
With the instructions... don't you dare bring him back alive
How am I to survive
My eyes covered in blood
I raise my head up when I see a chance
There was nothing sleek
With how I advanced the creek
No time I'm tryna sneak
I dove in the river on a whim
During my time here I had learned how to swim
They woulda followed me if I wasn't badly injured
They had their little speed boats with engines
No way he'd survive the river in that think fog
(He's dead)
I drifted along the big still river
Loooking across the spread of lights
Along the banks
With nothing in my heart but thanks
Now all i need is a blood bank