Bush Medicine [Song]




Uploaded by anonjw

BUSH MEDICINE
By Lord Relator

Dedicated to Jumbie, the ever vigilant seeker of truth.

Nowadays if you sick, know is plenty pain
Because it ent have good medicine again
Nowadays if you not well, you in plenty pain
Because it ent have good medicine again
Nowadays people does be sick for a week
Long time, one day you sick, next day you on your feet
I living at mih Granny, so I bound to know
You can't beat a remedy of long ago.

Long ago, if the cold giving you trouble
Bois cano, Black sage tea or some soft candle
Vervine, Christmas bush or Chadon beni
Bound to pass your cold immediately
It is my belief, you could settle yourself with Soursop leaf.

I say we have a right to take example
And try to live like the old people;
Because as a youngster I realise
The old people way of living was really wise.
Is only recently, look, I find it strange
Old people used to live to a hundred and change
'Cause anything gone wrong with they body
They could find a suitable remedy.

A long time purge to clear your bladder
Castor oil, sweet broom tea or a bush senna
Burn bread water was a cooling of class
And children with worms used to drink Worm grass
Well don't find I fast,
Worm grass used to show the worms where to pass.

I done make up mih mind to live like the people of the olden time
I living at mih granny and I cocksure
Anything wrong with me, she could find the cure
Modern day medicine is really disgusting
Just two small tablets cost a dollar and something
I say this kind of thing is too expensive
So is like the old people I gone to live

Remove all the bruise that you get from blows
With a good dose of egg, nutmeg and Aloes
And if you happen to suffer with gas
Hot orange peel tea bound to make it pass
Well don't find I fast
Hot orange peel tea bound to break your gas.

These people, like they make this thing a study
Dey always first class with dey remedy
Any part ah de family that looking sick
They could always fix up a remedy quick
You could have the cold, you could have the flu
--------- you cyah number who?
No need to panic, no need to worry
All you want was an old people remedy.

Now if you had fever from head to feet
Kuzay maho, Grain en bas feuille or Mapiurite
Jump-up-and-kiss-me or Man-Better-Man
Granny backbone, Minny root or Zebafam
And if you had asthma, it was legal to use some marijuana.

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!
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A Note From The Gull


Thank you, Lord Relator. Feel better, Jumbie!

"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

4 comments:

Jumbie said...

Omigosh.. a whole post dedicated to me.. I feeling special too bad. (^_^)

That is a real, real young Relator. Wey, I cyah believe how old dat video must be.

I remember I had soursop in meh yard, soursop leaf tea does make you sleep in ah one. I learnt about that from my aunt - I'd worked 3 shifts back to back and didn't sleep for over 36 hours... I was so wound up I couldn't sleep. Well, de lady make soursop tea, and next thing I know, meh face fall in de bowl ah soup I was trying to eat. fuh real!

Guanaguanare said...

But you ARE special, Jumbie! Yes, your aunt was a wise lady. Moi, I have a "little" problem with modern day medicine...(OK, it's more like a raging phobia) and I usually avoid doctors and choose instead to raise my pains until they grow up and leave home. Ask me to choose between a quack, I mean doctor, holding a bottle of tablets and an old timer holding soft candle and a wonder-of-the-world leaf and you know which one I going by! Man when you see they singe dat bird pepper leaf and plaster it on yuh bobo with soft candle, yuh good to go!
Blessings

Unknown said...

Thank you for taking the time to post the lyrics for Bush Medicine. I need it for my Poetry Club Meeting as we prepare for Nostalgia in October 2017:Bush Medicine of Long Ago is one of the themes. Thanks again,you have been of great help to me. My name is Natalie. Best Regards.

Guanaguanare said...

Natalie,
Apologies for the delayed reply. You are very welcome. I am so happy to hear that you found the blog useful and that Relator's song continues to get all the attention that it deserves. I wish you all the best with Nostalgia in October 2017. If you upload any videos of the event, please send me a message.
Blessings,
Guanaguanare