Praise Songs
Praising the Lord
Nigerian people love church. They love going to church, boasting about which church they go to, which church they started, how many uncles they know are pastors – and of course – singing praise songs any chance they can get.
As a Nigerian, you already know this: any function is a function fit for God, so at your wedding, at your birthday, and at your graduation, you better be prepared for some worship. After all the guests arrive about five hours after they were invited, your zealous aunt steps up and says: “Today our daughter/son is a grah-jyu-ettt!” [read: graduate]. What begins as a normal speech slowly turns into: “… and we thank you Jesus for everything…” Which, of course, quickly becomes a chorus of everyone’s favorite: “… oh Lord I am very very grateful!” And so it starts. You cringe, because – wait, why is your aunt even singing? Saying she sounds “horrible” is a little harsh, but you begin to wonder if she can even hear herself. The song would be perfect if she was just… you know, on key.
But no.
Reading Hymns
When Nigerian women whip up their songs of praise, their marching, clapping and chanting, being on key is obviously not a top priority. For Nigerian people, the way no prayer is ever long enough, no song is ever loud enough. Even if your voice cracks and you start going off into another octave that no one has ever heard – it doesn’t matter. You better be singing. And have you noticed how your aunt, or the one singer who leads the pack, with the distinctive, high, grating voice always has to start out first? Why can’t it be your cousin – the one who can actually sing? I’m sure God would appreciate the change.
Naija people just dey invent their own octave, the sound/noise come fall between dying bird and baby wey just jump out from mama womb.
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lol why does the guy in the background of the first picture look so familiar??? Hmmm, maybe because all Nigerian men over the age of 40 look the same and wear the same glasses lol
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Lulu Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 7:18 am
LOL how true XD I was about to say “no they don’t” until I realized he looked like my uncle!
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Vic En Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
He semi resembles Dad
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Woohoo it’s posted!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by louisa atto, Nigerian People Like and Victoria Enwere. Victoria Enwere said: RT @nigerianpeople #stuffnigerianpeoplelike Praise Songs! http://bit.ly/praise-songs Brand New Post [...]
keep it coming. #stuffnigerianpeoplelike is the truth!! and i like a good laugh
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There are so many parties/picnics/just gathering people to the house for dinner where someone breaks into song and the chorus follows. Even in Nigerian churches it is amazing how badly some people sing. Why is it that despite the music playing, people chose to sing whatever melody they like/are more familiar with?
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hahahaa this is true and that’s my uncle in the background and pastor of the church I go to hahaha, everything said here is sooo true! Lollll
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LOL. So true! Nonetheless who doesn’t appreciate mommy calling and inviting her sisters/friends to come together and pray for you because you’re in a tough situation? God loves the praises no matter how bad it sounds. Come to think of it, my mommy can’t sing, but i have grown so use to her voice that I love hearing her sing and worship is not worship until she breaks out singing with serious passion.
I have adopted the bad habit of saying ‘O’ at the end of sentences- i am working to break it. Also another thing i have learned from my parents/grandparents is saying “God forbid or Sha nuwa eh”. So at home if I were talking to my mom and i wanted to give an example of some situation taking place: Say for instance you (used arbitrary) went to get something and a car hits you and you end up in the hospital…. Before I finish speaking, my mom starts complaining, “Why do you have to use ‘you’? Why can’t you bless someone instead of cursing someone?” Then she she rebukes the sentences by circling her head with her fingers and then snapping her fingers and saying “God forbid” to the window- everyone else follows. My grandma will then scold for such a sentence and then a prayer follows with some praises to God.
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Lol…it’s sooo true! But the praise songs sang in every octave, pitch, and key simultaneously becomes something we love! (Except when amplified through microphone…that’s just harsh!)
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….oh lord we ah very very thankful…for allllll you have done for me!
…we ah singing! we ah dancing! we are shouting, hallelujah praise da lord!
….oh lord thank u. we say thank u. i matter ine ma (can never really discern this part/phrase. lol but whatever it is i’m singing/saying, thats what it sounds like. haha…another problem with nigerians). we say thank you…..oh LOOORRD YOOOU are goood…thank you! i matta ine ma…..thank you! ………ever lasting father, ever lasting son i matter holy ghost we ga glorify.
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Victoria E. Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 1:33 am
LOL…those are my jams for real! Pop in that Agatha Moses VCD and I’m good!
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longhorn Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
It’s “Immortal Redeemer”
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Zu Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Do you know the rest of the lyrics?
oh lord thank you, we say ???, immortal redeemer, we say thank you
oh lord in heaven (thank you) ?????? (thank you) ??????? (thank you)
????? say ?????, ????? say ?????, ….
Thanks a lot!!
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lol….sometimes I feel so left out when everyone else knows the songs….and they sing back to back non-stop songs, one after the other…lol……haha
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“de Lohrd is my pohrshun in de land of de living, foreva mohr, foreva mohr…!!!”
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There are 2 official octives in the Nigerian Choir: Ultra Nose Bleed Sorprano or Strep Throat Tenor Bass…The in between was shunned when the missionaries tried to intorduce organized music after confusing everyone with different versions of Christianity…just imagine some village man saying…NO NO NO! EH EH! Will you shot op?!? You have done enoff!
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fellow nigerians it is time to praise the lord – are you from the east, west, north and south come rise and lets give God praise ahhleluuyah amem
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lMAO
*Today oh, i will lift up my voice in praise…*
We too love God!
i miss such
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what does it mean when a Nigerian student addresses a teacher with the term “Ma?”
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