The Old Man cry, the sound still dey travel
Through the airwaves, the truth unravel
Talk 'bout the mind, wey stay inside the cage
Even when the book don turn a new page
Show us the mirror, wey been crack and lie
Show us the Eagle, wey forget how to fly
He point the finger, make we understand
The chains we carry, no be for our hand

But the word na seed, and the ground dey wait
We hear the echo through time's own gate
We pull the poison weed from the ground
A new foundation, a different sound
No be to follow, no be to copy again
Na to remember, in the sun and the rain
This Africa soul, we reclaim the art
To build tomorrow, we must play our part
You feel the change? (We feel the change!)

The wig and gown, we put am for museum
To teach the children what we must become
The foreign name, we thank am for the lesson
But the tongue of our fathers, na him be blessing
We open the window, make the breeze blow in
Smell the red earth, where the life begin
The brother wey fall, we give am our own hand
The law we dey write, na for this our land

He talk of the slave wey never release himself
So we look inside, past the money and the wealth
The work no be small, the road e long and deep
To wake the spirit from a hundred-year sleep
But the sun dey rise, you see the morning light?
We take the darkness and we make it bright
The Old Man shout, now the children dey sing
The different story that the future go bring

New Foundation! (We dey build am now!)
Old Confusion! (We dey leave am now!)
New Foundation! (For the ones to come!)
Our own Nation! (Beat our own drum!)

Heh! Beat our own drum!
Na Africa we be!
Beat our own drum!
The mind is free!
Beat our own drum!