NOTE: This was a tough one! Christy and I did our best to nail it down. Hope you like it!
N kɔri
Get my attention
N b'i kɛ fama ye
I'll make you a big shot
Philo karamɔgɔ
Philosophy teacher
An y'a dɔnbaga ye
We are the knowers of it
Yɛrɛnɛgɛn dan
The end of self-deception
O ye tile fila ye
That happened a while ago
Sinon, juguya ma foyi ɲɛ farawonaw ye
By the way, cruelty didn’t do any good for the pharaohs
Taa fɔ u ka baara kɛ
Go tell them to get to work
Depuis bi ma se
For a long time now
An bɛ sɛbɛ kɛ
We’ve been hard at work (Lit. ‘We have been doing seriousness’)
Faden to
The “tô” of a rival
Ne tɛ o de fɛ
I don't want that
Baara ma bɔ baara la
Every job is worthwhile [Lit. ‘No job is distinct from another’]
Wuli ka dɔ kɛ
Get up and do something
N bɛ ka taga su ni tile
I'm going day and night
An tɛ ka jɔ
We aren't standing still
Kuma minnu bɛ ka tila n na
The words that I let slip
U bɛ to k'o de fɔ
They keep saying that
Misi-dennin kana wara (dɔn wara ye)
The calf might not recognize a predator
Mais wara, a ba b’a dɔn
But its mother recognizes a predator
A tɛ i ni ne cɛ
It’s not between us [as in, ‘There is no rivalry between us’]
I karamɔgɔ bɛ ne dɔn
Your teacher knows me
E bɛ ne dɔn
You know me
Ale bɛ ne dɔn
He/she knows me
U b'a dɔn
They know
Joe gɛlɛn caman bɛ n kɔ
Many tough Joes got my back
U tɛ janfa dɔn
They don't know betrayal
U bɛ Den Farin kɔ
They are behind the Den Farin [cf. “den fari” as Ami Yèrèwolo spells it]
Duniya fan bɛɛ fɛ
All over the world
Fo ne tɔgɔ ka fɔ
Until my name is said
Doucement
Easy now
I imposer Mali rapu la
Impose yourself in Malian rap
Sûrement
Sure
Ko tɔw bɛ sira la
They say others are on the way
Ni Ala sɔnna
God willing
I banban
Apply yourself
I banban
Apply yourself
I banban
Apply yourself
I kana sɔn bɛɛ ka taa k'i to i kelen na
Don’t let everyone go on and leave you behind
Wuli
Get up
I banban
Apply yourself
I banban
Apply yourself
Wuli
Get up
I banban
Apply yourself
Kɔnɔnin y'a ɲaga da
The little bird made its nest
Dɔɔnin-dɔɔnin tɛ tɔ to kɔ la
Little by little doesn’t leave any rest behind [as in, “Bit by bit doesn’t mean you don’t finish things]
Jɔn-n-yɛrɛ la, o ye kara
Diminishing oneself is a bad thing
Sinon, Ala ye jɔyɔrɔ dɔɔnin di bɛɛ ma
Because God gave a position to each of us
I ka kow ma banban
Your issues aren't fixed
Misi tɛ wɛrɛ la
There's no cow in the corral
"Ɛ! Sanba!"
“Hey! Cowboy!” [NOTE: Sanba or “Samba” is a common first name, so this reads like “Hey! Cowboy!”, in the sense of “You think you're important but you're not”)
I y'a sɔrɔ i wɔsi la
You obtained it through your sweat
O ye koba
That’s huge [Lit. ‘a big thing’]
Ni Ala y'i sɔn sutura la
If God has granted you refuge
I bɛ ka fa
You have reason to be proud [Lit. ‘You are filling up’]
N bɛ n ko min?
Where will I wash myself?
N bɛ taa n ja min?
Where will I dry myself? [NOTE: Combined with the previous line, this gives us a meaning like, ‘You leave me with no choice’]
N ye fan bɛɛ ɲagami
I have gotten in the mix everywhere
Fo u bɛ n ɲininka
To the point that they are asking
“E bɛ bɔ min?”
“Where are you from?”
A! Ne bɛ yan, Mali
I'm here, in Mali [NOTE: She doesn’t use “la” after Mali, so as to preserve the rhyme with previous line]
Ni an bɛ ka taa
As long as we’re on the go
Don dɔ la
One day
An bɛ se
We'll arrive
Sɛbɛ kɛ dɔrɔn
Just be serious [NOTE: “ka sɛbɛ kɛ” (Lit. ‘to do seriousness’) has a much different meaning than in English. It means something like, ‘Put your hand to the plow’, ‘Do your best’, or ‘Work hard’)
I b'a tɔnɔ ye
And you'll see the profit
Foli kɛ
Do greetings
I majigin mansaw ye
Pay homage to your parents
I b'a la
Whether you do it [Lit. ‘You're in’]
I t'a la
Or not [Lit. “You're out”]
Diɲɛ tɛ sɔn i ye
The world won't bend to you
I banban
Apply yourself
Ni ko min ka di i ye
When it’s something that is pleasing to you
I tɛ sɛgɛn o ko la
You won't tire from that
I banban
Apply yourself
I kana sɔn bɛɛ ka taa k'i to i kelen na
Don’t let everyone go on and leave you behind
Wuli
Get up
I banban
Apply yourself
I banban [x12]
Apply yourself [x12]
🧐 Please don’t copy and paste this interpretation and translation elsewhere! You can contact Coleman if need be.
Sources
Ami Yerewolo champions the value of perseverance on "Ibamba". Pan African Music.