Yoruba Men: A Heritage of Sweet Words

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

A few weeks ago, my friend was on a call, and from the tone of his voice, I could tell it was with a lady. Out of nowhere, he said, “Not all that glitters is gold, but you glitter — and you’re gold.”

I looked up from my plate of spaghetti and gave an involuntary burst of laughter. After I had managed to save myself from expelling spaghetti through my nose, the next thing I said was: “Ah! Yoruba men can lieeee!”

As a Yoruba man myself, I didn’t believe this rhetoric in the slightest, but when people say something so much, even Yoruba men start to believe it.

My amusement was two-fold.

First, because he had pulled it off spontaneously and smoothly. Second, from the looks of things, the lady on the other end was blushing at this line.

This made me wonder about the fatal attraction between women (eternally susceptible to words of affirmation) and Yoruba men (with a heritage of colourful language).

It reminded me of a conversation with my grandmother a few months ago about the unique ways Yoruba people communicate affection. Here are three popular ones we discussed, just to mention a few.

1. Oju kan l’ada ni

This phrase, popularized by Tosin Martin’s 2006 classic ‘Olo Mi,’ directly means ‘A machete has only one sharp edge.’

When a Yoruba man tells you Oju kan l’ada ni, he’s letting you know that he — Just like the machete —  only has eyes for you. However, rumour has it that the Yoruba men today are more like a very sharp double-edged sword, slashing through the country, continent and beyond.

But that's what they are. Rumours.

2. Ekuro l’alabaku ewa

This saying —  also popularized by Davido’s 2012 hit single ‘Ekuro’ would best be understood by people who went to boarding school.

Ekuro refers to the weevil found in beans. Meaning that the love between two people would be till the very end, just as the weevil never abandons the beans.

But if you’ve ever picked beans before, you know that a few weevils always find their way to safety before entering the pot.

Again, rumour has it that those are Yoruba men flying out of your life into another.

But that’s a story for another day.

3. Iru woro kan, temi re la jo n lo

Another food reference speaks to the unity of two sides of the locust bean (iru). Just like one side of the locust bean is stuck to the other, this saying insinuates that the two lovers would remain inseparably in love.

It is another testament to the love that withstands all that life throws at the couple. Again, iru is very sweet and sticky, which means it can gather up into clusters with other pair bonds. This is what Singer Harry Song refers to as ‘Even your boo get a boo.’

But that doesn’t apply to Yoruba men. Right?

Yorubas & Symbolism

These symbols are important aspects of the Yoruba culture as we tend to find deep principles in seemingly mundane phenomena around us.

Aside from romantic phrases, Yoruba also contains several beautiful pet names for women that could make heads turn. Some examples are Eleyin ju ege (beautiful eyes), Eyinfunjowo (beautiful smile), and Ariyike (one to be pampered).

The Yorubas are very poetic and Socratic. They enjoy the effusive use of words, which is expressed in Owe (proverbs), Oriki (panegyric), Alo (Tales by moonlight), music and other ceremonial chants. Most Incantations are mystical sayings and historical recitals of some deity to unlock spiritual portals. This is a major characteristic of oral traditions globally, but the Yorubas do it differently.

With a heritage like this, it is no wonder Yoruba men are accused of having a way with words and women. It would be an insult to the forefathers to let such poetic DNA go to waste.

Love & Food

One cannot help but notice the association of love with food-related words. I don’t believe this phenomenon is exclusive to the Yoruba culture. There’s something about Nigerian cultures that associates the sweetness of love with the savour of a fine delicacy.

Flavour’s 2011 love ballad ‘Oyi’ perfectly typifies this with its opening lines:

My Jollof rice oh, how you dey do today

My tomato Jos oh, I don dey think about you

I thought someone would call him out for using this approach to woo a woman, but alas, women melted at being called ‘Tomato Jos.’ A reaction I found hard to correlate.

Granted, Jollof rice is a beloved dish across Nigeria and Jos’ Tomatoes are known to be big, juicy and very attractive to munch on.

I just thought… you know what?

Never mind.

In the end, Yoruba men aren’t merely flirting with words — they’re carrying forward a deeply rooted linguistic tradition. To speak Yoruba fluently is to inherit a poetic language that romanticizes everyday life, expressing unity, fidelity, and togetherness beyond mere affection.

As Brymo sings in his 2020 album Yellow, ‘Heartbreak songs are better in English,’ but I dare say, ‘Love songs are better in Yoruba.’