Burna Boy's "Alone" Touches on Some Pretty Heavy-Duty Emotional Topics

It goes without saying that the hype surrounding Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is about as high as can be right now. Between a star-studded cast and mass critical/fan appeal, the follow-up to the original Black Panther is proving to be everything that everyone anticipated and more.

And let's talk about that soundtrack! Black Panther: Wakanda Forever taps some of music's biggest names to soundtrack its action-packed moments. Between the likes of Rihanna, Tems, Stormzy, Future, and others, the soundtrack accompanying the movie is as much of a bonafide hit as the film itself.

One standout track on the album that fans really seem to be resonating with is "Alone," the new offering from singer Burna Boy. But what exactly is the meaning of the song? Let's unpack the lyrics.

Released as a part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, Burna Boy's "Alone" perfectly encapsulates the mood of the film. On this track, Burna Boy is taking up the position of a disheartened hero, seemingly troubled by his past and only able to find solace in the memories of his good deeds. He details the struggles of facing that mental obstacle alone and the toll that it takes on an individual.

"Memories, uh-oh, carry me, go / Carry me, go, oh-na, yeah," he leads off the track. Quickly, however, Burna Boy admits "Mr. DJ, Gbemi trabaye," which is Nigerian slang for getting high off of a substance of some sort. In this case, it appears as though Burna Boy is asking the DJ to play a song that will make him feel "high" to forget the pains of his daily life.

Sticking true to its concept, Burna Boy goes on to sing "My body don dey tire, eh / E make me madder, eh," telling fans that he is sick and tired and needs help. This continues through lines such as "My head don scatter, eh / My holy father, eh / My body don dey tire, eh," capped off with a clear statement of desperation: "Don't lеave me alone."

Unfortunately, it appears that nobody picks up on our hero's cries for help in the song, exemplified through lines such as, "Wetin you go do / When you're feelin' like you're screamin' really loud / But nobody hears you?"

But this take offers perspective. When Burna Boy sings "Count every blessin’ / Count every lesson / You fit no dey tomorrow / So I count every second," it's a clear take that despite the negative emotions burdening our hero, they're still aware of how precious life is.

Earlier messages about physical weakness are repeated in the chorus once again before Burna Boy segways to "Don't leave me, don't leave me, oh God," a statement he echoes a few times on the track. And once again, he laments that memories are the only place a hero can go for solace. "As far as I can see, na the memories / Dem dey carry me from reality / No require visa; I have been," he says, comparing the ease of drifting into memories to the ease of traveling to places that don't require a visa.

Burna Boy closes the track with one more mention of "When my whole world is set on fire / Don't leave me alone."

The entirety of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack is available on all major music streaming platforms now.