Ilu Ayê

Ilu Ayê, Ilu Ayê, Odara
Black man sang in the nagô nation

Then he cried slave quarters laments
So far away from his Ilu Ayê
Time passed and in the big house's yard
Black man says everything he can say

It's samba, it's drumming, it's prayer
It's dance, it's litany
Black man plays capoeira
And praises the queen

Today, black man is earth
Black man is life
In the time's mutation
Parading on the avenue
Black man is sensational
Is all the people's party
Is the carnival's owner