Geraldo Pino & his Heartbeats - Maria Lef For Waka

From 7’’ “Geraldo Pino and his Heartbeats - Maria Lef For Waka / Merengue Heartbeats”
Label : Pino Records - GP 1 (45 RPM) made in UK - Sierra Leone, 1963
Tracklist:
A - Maria Lef For Waka (Mr. Johnson ‘Dr. Dynamite’ Balogun-Williams)
B - Merengue Heartbeats --- feat. Francis Fuster on percussion
Recorded at the studios of the “Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation”, Freetown (early 1963) and released on Geraldo’s label ‘Pino Records’ in the same year.

[@SjoeperdKnoepert]

Maria left for a walk?

[@strphcjnb]

...for work.

[@ronnellreffellable]

@@strphcjnb actually Sjoerd is correct its "walk" :)

[@bitasnsons]

"Maria lef for waka" is Krio for "Maria stop running around."
In its normal use "waka" is "walk," but when you say "waka but" (walk about) or "waka" for short in the way it's used in the song, there's a moral judgement implied/expressed. A girl was supposed to be at home, not going from place to place, as Maria is doing in the song. A "waka but man or waka but uman" is a slutty man or woman.

[@SjoeperdKnoepert]

@@bitasnsons Great explanation. Thanks for clearing that up!

[@imranchandler1083]

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