Alo ooo.... Alooooo (Tales By Moonlight)

Alo ooo.... Alooooo
Alo ooo.... Alooooo

Seated on stools and raffia mats
The workmanship of love and care
The moonlight's silvery radiant beam
Dances with shadows cast by smoky lamps
Paraffin tins to light our glee
As we gather round "Iya Agba's" knees

Alo ooo.... Alooooo
Alo ooo.... Alooooo

What tales soar from her lips?
Of "Ekun" and "Opolo's" river journey
The Oracle's quarrel with "Okete"
With heroes and tricksters, we gasp and fly
Our childish hearts highlight these nights
We love the times at "Iya Agba's" knees

Now we are grown to farming age
and "Iya Agba's" sight is blurred and faint
Yet we flock around her place
To hear her break words about her days
With rapt attention, our gazes stayed
Minding no smoke or the Ijalo,
Those soldier ants of invasion

"Alo ooo", mama will say
Today, i'll tell you about Olokun and Osara
The beautiful wives of Oduduwa
Who never agreed, even after death
I'll tell you about Oba, Oshun and Osa
The three jealous wives of Olukoso
Their stormy drifts of nagging words
That broke Sango, Obakoso

I'll tell of the prowess of Lagelu
and Ìlú Ẹ̀bá-Ọ̀dàn; reincarnation of a lost city
where warriors fly across the Earth like kites
as brown roofs warmly welcome all
Brother and spawn of Old Oyo
where hunger is appeased with hot akara and eko

When mama is all but done
We retire back to our huts feeling tired and weary
Smother out the paraffin tins
Then lazily lay on our cold mats
wandering about with our minds
Though, it anticipates a reunion with sleep. 

By Oluwasina Olaniran and Fayomi Olumide