*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.
Hmm! You hear say JJ house de catch fire
Na so so I hear oh! Fire dey invite fire
I dey feel very sorry for the great man
Oh JJ be great man; the man be good
The great man do plenty things oh
True JJ bring plenty things to Ghana
Plenty things, plenty, me I no sabe
Fire be bad for anyone
Na bad thing happen to great JJ
This Ghana don hard proper
Fire catch no one house but JJ house
My Bro fire visit no one but JJ oh
Na dis only JJ go understand
Thank God JJ be safe for fire
Fire no dey burn great people
Na lie fire burn Judges before
Na dis case already don go court
Who go fit take JJ to court
Oh! Those judges matter
Yes Oh! Woman judge set on fire
But dis one be different
JJ no burn; his family no burn
Valentine Day fire; that be bad bad fire
JJ no dey for house when fire dey catch
Yes, fire catch for 4 AM so where dey JJ
JJ no dey house; he come for house 9AM
Eh! 9 AM, so where he dey all the time
Me I don’t know Jubilee House, Castle
Oh! Valentine day how JJ go do that
Na we all de feel sorry for JJ, Mama JJ
Now dem all be fine in land cruiser car
Where dem dey go now
I hear JJ say he finish him own house
Where the house dey
Oh, the house be Jubilee House
Na you no be serious so so joke bad
Me I no sabe house matter
What you dey sabe
Palace matter oh! Adjirigano palace
So dem say entire house burn pasaa
But the house be 3 bungalows house
Well fire be bad; dem burn one by one
Fire be bad bad these days, fire be bad
Yes, Foreign Affairs ,TOR, Makola, Kejetia
Hmm I hear madam only dey for house
Oh, yes she dey for house when fire catch
So security men dey for house too
Oh! Dem dey there since like 1979
Na maid servant, houseboy dey too
Security, cars all be safe, Na God oh
So security dey call Fire Service
Fire wetin, dem no have fire trucks
But MPs get 50,000 dollars for car
Well na our society be that oh
So security no call Fire Service
May be Security dem sleep self
I hear mosquito no dey for JJ house
You be crazy oh! Security no sleep
Madam JJ be fully dressed before fire
Fully dressed so so joke no good
Na dis dress thing be serious
You mean like she wear night dress
No she dress like she do go church
But why she comot fully dressed
You paa na Valentine day be that
Oh! Na you de talk proper
Madam be smart oh! She dress before fire
Madam saw fire; she dress, she left
You no be serious; you be crazy
Me I be crazy; oh Jacuzzi also no burn
Well dem dey say fire be sympathy trick
Wetin be that
JJ be sorry for saying who born dog
Dog dey burn too for the fire
I say no dogs, cats, car, Jacuzzi burn
Why dem remove all before fire catch
Hmm! Fire no burn dogs, cats
Bro wetin be sympathy trick
I hear say JJ de comot from old house
But house burn everyone go move
You no dey understand
Dem say fire be trick to get new mansion
So why them dey burn old house
Na you no dey understand politics koraa
Now you de confuse me oh
So you think say JJ dey trick us
Well me I no say that oh
Well they fit go Jubilee House
You paa NDC use am for poultry farm
I go see you tomorrow
Yoo, I dey go; I go pass for short way
Eh! Fire dey catch JJ Rawlings
Na wonders oh! Wonders dey come Ghana
JJ Rawlings de bring wonders to Ghana
Hmm, wey tin we go say, bro
JJ be homeless; fire be wicked
Dis one be who born fire
Bro, I go see you tomorrow
May tomorrow bring no fire oh!
God dey for all even fire matter
God go speak for JJ and family
Ghana people go hear God voice
*Akadu N. Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained oral historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania with her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In her pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical” poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com
