Victims [Song]

Uploaded by trinidesi
VICTIMS
By Mighty Duke

They spending millions to beautify Port of Spain
But I still see the vagrant problem remain
Is nice to see them how they sprucing up Port of Spain
But I still see the vagrant problems remain
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The vagrant problems on the pavement of this country.

I does call them victims, the vagrants on the streets
Suffering beggars we meet are all victims
An act of God, or by man or their indiscretion, still victims
Life's products, yes siree, creations of our society
Now they ent come here from Mars or from undersea
They are creations of our society
I know it's hard to admit but you must agree
They are creations of our society.

I ent say hug them up and take them home with you
I does run when I see them just like you too
But giving them a little something does ease mih heart
Getting them off the street is where we have to start
We must ask government, is their job to do
Let them know that these vagrants are people too
If they cannot be rehab to lead productive lives
At least have them institutionalised.

These people are victims
The addiction of coke and alcohol is no joke, victims
They are casualties of the times, diseases and crimes, all victims
Life's products, yes siree, creations of our society
A mother's womb had to bear them like you and me
Creations of our society
How did they get that way? It is their destiny?...Or
Creations of our society?

We does protest everything here in Trinbago
But we accepted this vagrant issue just so
Not a word, no protest, we stay down quietly
That speaks a lot of our society
And government for some reason refuse to act
Every time it come forward, they push it back
Look, I don't criticise government to beat my drum
But this, my friend, is constructive criticism.

These people are victims
Neglected by the state, prejudices and hate, victims
Broken homes, broken lives, husbands, children and wives, all victims
Life's products, yes honey, creations of our society
Failing to give good health care to the citizenry
Are creations of our society
No man gets that way voluntarily
They are creations of our society.

No man can't control Nature's tragedies
Life have much more diseases than remedies, yet
Some of us does laugh at another man
Taking out food to eat from a garbage can
We have all become so heartless now, it's unreal
We doh see, we doh hear, we doh care, we doh feel
But had it not been God's blessings taking us through
That very same man could have been me or you.

These people are victims of the strife to prevail
Sometimes life hard as nail, victims
Of stretching up for the peach where you hand couldn't reach, all victims
Life's products, yes honey, creations of our society
I see vagrants on the streets with college degree
Creations of our society
Brilliant minds from St. Mary's and QRC
Creations of our society
Please let's do something for the sake of humanity
Creations of our society
No man gets that way voluntarily
Creations of our society
We don't send children to school to study vagrancy
Creations of our society.

Woh oh oh ho woh oh ho oh
Creations of our society
Woh oh ho ho woh oh ho oh
Creations of our society.....


Source:
N.B. 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!
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A Note From The Gull

Thank you, Mighty Duke! You are still speaking to us. This is your heartfelt plea to "do something for the sake of humanity." I've read that there is a plan to house the homeless from Port of Spain in prefabricated structures on the compound of the St Ann's Psychiatric Hospital. This, however, might be just a temporary measure as part of the cleanup of Port of Spain ahead of the Summit of the Americas next month. In December 2005, vagrants were chased away from this same hospital where they had been sent for psychiatric evaluation by the Port of Spain magistrate. The hospital could not accommodate any more inmates than it was already serving and I do not think that this situation has changed so we will see how this develops.

On YouTube, though, some persons are having fun at the expense of our less fortunate brothers and have uploaded video clips of their activities. Whether the intention is to share a laugh or to shock others, I have no idea. All they leave me with is sadness to see our fellow Trinbagonians used in this manner. These lines from your song apply:

"No man can't control Nature's tragedies
Life have much more diseases than remedies, yet
Some of us does laugh at another man
Taking out food to eat from a garbage can
We have all become so heartless now, it's unreal
We doh see, we doh hear, we doh care, we doh feel
But had it not been God's blessings taking us through
That very same man could have been me or you."

Trinidad Canal Swimmer


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Trini Vagrant Escapes Death


Piper Audition


Piper Singing In Trinidad


Trini Piper


Further reading:

Home sweet home - Vagrants return to Harris Promenade. By Richard Charan, Investigative Desk, Trinidad & Tobago Express, Sunday, February 15th 2009.

One Vagrant Left - Homeless head to PoS as Sando mayor cleans up Harris Promenade. By Richard Charan, Investigative Desk, Trinidad & Tobago Express, Sunday, December 28th 2008.

'Vagrants off Sando Mayor's front door but now on ours'. By Phoolo Danny and Kristy Ramnarine, Trinidad & Tobago Express, Tuesday, December 2nd 2008.

Bed bugs’ bite force vagrant crisis. By Darcel Choy, Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday, Sunday, March 2 2008.

‘The nowayrians’ Study shows vagrants getting lazier. By Darcel Choy, Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday, Sunday, March 23 2008.

Cops to probe beating of vagrant. By Radhica Sookraj, Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, Monday 4th December 2006.

Homelessness is not madness. By Marsha Mokool, Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, Monday 6th March 2006.


"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