I have just added 3 posts to my pancocojams blog on the "Baba Ese" family of songs. Although I wrote yesterday on this thread that I couldn't transcribe those Yoruba words, I did find translations for some portions of the lyrics for different versions of the Baba Ese song.

From the first post on my blog:

"Baba Ese" (pronounced bah bah eh-shay) is a Yoruba song which is particularly popular among Christians in Nigeria. The title "Baba Ese" means "Thank you Father", with "father" here meaning God. A number of Christian Gospel songs with titles similar to "Baba Ese" can found on YouTube. Among those titles are "Baba Baba Ese Baba", "Baba Ese O", "Baba Ese O Baba" and "Ese O Baba". "You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life" is a line in certain "Baba Ese" (and similar named) songs. That entire line or the line "You Are The Pillar" is used as a title for those "Baba Ese" songs.

-snip-

Here's a translated clip of one portion of a Baba Ese song (in Part 2 of that series http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/baba-ese-you-are-pillar-that-holds-my_07.html


Baba, Ese O Baba
(Father, thank you Father)
Ese O Baba
(Thank you Father)
Awa dupe Baba
(We've come to thank you Father)


-snip-


There are 12 featured videos in total in that 3 part series of posts on "Baba Ese (You Are The Pillar That Holds My Life) family of songs. One of those songs has a rather lengthy transcription (which was posted on the video screen). There are also fragments of the lyrics for a few of the other selected videos.

Best wishes,

Azizi Powell