This article is about the musical instrument. For the musical genre, see Sekere.
The shekere is an instrument from West Africa consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven into a net covering the gourd. Throughout the continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some are the lilolo, axatse (Ghana), djabara (Guinea), ushàkà, chequere and saa saa (Liberia). It is predominantly called shekere in Nigeria.
The Agbe is a gourd drum with cowrie shells and is usually strung with white cotton thread. The Axatse is a small gourd, held by the neck and percussed between hand and leg. In Liberia, the net has a long "tail" through which the beads are manipulated.
The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. The shape of the gourd determines the sound of the instrument. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour.
The instrument is used for folkloric traditions as well as some of the popular music styles. In performance it is shaken and/or hit against the hands.
I bought a set of wings that I couldn't use
I bought them in a store on the avenue
I didn't mean to spend all the cash I had
The second that I saw them I wanted them bad
When I got home and I tried them on
I noticed that the wingspan was way too long
I couldn't take them back there was no return
I should've gotten more I was feelin' burned
Gee Angel won't you take these back?
Gee Angel, Gee Angel I need some slack
There's nothin' in this world that I'd rather do
Then buy a set of wings and fly away with you
Climbed up the mountain observed the view
But Angel wouldn't say what I had to do
Then Angel flew away and left me standin' there
I knew I couldn't fly but I didn't care
Oh Gee Angel won't you take these back?
Oh Gee Angel, Gee Angel please come back
There's nothin' in this world that I'd wouldn't do
I'll buy a set of wings just to be with you
There's nothin' in this world that I'd rather do
Then buy a set of wings and fly away with you
There's nothin' in this world that I'd couldn't do