I wrote these lyrics for today's Peace Corps talent show. This song is sung to the tune of "YMCA".
Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to feel unhappy.
Young man, when you live in Dangbo,
Also if you are in Porto-Novo,
There's a name there that the locals will say
Every time you pass by their way.
They're gonna call you a Y-O-V-O.
Bonsoir, ca va to you, Y-O-V-O.
Though you have a real name, it means nothing to them
'Cause whenever they see your skin...
They're gonna call you a Y-O-V-O.
Donne-moi cadeau, you rich Y-O-V-O.
You can tell them to stop, you can throw a big fit,
But it will not change things one bit.
Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, who do you want to be?
Doesn't matter, to them we're all the same.
They don't need to know your real name.
No man picks his own name himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf
'Cause you'll never change the name that they say.
You've got to let them have their way.
Just let them call you a Y-O-V-O.
No point denying it, Y-O-V-O.
Put your wishes aside and accept it today
'Cause it ain't gonna go away.
Shout it out loud and proud: Y-O-V-O.
Rejoice in it aloud, Y-O-V-O.
If you're called a yovo as you walk down the street,
Just respond gladly, "Yep, that's me."
Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was ready to blow a fuse.
I felt no one cared to call me by name
As if all white folks were the same.
That's when someone came up to me
And said, young man, you're as stressed as can be.
You must accept your new reality.
Take pride in this identity.
Embrace it, now you're a Y-O-V-O.
Just face it, now you're a Y-O-V-O.
Lift your arms up in joy and welcome your new fate.
Don't deny it, don't hesitate.
Y-O-V-O. I love to say I'm a Y-O-V-O.
Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to feel unhappy.
Young man, when you live in Dangbo,
Also if you are in Porto-Novo,
There's a name there that the locals will say
Every time you pass by their way.
They're gonna call you a Y-O-V-O.
Bonsoir, ca va to you, Y-O-V-O.
Though you have a real name, it means nothing to them
'Cause whenever they see your skin...
They're gonna call you a Y-O-V-O.
Donne-moi cadeau, you rich Y-O-V-O.
You can tell them to stop, you can throw a big fit,
But it will not change things one bit.
Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, who do you want to be?
Doesn't matter, to them we're all the same.
They don't need to know your real name.
No man picks his own name himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf
'Cause you'll never change the name that they say.
You've got to let them have their way.
Just let them call you a Y-O-V-O.
No point denying it, Y-O-V-O.
Put your wishes aside and accept it today
'Cause it ain't gonna go away.
Shout it out loud and proud: Y-O-V-O.
Rejoice in it aloud, Y-O-V-O.
If you're called a yovo as you walk down the street,
Just respond gladly, "Yep, that's me."
Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was ready to blow a fuse.
I felt no one cared to call me by name
As if all white folks were the same.
That's when someone came up to me
And said, young man, you're as stressed as can be.
You must accept your new reality.
Take pride in this identity.
Embrace it, now you're a Y-O-V-O.
Just face it, now you're a Y-O-V-O.
Lift your arms up in joy and welcome your new fate.
Don't deny it, don't hesitate.
Y-O-V-O. I love to say I'm a Y-O-V-O.
You are a woman of many talents!! Jean Ralley
ReplyDeleteAnd very clever! Do most new Peace Corps inductees feel this way about the term, "Yovo"?
ReplyDelete"Yovo" doesn't bother me because the Beninese have assured me that nothing malicious is meant by it. But most of the other Peace Corps trainees HATE it. And I noticed that most of them had significantly less tolerance for it after returning from two weeks away from Dangbo. Now they will chew out anyone who says it to them. One of them has been trying to get children to call her "dada" (auntie) instead, and she has had some success. But when the children call me "dada", I often don't register that they are talking to me. Ultimately, I do think there's a fair amount of truth to just learning to accept "yovo" because you're always going to hear it.
ReplyDeleteAlex