Asides making beautiful music, Tems also has a knack for compelling lyricism that is a skill possessed by a few in this industry.
Tems lyrical writing is like she’s tracing fault lines in the earth—each word cracks open a story, raw and resonant. On her debut album Born in the Wild, released June 7, 2024, the Nigerian artist stitches her Lagos roots into a global soundscape, wielding lyrics that bite with truth and bleed with feeling.
Her storytelling cuts through noise, turning personal battles—love, doubt, defiance—into anthems that echo far beyond her voice.
These 25 quotes from the album don’t just sing; they demand you listen, mapping a journey from wild beginnings to hard-won clarity.
Born in the Wild
- “Something inside plaguing my confused mind”
The album cracks open with thiis song —the lyrics tell a restless churn of thoughts clawing at her sanity. It’s the sound of a mind at war with itself, setting the stage for a journey through her wild, uncharted headspace. - “I was born in the wild, grew up in the wild”
This isn’t a throwaway—it’s Tems’ origin story roared out loud. The song pulses with the untamed streets that raised her, a badge of survival she wears like armor.
Burning
- “Plenty fire in my eyes”
Tems’ stare is a torch blazing through the haze, and this line lights up the track’s core—a fierce, unyielding hunger that dares you to look away. - “I’m gonna tell the truth when the time is right”
Truth’s a loaded gun here, cocked and waiting. The song simmers with her patience, holding that bullet for the moment it’ll hit hardest.
Wickedest
- “I’m the one that got the scene banging”
Tems is not asking for credit—she’s taking it. This line struts through the beat, owning the chaos she’s sparked in music’s wild corners. - “Three years and I’m only just getting started”
A middle finger to clocks, this vow smirks at doubters. The song’s swagger promises she’s nowhere near done shaking the ground.
Love Me Jeje
- “I’ll be down anytime you call me”
Loyalty bends the melody here, soft as a whisper but heavy with intent. It’s a promise to show up, no matter the hour, cradled in the track’s tender sway. - “I’m on your wave right now”
Tems is locked into someone’s rhythm, vibing on the same tide. The groove turns it intimate, a thread tying two souls in real-time.
Get It Right ft Asake
- “If you ball, I guarantee, you won’t need any referee”
Success doesn’t need a judge—this line lands with a cocky bounce, shrugging off anyone who’d dare call the shots. - “This your body like coke, my cow ai”
Asake uses slang which flips into a sly grin, comparing curves to a high. It’s playful, flirty, and rides the track’s upbeat wink like a breeze.
Ready
- “I’m ready for something different”
She’s itching for new air, and this line claws through the tempo—a restless soul kicking at the walls of the same old. - “I’m ready for game and I’m bound to win”
Victory is in Tems veins with this lyric. The song rises like a fighter squaring up, her confidence as a fist ready to swing.
Gangsta
- “If you want a rock, you can stick by me”
Tems assures whoever that wants to ‘rock’ how assured they are to, when they stick with her, should they decide to.
Unfortunate
- “Guess you’re coming back again with your dirty dirty plans”
Betrayal creeps in like a thief, and Tems is wide awake for it. The song’s edge slashes at the schemer slinking back into her orbit. - “Anything you want to say might as well be thrown away”
Words from a liar bounce off her steel—this cuts the cord, with this lyric, the track’s cold resolve slamming the door shut.
Boy O Boy
- “You’re a pain in my brain”
A headache with a pulse, this stings with exasperation. The song’s bite sinks into someone who won’t quit rattling her skull. - “You don dey do rubbish you always do”
Pidgin lands the punch, raw and unfiltered. It’s a fed-up jab at a fool stuck in their own tired loop.
Forever
- “I want the secret to your loving”
Love’s a locked vault, and Tems wants to pry at the hinges—the track aches with her hunt for what makes it tick.
Free Fall ft J. Cole
- “How do you wrong me then call my name?”
Pain twists into a knife here, questioning a betrayal that still dares to speak. The duet’s tension rips trust apart at the seams.
Voices in My Head (Interlude)
- “You know only responsibility is to say truth right?”
Truth is Tems compass, stark and bare in this whisper. It’s a creed etched into the silence, heavy as stone.
Turn Me Up
- “No peace for the generations/ they have us living in hallucinations”
A world gone mad drives this beat—her voice slices through the fog, raging at the lies we’re all drowning in.
Me & U
- “For me to come out it must mean I’m at the door”
Tems uses this lyrics to depict the situation under which she finds herself, she inches from breaking through, and this line teeters on the edge. The song’s pulse races toward that final step.
T-Unit
- “Got my younger self ready for the war”
Her past is a soldier, battle-scarred and primed. With this line, the march arms her present with every fight she’s already won.
You in My Face
- “Love conquers every storm”
Love is a fist through the wind, unbowed and Tems uses this lyric to emphasize that. The track glows with a warmth that spits in the face of chaos.
Hold On
- “I was one of the millions making anxious decisions”
Tems is us—lost in the swarm, wrestling choices that gnaw. The song swells like a lifeline, tying her to the mess we all share.
