Everybody Make We Go

"Everybody Make We Go" is a vibrant, rhythmic setting of Psalm 122, composed by Festus Nkwoka. Written entirely in Nigerian Pidgin, it captures the pure gladness of the Psalmist’s famous opening words: "I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord." As an Entrance hymn, it sets an immediate tone of celebration and communal joy, gathering the congregation with an irresistible call to worship.

The genius of this piece lies in how it translates ancient scripture into vivid, everyday language. The choir sings of standing firmly at the gates of Jerusalem ("our leg dey tanda gidigbam gidigbam eh, for your dormot Jerusalem") and marvels at the city built strong and solid ("a city wey dey kakaraka"). This concrete imagery brings the psalm to life for a Nigerian congregation, making the journey to the altar feel both deeply personal and culturally grounded.

In the final verse, the arrangement introduces a beautiful layer of unity. While the sopranos lead the main melody, the lower voices build a driving, polyphonic engine underneath, repeating the phrase "Let's go" in three major Nigerian languages: Igbo ("Ngwanu kanyi je"), Yoruba ("Je k'a lo"), and Hausa ("Zo mu je"). It is a wonderful expression of the universal call to God's house, perfect for feast days and joyful Sunday Masses.