Lyrics
Intro
Nadia...
(Hoyah, hoyah, hoyah) (x2)
Verse 1
Nilichopata nikiomba walisema kitakwisha,
Nikitoa shukrani hadharani wakasema najigamba
Hao binadamu walinipa wiki,
Sasa imepita miaka bado wanasubiri
Bridge
Kazi ya Mungu haina makosa,
Ingekuwa binadamu anatoa ningekosa
Chorus (Repeat)
Sio juju, ni maombi, ni maombi, ni maombi
Si kelele, ni maombi, ni maombi, ni maombi
Hoya hoya, hoyaaah (x3)
Verse 2
Na mikono nitainua, magoti nipige
Nimweleze jinsi alivyotenda katika maisha yangu
Bridge (Repeat x2)
Chorus (Repeat)
Verse 3
Maneno ya wanadamu, yalinilenga kama mishale
Ila Mungu hawezi kubali uangukee,
Alichoanzisha leo, lazima atakamilisha
Bridge (Repeat x2)
Chorus (Repeat)
Outro
Si uchawi, weeeh
Si ulevi, eeeh
Si kwa nguvu zangu mie
Si Ka Nadia katambe
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Maombi" ("Prayer") answers public skepticism directly, recounting mockery received both for asking God for something and later for publicly thanking him once it arrived. That two-sided criticism, doubted while waiting and doubted again while grateful, frames the song's insistence that neither reaction changes what actually happened.
Its central bridge states a simple theological conviction, that God's work contains no error, contrasting divine reliability with human unpredictability. The repeated chorus denies alternative explanations directly, rejecting sorcery, noise, or personal effort as the source of whatever has been received, insisting instead that prayer alone explains it.
A later verse compares harsh words from critics to arrows aimed at the singer, while affirming confidence that God will not allow a promised outcome to fail partway through. Rooted in Swahili gospel testimony music, the song functions as public defense of answered prayer, repeatedly crediting God rather than superstition, luck, or self-reliance for what has taken place.
Related Scripture
- James 5:16 Describes the prayer of a righteous person as having great effect, echoed in the song's central claim that prayer, not superstition, produced the result.
- Philippians 1:6 Expresses confidence that God will complete the good work he began, directly echoed in the song's closing verse.