Sinking Ship [Song]


Uploaded by cool4rocknroll
Listen to this song also at GarageBand

THE SINKING SHIP
By Gypsy

[Spoken introduction]
This is an S.O.S. from the Trinidad.
Location, seven miles off the coast of Venezuela.
S.O.S. S.O.S. Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Help! Help!

The Trinidad, a luxury liner, sailing the Caribbean Sea
With an old captain named Eric Williams
For years sail smooth and free
But sadly Eric Williams passed away
The ship hit rough water that day
Someone turn the bridge over
To a captain named Chambers
Mih blood crawl, things start to fall
Hold mih head when a sailor bawl,

"Captain, this ship is sinking
Captain, these seas are rough [oh yes]
We gas tank almost empty
No electricity, we oil pressure reading low
Shall we abandon ship?
Or shall we stay on it, and perish slow?
We don't know, we don't know
Captain, you tell we what to do." [Woh woh]

The Trinidad, oh she was a beauty,
With wealth that few surpassed
And in her day she sailed majestically
They were few in her class.
Faithfully, she fulfilled her sailors' needs
Some were overpowered by greed
And so they pilfered slow
Some took by bulk an’ go
Now she look dull, she’s at a lull
She could barely sit on her hull,

"Captain, this ship is sinking
Captain, these seas are rough [oh yes]
We gas tank almost empty
No electricity, we oil pressure reading low
Shall we abandon ship?
Or shall we stay on it, and perish slow?
We don't know, we don't know
Captain you tell we what to do." [Woh woh]

The Trinidad, in her day of sailing
She was a friend to one and all
She never once ever hesitated
To answer all S.O.S calls
And yes, well she always did her best
To help out those in distress
Now it’s so sad to see, she’s in difficulties
Those she help jeer, some of them cheer
And sarcastically declare,

"Captain, this ship is sinking
Captain, these seas are rough
We gas tank almost empty
No electricity, we oil pressure reading low
Shall we abandon ship?
Or shall we sit on it, and perish slow?
We don't know, we don't know
Captain, you tell we what to do." [Woh woh]

[Spoken passage imitating the voice of Dr. Eric Williams]
If only there was something I could have done to restore the credibility of this beautiful vessel. Money is no problem.

Now there’s a lot of fingers pointing
Suspicion running strong
Who’s to be blamed for all her failures?
Who’s to be blamed for doing her wrong?
Now please remember, I ‘m warning you
For thirty years she had the same crew
Who hold the keys to her vault
So we know who’s at fault
Now it’s up to you, it’s up to me
To make her worthy to go back to sea,

"Captain, this ship is sinking
Captain, these seas are rough [oh yes]
We gas tank almost empty
No electricity, we oil pressure reading low
Shall we abandon ship?
Or shall we stay on it, and perish slow?
We doh know, we doh know
Captain you tell we what to do.
We don't know, we don't know [Oh yo yo]
Captain, you tell we what to do.

We don't know, we don't now
You tell we what to do.
We don't know, we don't know
You tell we what to do

Put up a flag! Oh gosh, we don't know,
You tell we what to do
Should we turn to the World Bank for help? [Oh ho]
We don't know, we don't know, we don't know
We don't know, we don't know, we don't know
Somebody put in an application to the World Bank
Probably we get some help to do the repairs
We don't know, we don't know. You tell we what to do."

.............................................................................................


A Note From The Gull


An interesting bit of trivia is that this song is the most heavily accessed song on this blog. I have no idea why this is but the analysis of site traffic tells me that it is so.

Is it because people find the song relevant to the present situation in Trinbago? If we are indeed a sinking ship, then this faithful vessel is putting up an impressive fight because from all reports, we've been battling disaster for the longest while.

Many of the visitors who look for this song are not located in Trinbago. I can only guess why this is so. Sometimes it seems like Trinbagonians located outside of their homeland feel a more acute sense of concern over its problems than those who are actually on the ground. Perhaps it is this "hypersensitivity" that led to many departures? Or perhaps it is that distance and the reliance on the often skewed news that amplifies the anxiety. Maybe it is just that Trinbagonians on the ground are also more in touch with what is good about Trinbago and have a more balanced outlook, or are required to do so in order to live their lives.

Whatever it is, Gypsy, there is a demand for this well-crafted piece. Thank you so much for your music and this song!

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

This Is My Flag [Song]

THIS IS MY FLAG
Composed by Rocky McCollin

Many years ago three small ships sail across the sea
And the Captain of those ships discovered La Trinity.
But when the English takeover me and you
They gave us the Flag, The Red, White and Blue.

But now we could tell them
This is my flag
The Red, White and Black
There's no turning back
To look for the Union Jack
And so mih sons and mih daughters
Could now boast and brag
About the Red, White and Black
That's my Flag.

I use to take it cool under the Colonial rule
Until one day a Great Man came my way
He toured the country and educate the population
And the Red, White and Black was the birth of a Nation.

This is my flag
The Red, White and Black
There's no turning back
To look for the Union Jack
And so mih sons and mih daughters
Could now boast and brag
About the Red, White and Black
That's my Flag.

August 1962 the date our dream came true
When we walked alone our lonely road home
No more mother country to guide our destiny,
But the Red, White and Black which means you're free.

So now we can tell them
This is my flag
The Red, White and Black
There's no turning back
To look for the Union Jack
And so mih sons and mih daughters
Could now boast and brag
About the Red, White and Black
That's my Flag.

My Nation is cosmopolitan
Each owes toward black as white
Each creed and race has an equal right
Now we're not turning back
Let us all together salute the Red, White and Black.

So now we can tell them
This is my flag
The Red, White and Black
There's no turning back
To look for the Union Jack
And so mih sons and mih daughters
Could now boast and brag
About the Red, White and Black
That's my Flag.

Source: My land: A Social studies review for primary and secondary school students and teachers/Gloria Pollard and Elton Nelson, Charran Educational Publishers, 1982, p. 44.
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Joy Cometh In The Morning [Song]

JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING
Performed by Denyse Plummer
Composed by Christophe Grant

Reprise:
Bombs exploding - lives imploding people shaking
- records breaking
Meh leaders braying - tell me what dey saying?
Joy is coming - when? - in the morning
Sirens howling - bandits prowling bullets flying
- children dying
A mother moaning - meh country groaning
But joy is coming - when? - in the morning

The time has come, for all honest men and true
To do more for the country than the country could do for you
We used to call here El Dorado, we used to call here paradise
Now the whole place like a ghetto, and the children paying de price
Behind burglar-proof we hiding, cause we ‘fraid to cross we gate
De nation backsliding while dem polytricksters debate
In this fabled land of plenty, ah wish I could believe
In their "vision 20/20", but I cannot be so naive.

(When they tell me)

Chorus 1
Joy cometh in the morning
For all I see is brothers dying needlessly
In every Petit Valley, shadows of death
Come let us all rally with our last breath
(To make sure)
Joy cometh in the morning
With de dawning sun
Stop this hate we spawning, lord! Put down de gun
Brothers and sisters, with our heads held high
Is you and me have to lift each other up, up to the sky
(Enough is enough)

The time has come to get rid of all dem myth
Dat god is somehow a Trini, this notion we must dismiss
It seems that we always fronting
How this country is truly blessed
But beyond the flags and de bunting, meh nation in a mess
Everyday is more kidnapping, while some treat de law with contempt
Despite de charges cops slapping, it seems that some are exempt
While no one is admitting who has us in this jam
We keep spinelessly submitting. Maybe we should all salaam
(When dey tell meh)

Chorus 2
Joy cometh in de morning
For all I hear is mothers grieving everywhere
In every village, scattered shells
Rape and pillage. Life is hell
(But if)
Joy is to come in de morning
We must all cease this hate we spawning and practice peace
No more division, oh lord no more blood
Just one blessed nation under god
(Enough is enough)

Who is to blame for this national nightmare
De buck and de shame we passing
Like a game of musical chairs
Something seems to be sinister in this pit of futility
As we keep on changing ministers of national insecurity
In "URP" and in "Cepep" is a ghost or some other gang
Wanton murder is their precept because nobody doh hang
And I keep on hearing de rumour that growing stronger with time
that de dons and de ones in power
Consort like partners in crime
(Still de tell meh)

Chorus 1
Joy cometh in the morning
For all I see is brothers dying needlessly
In every Petit Valley, shadows of death
Come let us all rally with our last breath
(To make sure)
Joy cometh in the morning
With de dawning sun
Stop this hate we spawning, lord! Put down de gun
Brothers and sisters, with our heads held high
Is you and me have to lift each other up, up to the sky
(Enough is enough)

Reprise (All I hearing)
Rivals clashing - windows smashing
Rampant looting - blatant shooting
Brothers dying - mothers crying (but they tell meh)
Joy is coming - when? - in de morning
(In de meantime)
Bells keep ringing, choirs singing
A mourner shrieking while a coffin creaking
Martyrs falling, sycophants keep bawling

Joy is coming - when? - in de morning

Source: Trinidad Guardian
.............................................................................................................................

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Sweet Trinidad [Song]

Listen to the "Sweet Trinidad" courtesy mp3fiesta.
[Link will open in new window.]

SWEET TRINIDAD
Arranged & adapted by Van Dyke Parks
Album: Discover America

Sweet Trinidad, sweet, sweet Trinidad
Darling keep your home fires burning
Use gas, don't burn any wood.

Well, I've traveled the USA from north to south
I didn't meet a single girl to shout about
They worked me very hard but they paid me good
I put on a little weight eating Yankee food.

From Miami to New York to Los Angeles
Wherever I play the people mighty pleased,
Yankee dollar real appeals to me
Never forget sweet "La Trinity."

And I remember
Sweet Trinidad, sweet, sweet Trinidad
Darling, keep your home fires burning
Use gas, don't burn any wood.

Sweet Trinidad, sweet, sweet Trinidad
Darling, keep your home fires burning
Use gas, don't burn any wood.

Source: "Discover America", Warner Bros. release #46 166

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Trinidad : Iëre, Land of the Humming Bird [Poem]

TRINIDAD: IËRE, LAND OF THE HUMMING BIRD
By Allister Macmillan

Those who eat the cascadura will, the native legend says,
Wheresoever they may wander, end in Trinidad their days.
And this lovely fragrant island, with its forest hills sublime,
Well might be the smiling Eden pictured in the Book divine.

Cocoa woods with scarlet glory of the stately Immortelles,
Waterfalls and fertile valleys, precipices, fairy dells,
Rills and rivers, green savannahs, fruits and flowers and odours rich,
Waving sugar cane plantations and the wondrous lake of pitch.

Oh! the Bocas at the daybreak – how can one describe that scene!
Or the little emerald islands with the sapphire sea between!
Matchless country of Iere, fairer none could ever wish.
Can you wonder at the legend of the cascadura fish ?

Source: History of the West Indies by Allister Macmillan, Nelson’s West Indian Readers, Compiled by JC Cutteridge, Book III, Lesson 9, Pg 42,43 © 1984 Nelson Caribbean.
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

A Nation New Is Born [Song]

A NATION NEW IS BORN
By G. Carlton Sampson

Wave sugarcanes wave
Palm-trees sway your crowns
Immortelle, frangipani, poui
Put on your floral gowns
Make gay the roadsides and the hills
Independence Our People fills
A Nation New is born.

You local birds pour forth your songs
Oh Semp and Acravat make glee!
You Bluebirds chirp, Hummingbird Birds hum
Sing out O Keskidee!
Make gay the roadsides and hills
Independence Our People fills
A Nation New is born!

Calypsonians sing an anthem
Of your sunny land and seas
Steelbandsmen beat out a road-march new,
About our tropical trees
Make gay the roadsides and hills
Independence Our People fills
A Nation New is born!

Trinidad and Tobago
Show forth your spirit of glee
Trinidad and Tobago
Your People shall be free
Leap to the road-march
Shout to the hills
For Independence Our Country fills
A Nation New is born.

Hail the sun rise, blessed morn
Whereon new hopes and joys are born
Of mixed and varied peoples
Determined to be one.
Sing out your praise O people free
With chimes and joyous revelry
For Independence Our Country fills
Our Nation New is born.

Source: My land: A Social studies review for primary and secondary school students and teachers/Gloria Pollard and Elton Nelson, Charran Educational Publishers, 1982, p.42. Via NALIS.

.............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Song For A Lonely Soul [Song]


Uploaded by cool4rocknroll

SONG FOR A LONELY SOUL
Composed and performed by David Rudder

Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island...yeah
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island

Oh how I long for island breezes and to see
My woman roll like a steel drum solo ringing through a calypso night
Don’t get me wrong, this big city really made a man of me
But a concrete jungle drum can’t play no calypso
No no no no no no no no!

Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island...yeah
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island...yeah oh
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island.

A mind excursion it can take me
To a far off country road
Sticky mango juice running down my naked chest
And sturdy people who can still smile a mile of love into their pain
Put their shoulders to the wheel
And their Gods will do the rest
And in the end, they will pass the test...yeah.

Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island...yeah...woh
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island...yeah
Soca music take me, won't you take me
Take me back to my island.

Trinity mountains, Trinity mountains calling me home
Making me high, calling me home, making me high!

[Soca music take me, won't you take me, take me back to my island]
Sing a soca melody, you can sing it and be free
Sing a happy soca melody, my friend,
[Soca music take me, won't you take me, take me back to my island]
Sing a soca melody, you can sing it and be free
And in this freedom, there will be no, no end
[Soca music take me, won't you take me, take me back to my island]
Sing a soca melody, you can sing it and be free
Sing a happy soca melody, my friend,
[Soca music take me, won't you take me, take me back to my island]
Sing a soca melody, you can sing it and be free
And in this freedom, there will be no end...

Note: The CD liner explains that the song was composed for the Trinidadians and Tobagonians who approach Rudder when he is on tour for news from home. In this song Rudder attempted to capture the sights and smells, the indelible images that remind a person from Trinidad and Tobago of home.

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
.............................................................................................


A Note From The Gull

Thank you, David Rudder.

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Columbus Sights Trinidad

By F.E.M. Hosein

Columbus:
Most Holy, Blessed and Glorious Trinity
One God in Three, and Three in One to thee
Mysterious Unity I render thanks
And humble offerings of a grateful heart
For having brought us all in safety through
The perils of the vast and boundless deep,
‘Twere impious thus to probe the secrets, long
From men kept hid of thy Divine unerring
Laws which made this earth a sphere and all
The starry hosts of heaven obedient
To those self same laws, on which relying
To this land I came. Mine eyes were wearied
Watching for the proof of love and wisdom
Which most assuredly is Thine, and here
Most gloriously revealed, and on thy Festal day
Hence forth I am the very humble instrument
Of Grace through whom Mankind shall know more than
Was yet made known of Thine Almighty power
Wisdom, Love, through which this earth is held a sphere
And all this world thus made a vaster field
Where men shall know and worship thee.
All praise To thee Most Holy Trinity. Receive
Our humblest thanks for thine abundant favours,
And this fair land whose sight was like the vision
Of Paradise to those who tread the toilsome
path, to Heaven to Thee we dedicate
And name La Trinidad. May Thy Love
And Mercy shown us be shown to all
Who dwell herein and who shall henceforth dwell,
May thine abounding Grace fill all the land
Which offers safe asylum and a respite
Here from toils and perils undergone.
May the joy which present fills our hearts
Forever sweep these friendly, kindly shores
And may the people of this lovely strand
Be ever happy, even as we now are,
In the Mercy, Love and Goodness shown by Thee
To us and all Mankind.

Source: Hyarima and the saints: a miracle play and pageant of Santa Rosa by F.E.M. Hosein, 1931.

Nah Leaving [Song]


Uploaded by IsDePanInMe

NAH LEAVING
Performed by Denyse Plummer

They say mih country so stressful, so tense
With race hate, young jail bait, too much violence
Girl pack up and go, this sweet Trinbago
I tell dem no way (no way)
How de people small-minded, macocious and loud
Of bobol and scandal they boastful and proud
Yet somehow I see, all this foolery
As window dressing, dey still ah blessing.

You see ah just eat ah curry-cue, peas, rice and cascadou
Blue crab and callaloo, mih neighbor just gimme
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Meh navel string so deep and freedom doh come cheap.

Where else in de world you know sweet pan and calypso
People just overflow two days in the street
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Is here wey conceive me, is here ah go dead.

I see a people creative who must overcome
Make magic from old steel, from rusty oil drum
So why should I fear, some tears here and there
I tell dem no way (no way)
Camaraderie so special like natural instinct
Dey meet you by de river, is come take ah drink
Outspoken but kind, no silent bad mind
So forget New York and and all de old talk.

You see ah just drink some babash brew, puncheon rum and Mountain Dew
Ah hot plate ah Pelau too mih macomere just give me
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Meh navel string so deep and freedom doh come cheap.

Where else in de world you know, jump high then wine down low
And if you don't get on so, dey watch you ------
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Is here wey conceive me, is here ah go dead.

Mayaro, Maracas Bay (nah leaving)
De Savannah wey children play (nah leaving)
De sorrel, de mauby bark (nah leaving)
De corn soup, de bake and shark (nah leaving)
De Oval, see Lara bat (nah leaving)
De picong, de tit-for-tat (nah leaving)
De ritual of Carnival (nah leaving)
De Soca Chutney Bacchanal (nah leaving)

I wake up one morning and before I stretch
Is fry bake, ---- doubles, meh nostril done ketch
And there for my view, an ocean so blue
I'm going no where (no where)
Hummingbirds and black birds dat sing in de trees
Chaconia and spices dat waft in de breeze
Wild meat by de grap, agouti and lappe
In forest grazing, it so amazing.

You see ah just watch ah football match wey Trini and Yankee clash
So much ----- mih posse lash, mih head still dizzy
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Mih navel string so deep and freedom doh come cheap.

Where else in de world you know milk and de honey flow
Vagrants does bend down low and dance in ah drain
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Is here wey conceive me, is here ah go dead.

Barb wire, roll wire, we living in jail
But somehow I know, true peace will prevail
As folks will recall, our problems are small
I'm going no where (no where)
De heart of my people is of solid gold
Like Soca dey move you with rhythm and soul
So who want to leave, because dey believe
Dat out dey easy, I say dey crazy.

You see ah just eat ah curry-cue, peas, rice and cascadou
Blue crab and callaloo, mih neighbor just gimme
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Meh navel string so deep and freedom doh come cheap.

Where else in de world you know sweet pan and calypso
People just overflow two days in the street
Nah leaving (nah leaving)
Is here wey conceive me, is here ah go dead.

Manning and Gypsy, [nah leaving]
The bacchanal in UNC [nah leaving]
-------- and Skinner Park [nah leaving]
They eat you like a bake and shark [nah leaving]
Iwer and Super [nah leaving]
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah leaving
Nah leaving...........

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Your Own Comes First [Song]


Uploaded by roger ramirez

YOUR OWN COMES FIRST
By Lord Kitchener
Arranged & adapted Van Dyke Parks

If I talk again it goin' send me mad,
I tired talk to the people of Trinidad
If I talk again it goin' drive me mad,
I tired talk to the people of Trinidad
All kind of booboo come and doing well
And we the Trinidadians only catching hell
How many times you want to be told?
Your own comes first all over the world.

So [Grenadians for Grenadians], yes, [Jamaicans for Jamaicans]
Even Barbados take the same route [Trinidadians, buck up and follow suit.]

If you think I lie, I invite you please,
Just take a little trip through the West Indies
Make your first stop at Grenada
Tell them that you come looking for labour
Well, if you miss and say you're from Trinidad
They lick you from Grenada to Fyzabad
But you can't blame them on a whole
My friend, that is the policy of the world.

So [Grenadians for Grenadians], yes, [Jamaicans for Jamaicans]
Now Barbados take the same route [Trinidadians, buck up and follow suit.]

Well, now you really looking for blows
If you think you goin' anchor in Barbados
The Bajans goin' tell you, you blooming fast
"Don't you know Bajans first and outsiders last?"
So then you hoist your anchor to Jamaica
Feeling that your chances would be better
But they goin' make you to understand
Boy, we only have work here for Jamaicans.

So [Grenadians for Grenadians], oh yes, [Jamaicans for Jamaicans]
Even Barbados take the same route [Trinidadians, buck up and follow suit.]

I am not all selfish, I love to give
And I believe in the slogan - Live and let live
But if the rest of islands ent doing that
I don't see why we should be Miss Howard cat
It's time that we should go into the reverse
Do like other nations, put your people first
You must do as you are told
Or we would be the laughing stock of the world.

So [Grenadians for Grenadians], oh yes, [Jamaicans for Jamaicans]
Ah, Barbados take the same route [Trinidadians, buck up and follow suit.]

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! ..............................................................................................................................


A Note From The Gull

Thank you, Kitchener.  In Jamaica's defence, I have to note that within the framework of Caricom, this country is very enthusiastic about free movement of labour and has been doing its part to realise this.
"Eight categories of Caricom nationals are now eligible for free movement throughout the region: university graduates, media workers, artistes, musicians, sportspersons, managers, technical and supervisory staff attached to a company, and self-employed persons/service providers. In addition, the spouses and immediate dependent family members of these nationals will also be exempt from work permit requirements.

It was also agreed to allow, at a later stage, for free movement of tertiary-trained teachers and nurses; higglers, artisans, domestic workers and hospitality workers, pending the agreement of an appropriate certification." SOURCE
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

The Flowering Rock [Poem]

THE FLOWERING ROCK
By Eric Merton Roach (1915-1974)

In fierce hot noons
Neath homestead trees
Our village girls
Breastfeed their young
Whose cradle is a song,
And in our valley
The stream water croons
Cool rhythms among stones.

Our hearts break not
Though they are ever broken,
A froth of laughter
Tops our sea of sorrows,
our singing sighs like zephyrs
In night silence:
Our voices bear the tracery of tears,
The burden of their cadence.

Oh from gaunt rock
As white as sanctity
The lily blooms:
Essence of darkness is
Too pure for fragrance,
The distilled stone,
The still voice of the skeleton.

This is our symbol -
Beauty famous in the slum;
The hungry boy who
Tomorrow shall become
The country’s hero;
The black loam bears him,
He breeds recurrent
In our fertile womb.

Day breaks, my darling:
Night, cast with eldritch dreams
Shrinks from these shores,
Light flickers on horizons;
Our souls like sunflowers
Turn toward the dawning:
Our hope begins its orisons.

Source: Peepal Tree Press
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A Note From The Gull


Thank you, Eric Roach, for your loving gaze while you acknowledge the beauty that cracks the struggle, the struggle that is beauty that is our corner of this earth.

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Ode To Tobago [Song]


Uploaded by mightysparrowaz

ODE TO TOBAGO
By Lord Kitchener
From his 1969 album *King of the Road* - TROPICO TSI-2011.
Arranged by Clive Bradley.

Come, follow me on to a tiny land
Things to see, friends to meet
You would understand
Darling get up, let us pack up
For the journey is a nonstop
It's a date
Sweetheart don't be late.

CHORUS:
Come, let we go, let we go to Tobago
That paradise, found by Robinson Crusoe
And it is said, it's the land of tomorrow
Princess Margaret say, "Come Tobago for holiday."
Now the whole world say, "Come Tobago for holiday."

Your native friend surely would be a host
And show you some of the beauty from coast to coast
Lovely hotels, lovely beaches
Lovely flowers, friendly faces
It is grand on this Crusoe land.

CHORUS:
Come, let we go, let we go to Tobago
That paradise, found by Robinson Crusoe
And it is said, it's the land of tomorrow
Princess Margaret say, "Come Tobago for holiday."
Now the whole world say, "Come Tobago for holiday."

And once again, may I remind of you
Up the hill to Fort George there's a lovely view
As you look down curiously at the gray sand and the blue sea
You'll agree, it's just heavenly!

CHORUS:
Come, let we go, let we go to Tobago
That paradise, found by Robinson Crusoe
And it is said, it's the land of tomorrow
Princess Margaret say, "Come Tobago for holiday."
Now the whole world say, "Come Tobago for holiday."

For real beauty, well, it is my belief
There is no other place like the Buccoo Reef
Where the fishes seems to gather
Just to welcome every stranger
Tobago is the place to know.

CHORUS:
Come, let we go, let we go to Tobago
That paradise, found by Robinson Crusoe
And it is said, it's the land of tomorrow
Princess Margaret say, "Come Tobago for holiday."
Now the whole world say, "Come Tobago for holiday."

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................


A Note From The Gull

Thank you, Lord Kitchener!

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

National Anthem of T&T [Song]


Uploaded by Philitup66

NATIONAL ANTHEM OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Composed by Patrick Castagne
This rendition by Victoria Sewell

Forged from the love of liberty,
In the fires of hope and prayer,
With boundless faith in our destiny
We solemnly declare:
Side by side we stand
Islands of the blue Caribbean Sea,
This our native land
We pledge our lives to thee.
Here every creed and race
Finds an equal place,
And may God bless our nation.
Here every creed and race
Finds an equal place,
And may God bless our nation.


Uploaded by LordDaine

NATIONAL ANTHEM OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO [Olympic Version / Versión Olímpica - 2004]

Originally composed as the national anthem for the short-lived West Indies Federation , this song was adopted by Trinidad and Tobago when it became independent in 1962.

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Catáhua People

The term diaspora comes from διασπορά in the Ancient Greek language - prefix dia=through, followed by the verb sperein=to sow or to scatter. Literally it means a scattering or sowing of seeds. We use it today most commonly to refer to the dispersal of a country's people or ethnic populations throughout the world. Trinbagonians, being themselves the products of forced and voluntary relocations, have in many instances found themselves continuing this dispersal, with Trinbago having been just a stopover along the way.

Luckily, this is often after remaining long enough to add more uniquely Trinbagonian footprints to our cultural landscape. After departure from these islands and arrival at new destinations all over the world, some Trinbagonians are faced with some choices. Culturally, they can continue to identify as Trinbagonians or they can revert to pre-diasporic identities - Amerindian, Chinese, Indian, African, or they can choose assimilation into the host culture and through their children merge even more completely.

Catáhua is an Andean Amerindian name for the Sandbox Tree. Also known as Hura crepitans, the tree has an unusual method of seed dispersal which is described as mechanical or self-dispersal. Unlike methods used by other plants which employ the conveyances of gravity, wind, water or animals, the dispersal method used by the Catáhua seems more deliberate, less passive. The seed pods ripen on the tree and when they attain the required dryness, the seed capsule ruptures suddenly, exploding with a loud cracking sound which has been likened to a gun shot. With this eruption, pod material as well as the flat round seeds are propelled far and wide.

Diaspora!

For some Trinidadians who leave, there is a mixture of guilt and dismay. The guilt comes about because leaving often resembles abandonment - abandonment of family, friends, abandonment of the hope of succeeding and contributing here, abandoning the land itself. On the other hand, the dismay can set in when the departee dwells on the realization that there was nothing voluntary about the departure. Circumstances at home had forced the exit, and these could have included the perception of a lack of opportunities, the expectation of assault of some kind, the fact of having been assaulted and the pull factors of a safer, if not better life elsewhere. Whatever it is, what it comes down to is that Catáhua people are expelled people.

The Sandbox tree that is our nation understands that too many seeds near the base of the tree does not allow for optimum growth, either for itself or for the seedlings to come. It arranges it so that its seeds and as well, its survival as a species, will have the best chance possible. There isn't sufficient light or food or space for us all here. And the Catáhua does not wait for the wind or the waters or animals. Catáhua people are deliberately pitched far and wide to near and distant shores. But if circumstances should allow you to return or if the "saudade" drives you to claw your way back, don't think yourself foolish and please do ignore the, "What you come back here for?" comments. On the other hand, if you choose to or have no choice but to remain abroad, understand that even though you are not at the base of the tree which bore you, the life force that propelled you outwards hopes only that you will put down strong roots wherever you are.

Trinbago is not only a physical location. It is also a way of thinking and being that can comfort and sustain. Expulsion is sometimes a survival mechanism. Keep a Sandbox "flipper" in your pocket if you need a reminder!


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"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

Trini To The Bone [Song]


Uploaded by 321tttrindian

TRINI TO THE BONE
By David Rudder & Carl Jacobs

Islands in the sun, Islands in the fun.

Welcome, welcome one and all to the land of fete
Trini to the bone, Trini to the bone
When it come to bacchanal, well, they can't beat we yet
Trini to the bone, Trini to the bone
Look, sweet women parade abundantly
The brethren, they full of energy
Some people say God is a Trini
Paradise on earth convincing me
God gave us a spirit fiery
But nothing in the world don’t bother we
But look a smart man gone with we money
We still come out and mash up the party!

Chorus:
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up this country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] No place in this world I'd rather be
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] All this sugar can't be good for me.

[Oh oh oh] From Toco to Caroni
[Oh oh oh] Maraval to Sans Souci
[Oh oh oh] From Scarborough to Cocorite
[Oh oh oh] Profiling on Frederick Street.

[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up this country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] No place in this world I'd rather be
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] All this sugar can't be good for me.

All these years I spent abroad in the cold, longing to be home
Trini to the bone, Trini to the bone
God, I pray that some sweet day, I will no longer have to roam
Trini to the bone, Trini to the bone
The problems we have are plain to see
We prove we could stand the scrutiny
All and all, a true democracy
How we vote, is not how we party
There's no place like home, some people say
Though some have to leave to make their way
But in their hearts I know their destiny
So come home and big up the country.

Chorus:
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Lord, how I love up this country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] No place in this world I'd rather be
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Lord, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] All this sugar can't be good for me.

[Oh oh oh] From Couva to Signal Hill
[Oh oh oh] Arima to Charlotteville
[Oh oh oh] Matelot down to Port-of-Spain
[Oh oh oh] We playin' mas, sun or rain.

[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] No place in this world I'd rather be.

[Rudder chant]

Look ah Trini gyal dey, she breaking away
Tobago gyal, oh, what a bacchanal
The men gone wild, they making dey style
The gyal look back, they on de attack
The style just change, man re-arrange
The fete gone clear, 'cause nothing can compare to a Trini rising
Oh no, no, nothing can compare to a Trini rising.

As crazy as we might seem to be, we still try to be a family
Indian, African or a Chinee, Syrian, French-Creole or Portugee
We blessed with a spirit fiery
Some people say God is a Trini
Sweet women parade abundantly
Now the problem is plain to see.

[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up this country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] No place in this world I'd rather be
[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] All this sugar can't be good for me.

[Oh oh oh] Westmoorings to Los Iros
[Oh oh oh] From Sando to Mayaro
[Oh oh oh] From Penal to Grande Riviére
[Oh oh oh] Sweetness in abundance everywhere.

[Sweet, sweet T and T] Oh, how I love up mih country
[Sweet, sweet T and T] All this sugar can't be good for me.

No no no no
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah. Uhmmm
Sweet T and T.

Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare

God Bless Our Nation [Song]


Uploaded by akeemds

GOD BLESS OUR NATION
Composed by Marjorie Padmore
Performed by Mavis John

God bless our nation
Of many varied races
May we possess that common love
That binds and makes us one.
Let it be known around the world
That we can boast of unity
And take a pride in our liberty.

God bless our isles
Of tropic beauty rare
Of flaming poinciana and shady immortelle
The warm and sparkling waters
That break upon our shores
Beat out a tune that seem to tell
We take a pride in our liberty.

God bless our leaders
Give them grace to guide
Bestow on them thy judgment wise
To rule our land aright
To keep the flag of freedom high
That we may sing most lustily
We take a pride in our liberty.

Source: My land: A social studies review for primary and secondary school students and teachers/Gloria Pollard and Elton Nelson, Educational Publishers, 1982, p.41
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A Note From The Gull


Some of us feel that these are some of the darkest hours in the history of Trinidad and Tobago and somehow a song like this seems out of place. I actually sing this song quite frequently to myself. On one level I am singing it just because I think it’s a really beautiful song and I enjoy visiting the scenes conjured up by the words, especially the natural beauty of Trinidad and Tobago. On another level I sing it because I love this country and as far as I know this song, apart from the National Anthem, is probably the only sung prayer for Trinidad and Tobago. On yet another level, I believe that to be a powerful force for good, it is necessary to bless others so that we all will prosper.

Scientific research has proven that physiological balance and strength in the human body even at the level of blood cells as well as in plants, fungi, bacteria and animals, are brought about by positive thoughts and emotions. Even if you aren’t motivated by a desire to do good for others, the theory of the common field of energy encourages us to project positive emotions and thoughts because essentially we curse ourselves when we curse others. When we show gratitude and we bless, even when this blessing is not vocalized, we set in motion powerful, positive vibrations which will deliver beneficial outcomes for both givers and receivers.

So this song is a prayer for our country. It asks for blessings for the well being of our beautiful natural environment, for our nation and the souls who are its residents and for the leaders. We are really in need of showers of blessings. God bless Marjorie Padmore. God bless Mavis John. God bless you all. God bless our nation.

"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people,
Blessed be our day of awakening,
Blessed is my country,
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare