PRELUDE
Before the crown, there must be character.
Before the power, there must be restraint.
Before we ask to be respected,
we must learn how to live with dignity.
Ọ̀bàtálá…
Baba Ìwà.
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INTRO
Ọ̀bàtálá, Aláṣẹ ìwà,
Symbol of calmness, dignity and wisdom.
You remind us that a human being
is more than what the eyes can see.
Ìwà l’ẹwà, Ìwà l’ọlá.
Character is the beauty that does not fade.
Character is the crown nobody can steal.
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Verse 1
Ọ̀bàtálá represents the discipline of good character,
clarity of thought, patience and composure.
When anger says “strike,”
Ìwà says “think.”
When pride says “you are above them,”
wisdom says “remember who you are.”
Ọ̀bàtálá reminds us that greatness
is not only about what you possess—
it is about what kind of person you become.
Sùúrù ni baba ìwà.
Patience is part of the strength of character.
He is associated in Yoruba tradition with creation and the shaping of human form,
and his symbolism carries the responsibility of living with dignity.
Kí ara mọ́, kí ọkàn mọ́, kí ìwà mọ́.
Let the body be clean,
let the mind be clear,
let character remain upright.
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Verse 2
Then they took our Òrìṣà
and reduced them to strange stories.
They saw the white cloth
but refused to see the philosophy behind it.
They told us these traditions were primitive,
that our ancestors had no wisdom,
that our understanding of character was meaningless.
Wọ́n ní ohun tí a jogún kò níye.
But how can a people survive generations
without wisdom?
How can our ancestors build communities,
raise families and create systems of values
if they had nothing to teach?
They made us ashamed
of the very wisdom that taught us dignity.
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Verse 3
We forgot Ìwà.
We began to measure people by money,
clothes, cars and titles.
A ń wá ọlá,
ṣùgbọ́n a gbàgbé Ìwà.
We want respect without discipline.
We want authority without humility.
We want wealth without integrity.
We forgot how powerful patience can be.
We forgot that sometimes the greatest victory
is controlling yourself.
And slowly,
we started decorating the outside
while neglecting the person inside.
Ọ̀bàtálá ń kọ́ wa pé:
kí ayé rẹ̀ tó lẹ́wà,
jẹ́ kí Ìwà rẹ̀ lẹ́wà.
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CHORUS
Ọ̀bàtálá, Baba Ìwà,
Kí Ìwà rere má bà mí lọ́wọ́.
White cloth, clean heart,
Let wisdom be the crown I wear.
Ìwà l’ẹwà!
Ìwà l’ọlá!
I don't need a crown without character,
I don't need success without peace.
Ọ̀bàtálá, calm my spirit,
Kí ọgbọ́n má bà mí sílẹ̀.
Àṣẹ! Àṣẹ! Àṣẹ!
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OUTRO
Ọ̀bàtálá…
We remember.
Not only the stories,
but the lesson beneath them.
Sùúrù. Ìwà. Ọgbọ́n. Àlàáfíà.
Let our homes remember character.
Let our children inherit dignity.
Let our success never become bigger than our humanity.
Ìwà l’ẹwà.
Ọ̀bàtálá, Baba Ìwà…
Àṣẹ.