Burna Boy’s “Common Person” Lyrics Meaning
“Common Person” is one of 19 tracks that came out on 8 July 2022 as part of Burna Boy’s studio LP “Love, Damini”. Said project, which was put out through Bad Habit Records, On a Spaceship Records and Atlantic, can be considered the Nigerian singer’s signature work to date. For example, it currently marks the highest he ever scored on the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200, where the project respectively peaked at number 2 and 14.
Burna Boy wrote “Common Person” alongside another Nigerian musician Alli Odunayo, aka Telz. And it is also Telz who likewise produced the track.
The Lyrics of “Common Person”
As implied by the title, this song serves the purpose of Burna Boy depicting himself as a “common person”. And by the looks of things, he does so primarily in three ways. First is by noting how he engages in mundane activities, such as washing clothes and cleaning his house.
Secondly, being that we know Burna is a professional musician, he appears to identify with the likes of those who drive buses, taxis or are shopkeepers, i.e. everyday workers who never get any applause. It does not appear that Damini necessarily came from a blue collar background nor ever seriously engaged in such types of employment himself. But he’s obviously able to perceive how such routine workers benefit society and exemplify humbleness, if you will, to the point of claiming to be one himself.
Burna Boy’s third way of identifying with commoners is by noting his faith in God. Or viewed from a different angle, it isn’t as if success has gone to his head, and he acknowledges that he’s able to eat due to the grace of the Most High.
The chorus steers the listener in a bit of a different direction as far as the vocalist’s definition of a common person goes. In this passage, Burna credits his commonality to his ability to be the master of his own happiness. Furthermore, he implies that whereas some people may be greater than others in the eyes of the world, “everybody get role”, meaning that in the grand scheme of things we all have our respective jobs to do, so no one person is more valuable than another.
“I be common person, but my happiness, oh, still be my own
Everybody get role, no mean say your own role passin’ my own”
And to note, this track came out just a couple of months after Burna Boy’s breakup with fellow musician Stefflon Don, who had dated for four years prior. So the chorus especially may be his way of letting the world know that he was not going to allow said disappointment to take away his happiness.
