3 COLOURS By David Rudder, Bunji Garlin & Faye-Ann Lyons
Spoken words: I have much pleasure in sending you this message today. Strive for excellence in character in the great virtues such as truthfulness, obedience and honesty so that under God, our nation will produce worthy citizens. Bacchanal and confusion cannot be the foundation of an orderly society.
Red, white and black Red, white and black Red, white and black Red, white and black
All I want to see is love in the sky Three colours up high, three colours up high Too blessed to be stressed, display it with pride Three colours up high, three colours up high!
Red, white and black. Let's rep a new policy Red, white and black. Show Carnival diplomacy Red, white and black. Look, man does disagree Red, white and black. But right now we moving in harmony.
Rise, yes, my people rise! -------------- , just open your eyes Rise, yes, my people rise! Don't you realise this land is our prize.
We rising! woh oh oh oh We rising! yeah, yeah We rising! woh oh oh oh We rising!
Everybody!
Never ever let the loving subside Three colours up high, three colours up high Don't concede to greed, stand firm with pride Three colours up high, three colours up high
Everybody sing!
Red, white and black. Teach the world the policy Red, white and black. It's a carnival diplomacy Red, white and black, yeah, yeah. Sometimes we may disagree Red white and black. And yet still we jamming in harmony
Rise, yes, my people rise! Politics aside, move forward with pride Rise up, rise up! Rise, yes, my people rise! Don't just criticise Let's reclaim this paradise.
Everybody sing!
We rising! yeah, woh oh oh oh We rising! yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah We rising! woh oh oh oh We rising!
The whole nation chanting...
Red, white and black Red, white and black Red, white and black Red, white and black Jamming in harmony
Bacchanal could never be the foundation If we want to come and build up a strong nation No bacchanal could ever be a good solution... no, no, no Solving the problems of this great nation.
Red, white and black. Well everybody say Red, white and black. Put up your colours high Red, white and black. Well everybody Red, white and black. Hold them up right now to the blessed sky.
Red, white and black, throw it up, throw it up, throw it up Red, white and black, in the air, in the air Red, white and black, in the air, in the air From Charlotteville to San Fernando Red white and black, ------------- Red, white and black, my people rise! Carenage down to Toco Red, white and black, my people rise! From Toco to Mayaro Red, white and black, my people rise! New York to Toronto Red, white and black, my people rise! London down Red, white and black, my people rise! Anywhere Trini come down Red, white and black my people rise, Soca warriors Red, white and black, my people rise! Red, white and black, my people rise!
No turning back, no turning back Red, white and black, tell me, tell me Red, white and black, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme Red, white and black.....
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, David Rudder, Bunji Garlin & Faye-Ann Lyons, for this beautiful message. Ris, yu, peiti!!! My people rising!
"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.
The bogey of race stares me in my face anywhere I go Like a time bomb ticking, waiting to explode But as an East Indian Trinbagonian, I want you know Here's where I stand in that scenario When I sing Hindi and I sing chutney, that's my heritage East Indian drums echo from a land outside of my sight But when I sing kaiso and I sing soca, that's my privilege My blood, my sweat, my joy and my copyright
'Cause I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I'm a chutney champion, all of that is me And I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I create my music in English and Hindi. But I'm a freedom fighter with both my guns aglow You see I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso I want the world to know I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso.
Let the record show that this Trinbago, which I love so dear It has well prepared me to go anywhere But as I walk the earth, I does feel so hurt 'cause I'm well aware The racist bogey still prevalent out there In Trinidad we got such a melting pot to appreciate 'Cause we are a microcosm of the whole world Things like tolerance, I must advance, not bias or hate I will never see light through a crack or a pigeon hole.
'Cause I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I'm a chutney champion, all of that is me And I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I create my music in English and Hindi. But I'm a freedom fighter with both my guns aglow So I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. Sparrow tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso.
There a pride I feel that words can't reveal But if you're sensitive, you will feel it flowing, I won't have to tell I walk off my job just to join this club, my all to give To be an international chantuelle I'm no hit and miss, fly by night artist, but a committed soul Ent Ato Boldon does run the one and the two? Likewise with my chutney and my soca guns I'm attacking them twofold And every laurel I win, you know I win it for you.
'Cause I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I'm a chutney champion, all of that is me And I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I create my music in English and Hindi. But I'm a freedom fighter with both my guns aglow So I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. Sparrow tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso.
Examine this world, there's some special souls who transcend their race Despite eyes or hair or country of their birth Their philosophy and humanity defies time and space The whole planet feels their influence and their worth Let me imitate, I must emulate, all these great examples Of men who teach the world we are one before God Through my chutney songs and my calypsos, let me touch my people So my worth could be measured in gold for the road I trod.
'Cause I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I'm a chutney champion, all of that is me And I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I create my music in English and Hindi. But I'm a freedom fighter with both my guns aglow So I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. Kitchy tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso.
'Cause I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I'm a chutney champion, all of that is me And I'm a Trinbagonian, I'm a born Trini I create my music in English and Hindi. But I'm a freedom fighter with both my guns aglow So I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. Sparrow tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. Kitchy tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. Stalin tell me so, He say to blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. Sundar tell me so, He say blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. I want you know, Ah blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. Tell the world I say, I blazing a trail in chutney and calypso. I want the world to know, I go blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. All for Trinbago, I go blaze a trail in chutney and calypso. I want the world to know, I go blaze a trail in chutney and calypso.....
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, Rikki Jai!
"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.
...Recognising That Our Leaders Will Be As Bad As WE Allow Them To Be.
MAMA LOOK AH BOO BOO By Lord Melody (Fitzroy Alexander) 1956
I wonder why nobody doh like me Is it a fact that I’m ugly? Tell me why nobody doh like me Is it a fact that I’m ugly? I leave mih own house and go Mih children doh want me no more They cursing black is white and ting And when I talk dey start to sing...
"Mama, look a Boo Boo!", they shout Dey mother told dem, "Shut up yuh mouth!" "That is yuh Daddy," "Oh no, my Daddy can't be ugly so!" "Shut yuh mouth, go away!" Mama, look a Boo Boo dey! "Shut yuh mouth, go away!" "Mama, look a Boo Boo dey!"...
This post was posted originally posted on October 11, 2006 in my note on Lord Melody's calypso "Mama Look Ah Boo Boo!" and I remembered it recently when I read about the way in which the ex-Prime Minister, Mr. Patrick Manning, was dismissed by people who had been his supporters and who had probably never felt as free to show this degree of indignation or disdain before their party was voted out on May 24, 2010.
"One former candidate suggested that since the matter under discussion was whether he should continue or not, Manning should leave it for them to discuss the issue. Manning left the meeting. He went downstairs to his car where he encountered a hostile crowd, who shouted ’Manning must go!’ Read more..."
Why would a song like “Mama Look Ah Boo Boo” find itself included in a collection of works on the topic of Trinidad and Tobago? I was listening to this song recently, chuckling over Lord Melody’s voice energetically conveying the distress of the father. I was finding uncharitable delight in the ineffectual protests of the wife and the children’s and neighbour’s unrelenting characterization of the poor, hard-working, but ugly man as a terrifying Boo Boo. Thinking afterwards about the song and remembering the poem "Look Devil Dey!" a less amusing interpretation came to mind. This is a wonderful song to exemplify our readiness as Trinidadians (by no means peculiar to Trinidadians), to separate ourselves morally from the easy targets around us in our society.
One of the most prominent groups of practicing and ritual “Boo Boos” in our society are to be found among some of our leaders. With our nod, we keep them in power, but then turn our backs and walk away whistling, relieved to know that somebody else will take care of our business. Someone else being in charge, is the excuse to revert to a pre-adult state, where we can reap the benefits of Papa’s hard work or cry neglect and abuse (or Boo Boo!) when the pursuit of interests injurious to our own, robs us of the security that is due to us as the helpless and dependent children we have chosen to be.
So we start to shout, “Mama, look a Boo Boo!” because now the Daddy must be seen in a different light, if we are to preserve our innocence and separateness from the source of all societal ills. Despite the attempts by the more loyal, more forgiving, more indulgent, we refuse to be placated. Something is very wrong and now that we are being forced to feel the pain, someone else has to be held accountable.
Now I really loved the Mama’s, “Shut yuh mouth, go away!” “Dat is yuh father!” and the incredulous, scandalized response of the children, “Oh no! My Daddy can't be ugly so!!”
My Daddy can't be ugly so??
Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago!! It’s in the spiritual/societal genes. Our Daddy is every bit as ugly as WE are. Hog plums can fall and roll but they cannot deny their connection to the tree! Some of us, myself included, look upon our leaders and find them to be flawed and weak and ugly and we are quite happy to derisively shout, along with the other detractors, “Look a Boo Boo dey!” Beside ourselves with righteous indignation, like the children blown away by what they saw as ugliness incarnate, we are not willing to accept for one minute that the unlovely target of our curses and ridicule is our own "creation," our own "father," our own "flesh and blood".
Now, I am not saying that we should ever be willing to look upon any leader as our “father” on any level, even if he is given the title, “Father of the Nation” but I believe that we should be less willing to ignore the fact that in the hidden earth, all our roots are entwined, that we are all related, leaders and followers, the nice and the not so nice, the Boo Boos and their callous, unforgiving children.
We need to take a long hard look in the mirror and find the Boo Boos in ourselves before pointing fingers and engaging in name calling. When we can honestly no longer find traces of Boo Boo there, there will be a new relationship between ourselves and the stewards we employ to co-pilot this society. As the adult ascends, the Boo Boo and his influence will retreat and fade away, quite naturally.
The titillating activity of pointing out the Boo Boo in another is easily accomplished. It is child’s play compared to the sobering realization that we are the source of Boo Boo energy and its continued sustenance, and it is we who have to experience this realization and scourging before standing up and accepting the responsibilities of our passage into adulthood. ........................................................................................................................ "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.
JAHAJI BHAI |BROTHERHOOD OF THE BOAT
By Brother Marvin (1996)
Kumayayo Zindaweyo Kumayay Zindawey Ayayo
I am the seed of mih father, he is the seed of mih grandfather
Who is the seed of Bahut Ajah [great grandfather], he came from Calcutta
A stick and a bag on he shoulder, he turban and he kapra
So I am part seed of India, India.
The indentureship and the slavery bind together two races in unity [Achcha dosti - good friend]
There was no more Mother Africa, no more Mother India, just Mother Trini [Janmabhumi - homeland]
My Bahut Ajah planted sugarcane down in the Caroni plain
Ramlogan, Basdeo, Prakash and I, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai.
I would be a disgrace to Allah if I choose race, creed or colour Bahut Ajah had to make that journey for I to have Zindagee [life]
So it is a great privilege to have such unique heritage
Fifty percent Africa, fifty percent India, India
I have "do chuttee" two holidays Emancipation and Arrival Day [Anth bhala to sab bhala" - all's well that ends well ]
Since Fatel Razack made the journey 150 years gone already [Bahut achcha -very good]
Whether you're Hindu, Muslim or Christian, let's walk this land hand in hand
We could only prosper if we try a Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Kumayayo Zindaweyo Kumayay Zindawey Ayayo Kumayayo Zindaweyo O mera dost mera saathi [O my friend, my companion] Chal tahalna ek mattagal bagal.... [let's stroll together side by side]
For those who playing ignorant talking 'bout true African descendant
If yuh want to know de truth take ah trip back to yuh root
And somewhere on that journey, yuh go see ah man in a dhoti
Saying he prayers in front of a jhandi, jhandi
Then and only then you'll understand what is ah cosmopolitan nation [Haat melawo - let's join hands]
There's no room for prejudice at all, united we stand, divided we'll fall [Bete baat ko garro - child, pay heed to what I'm saying]
So to all races here in Trinbago Aapko kalyan ho dhaniaho [May you be blessed, may you prosper]
Let us live as one under the sky, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Kumayayo Zindaweyo Kumayay Zindawey Ayayo Kumayayo Zindaweyo O mera dost mera saathi [O my friend, my companion] Chal tahalna ek mattagal bagal.... [let's stroll together side by side]
Indo and Afro Trinbagonians, we should learn to be one
Our ancestors came by boat, is de salt water in we throat
--------------------, mih great grandpa and grandmama
One was a slave and one was indentured, indentured
But the religion neither colour didn't interfere
With their love for each other, Nani Nani
I am proof of racial unity and that is the way everyone should be [achcha ----] Everyone should have each one in their prayer
Let's show each other we care
As we all know -------------------------, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Kumayayo Zindaweyo Kumayay Zindawey Ayayo Kumayayo Zindaweyo O mera dost mera saathi [O my friend, my companion] Chal tahalna ek mattagal bagal.... [let's stroll together side by side]
Source: Mobilizing India with edits and additions. 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, Brother Marvin. I am dedicating this song to all Trinbagonians and especially to Dr. Roi Guanapo Ankhkara Kwabena(23/7/1956 - 9/1/2008) Opposition Senator, 13 January, 1992 - 4 January, 1994, who I imagine is smiling today.
We had discussed once how much we liked this song, Jahaji Bhai, noting that some who identified as African objected to the lines which seem to negate the claim to being a "true African descendant". Although I understood the objection, I had seen it from the perspective that if we are all brothers, if we all come from the same human root, we would find each other if we looked back along the lines to our common point of origin. I remember also how, with a grin in his writing, Roi had coined "Brotherhood of the Pirogue" to describe the experience of the Amerindians in the Americas and 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.
People always writing, complaining But them same people ent doing nothing Everyday they writing, complaining But not a soul ent doing nothing Criticism is their sole intention They ent offering no kind of solution As a concerned citizen of this nation I think it's time I give you my opinion.
First thing on the agenda that we have to remember Is a LOVE for the nation We must endeavour to work together to beat this recession All ah we facing the trouble, leh we live like one people If we want to succeed...ah tell you Each obvious indeed These are the things that the nation need.
We have people of integrity To run the affairs of this country Both opposition and government IF they only recognise their commitment By righting the wrongs in everyone's favour And cut out all this fighting with one another And work with the utmost dedication For the betterment of the nation
And first thing on the agenda that they have to remember Is a LOVE for the nation They must endeavour to work together to beat this recession They must bury the hatchet and work as one unit Be loyal in word and deed...tell them They better take heed These are the things that the nation need.
For we to have proper administration We must forget political affiliation Talent wasting in the nation only causing endless frustration So anyone with special talent to offer Don't turn them down and leave my people to suffer Is then and only then, this nation would be On the road to progress and productivity.
First thing on the agenda that we have to remember Is a LOVE for the nation We must endeavour to work together to beat this recession And in the near future leh we promote we own culture Is we have to plant the seed Man, ah spell it out for you Ah hope you could read These are the things that the nation need.
Congratulations to Trinidad and Tobago on this strong and peacefully delivered message to ourselves and to those who are allowed the privilege of leadership.
Our work has not ended. Be vigilant, be vocal, participate.
We can leave nothing completely in the hands of others, especially those who try to convince us that we must. We should know this now if we didn't before.
This is OUR country and its future will be as bright as WE make it.
Blessings, blessings, blessings, T&T!
"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.
.............................................................................................................................. "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.
Across the dark waters we came, with despair in our eyes, To rest beneath these foreign skies And so began the endless wait For an end to misery, for an end to history In this new land we came to learn About greed’s capacity to incite our cruelty Over time we came to yearn For the precious liberty that always stood beyond our reach
But the wheels of history grind slowly Circumstance never smiles on the lowly Everywhere we see contradictory signs Perhaps tomorrow will bring a brighter time…
Tumblin’ off the grandstand on the savannah Bubblin’ out the speakers on every corner Breakin’ over the mountains like a mighty thunder Our hope is a restless song Rising up from the sands like a defiant flower Holding and consoling us in our darkest hour Sweeping over the country like a dry-season shower Our hope is a restless song Our hope is a restless song
Across the dark waters we passed To arrive where we now stand in this divided land Few believed that we could last To build a nation on these shores but look how we endured In this former colony things are never what they seem Beneath every place we see is a tortured history The past could trample us, it could not rub out our dreams And though we reached the present time We have not left them behind.
But the wheels of history grind slowly, ever so slowly Circumstance never smiles on the lowly Everywhere we see contradictory signs Perhaps tomorrow will bring a brighter time…
Tumblin’ off the grandstand on the savannah Bubblin’ out the speakers on every corner Breakin’ over the mountains like a mighty thunder Our hope is a restless song Rising up from the sands like a defiant flower Holding and consoling us in our darkest hour Sweeping over the country like a dry-season shower Our hope is a restless song Our hope is a restless song
You are my land, you are the land of my birth For better or for worse, you are the land of my birth First in sickness and in health And in good times and bad I bow to you oh Trinidad! Though I have lived out my life far across the sea In a foreign country, in a frozen city But I know I would be back again You are the land running though my veins You are my land , the land of my life Your joy is my light and your sorrow my night Your vision my sight, your soil my birthright You are the land of my struggle And your plight is my fight The land of my struggle And your plight is my fight
Tumblin’ off the grandstand on the savannah Bubblin’ out the speakers on every corner Breakin’ over the mountains like a mighty thunder Our hope is a restless song Rising up from the sands like a defiant flower Holding and consoling us in our darkest hour Sweeping over the country like a dry-season shower Our hope is a restless song Our hope is a restless song Our hope is a restless song!
I first posted this song on September 28, 2006 when it had just been released and I am reposting it today on behalf of my people who are about to make decisions that will have immediate and lasting impacts on their lives and the lives of their children. I am reposting this song also for the Trinbagonians abroad who are on tenterhooks, anxious, wishing they could be part of it, communicating frequently with friends and relatives at home to share news about the latest developments.
“Our hope is a restless song.”
It isn’t enough that Kobo Town’s music is too sweet to resist, it is obvious that their lyrics/songwriter is also a poet. I have read these words again and again without any music, marveling over the lyrical musings of a Trinidadian who has not forgotten the land that is his birthright. I remember the title of one of Darcus Howe’s articles in the New Statesman containing the following statement about Trinidad: “Not even the cascadura fish could lure me there.” For many Trinidadians living abroad, it would be sweet relief to realise such closure. Neil Bissoondath also expressed a similar sentiment, having attained the enviable release of not having a single regret about leaving Trinidad or having the slightest desire to return.
But what of those who must live apart from a land that they continue to feel as a constant tangible presence running through their veins, as Drew describes it. What must they do to come to terms with the fact that they exist in a constant state of bilocation? Drew uses the vehicles of poetic words and music to give expression to sentiments shared by many expatriate Trinidadians who still love the land of their birth, who feel concern for the plight of their country and dream about return at some point when the choices available to them are not either the cold stability of a foreign land or the steamy chaos back home. In the mean time it is therapeutic just to share, to testify:
You are my land, you are the land of my birth For better or for worse, you are the land of my birth In sickness and in health And in good times and bad I bow to you, oh Trinidad Though I have lived out my life far across the sea In a foreign country in a frozen city But I know I would be back again You are the land running though my veins You are my land, the land of my life Your joy is my light and your sorrow my night Your vision my sight, your soil my birthright You are the land of my struggle And your plight is my fight The land of my struggle And your plight is my fight
This speaks on behalf of Trinbagonians who are physically separated from their country but we cannot ignore the fact that there are many Trinbagonians who reside in their country and who feel an alienation and exile that is just as deep and distressing. For many there is a sense of dispossession and not just the material sort. Trinbago, for them, is a place where things are done to them more than for them or by them. Trinbago is a place where grown men and women can be slapped down and made to feel like ignorant children, without a voice, without respect, a place where you begin to suspect that the only "intelligence" that is encouraged is the sort that is required for survival in a Hobbesian jungle. Higher level thought is often seen as something to be feared, dismissed and derided because it questions and intimidates and is therefore a threat to the status quo.
For me, this song touches upon so many aspects of the experience of being a Trinidadian and the impact of a turbulent history on what remains a turbulent society today.
In this former colony things are never what they seem Beneath every place we see is a tortured history
Drew neglects neither the good nor the bad that exists, but in weighing them both chooses to focus on the resilience, the “defiant flower”, the exuberance of the Trinidadian that despite everything continues to give us the capacity to dance. The conclusion that this song exudes is one of hopefulness and love because that is what exists in the eye of this beholder:
The past could trample us It could not rub out our dreams And though we reached our present time We have not left them behind.
Perhaps tomorrow will being a brighter time Tumblin’ off the grandstand on the savannah Bubblin’ out the speakers on every corner Breakin’ over the mountain like a mighty thunder Our hope is a restless song Rising up from the sands like a defiant flower Holding and consoling us in our darkest hour Sweeping over the country like a dry-season shower Our hope is a restless song Our hope is a restless song
This is the optimism that has been under constant siege in Trinidad and Tobago, that is being leached away by the acid rain of unrelenting betrayals, both self-inflicted or otherwise:
And so began the endless wait For an end to misery, for an end to history In this new land we came to learn About greed’s capacity to incite our cruelty But over time we came to yearn For the precious liberty that always stood beyond our reach
The title “Across The Dark Waters” is also well chosen. We had come to associate this specifically with the East Indian experience of crossing the kala paani or Dark Waters to arrive in Trinidad, and this transatlantic crossing of dark waters had also been part of the Afro-Trinbagonian experience but here Drew expands this experience to include all who came (and are still coming – Welcome!). We are all united in that experience of the fear and uncertainty of crossing from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Perhaps what Trinidadians are experiencing today is another Dark Waters. Perhaps if successfully negotiated, this is the crossing that will take us not to a new country but a new appreciation of what this country means to us and our place in it.
But over time we came to yearn For the precious liberty that always stood beyond our reach
In conclusion, I just have to confess that of late I have been frequently repeating to myself the line, “Our hope is a restless song.” For me that says it all.
Thanks always, Kobo Town.
"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.
...Knowing That An Ounce Of "Working FOR" The Good Is Worth A Pound Of "Standing AGAINST" The Bad.
Many of us, if not most Trinbagonians, have heard about Mr. Percy Villafana and his signature sign of protest. It was a gesture that came spontaneously to this 81-year-old citizen when all expectations probably were that he would go along with the crowd. What makes the significance of this gesture tower above its simplicity is the context in which it was displayed.
On March 15, 2010, the then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Patrick Manning of the People’s National Movement(PNM) was having a walkabout with his entourage in the San Juan area of the constituency. Minister Manning had been meeting and greeting the residents who had probably been returning the Prime Minister's gestures of goodwill. No one would have predicted that an elderly citizen would go against the flow but there was the diminutive Percy Villafana, barring the entrance to his property with his forearms raised and crossed before him.
When the PM approached the entrance of Mr. Villafana's residence, he signalled (among other unspoken things I am sure) his wish that the PM not enter his premises. “You’re not welcome here. I want nothing to do with you!” he said to the Prime Minister while holding his crossed forearms before him.
Compay Villafana would later explain to the press that as a Christian, his crossed arms represented the cross which he was raising to ward off the evil spirit that was approaching him. For those who were not of the Christian faith and those who did not subscribe to any organised religion, this act of protest resonated still and his crossed arms became instead the "X" that signifies opposition, rejection, deletion, cancellation, obliteration.
As the video below shows, the Prime Minister appeared to display his own signature response to those who oppose. Ignoring this citizen's right to determine who is or is not allowed entry to his property, the PM brushed past the gentleman to exchange greetings with the other residents who had been standing behind Mr. Villafana.
PM stages walkabout in San Juan-Barataria
By CNC3Television
To be fair to the ex-Prime Minister, I will state that I do not know him personally and therefore cannot attribute his actions here or elsewhere to willful malice. It was my feeling at the time that, unaccustomed to public opposition, it was a bemused and slightly dazed Mr. Manning who had unthinkingly pushed past the protester. The outcome was that a very unfortunate disrespect was displayed by the PM and jarring signals were sent and received by many of us. A line had been crossed and the already disaffected took out their pens and retraced it repeatedly in bold red.
It is not my intention to focus on what Mr. Villafana was standing AGAINST that day. All of us who've had eyes to see and ears to hear had been experiencing for the longest while, the fog of dismay which had descended upon our country. I want to focus rather on what I'd like to think our Citizen Supreme was standing FOR when he refused to admire the Emperor's nakedness.
If an X can also signify a kiss then Compay Villafana was sending Trinidad and Tobago a kiss. He was saying, "I love you and I want to be worthy of you."
If an X can also be used to select what you think is the correct answer or the best choice for one's vote, then Compay Villafana was taking the side of change for the better.
If an X can also be used to signify an unknown or unnamed factor, thing, or person then Compay Villafana was saying to the PM, "I know YOU and this is why I want to clear the way for the chance at least to find that better, yet untried way that awaits."
If an X can also represent the signature of one who, because of some disability, is unable to sign his or her name, then Compay Villafana's "X" was made on behalf of all the silent, apathetic Trinbagonians who had surrendered their lives and country.
If an X can also be used to mark the spot where treasure is located, then Compay Villafana was reminding us of our treasure - this soil and everything that is good and true about our country and its people.
If an X is a sign of multiplication then we saw it at work. Since Compay Villafana raised it aloft, his courage echoed and repeated and multiplied. Others acknowledged his stand and took guidance and courage from this simple signal.
I saw Compay Villafana's protest as a reminder to all die-hard supporters of any political party that loyalty should not involve blinding yourself to the existing flaws, and that perhaps it is not so much any particular party which is at fault but the lack of intelligence and vigilance exercised by party supporters and the rest of the population in holding them accountable.
Update: That government was removed but remember that that collective act was by no means an end to our efforts. Give the new government your respect and support IF they remain deserving of it. Allow them the privilege of leadership, but stand ready to challenge them or remove them if they also fail to deliver, or fail to acknowledge your right to be a part of delivering what is best for this country.
Spoken: This is a song of freedom. This is a song about slavery...
Dis song of freedom you would not understand
De words our forefathers sang far from their land
Dis song of freedom you would not understand
De words our forefathers sang far from their land.
And dis melody (on de roads of slavery)
Far from all humanity (one day we all shall be free)
In de slave ships, "Lord Ligonnier", "Adelaide", "Salamander"
Yes, who remembers?
De Burru drummers from the shores of Ghana
Dem callin' fi Kumina, "Tom kum adampa"
Dem leader Suru chanted dis song for you
Wid words of loss and magic too: "Maman Boubou"
And dis melody (on de roads of slavery]
Far from all humanity (one day we all shall be free)
In de slave ships, "Lord Ligonnier", "Adelaide", "Salamander"
Yes, who remembers?
Dis song of freedom you would not understand
De words our forefathers sang far from their land
Dis song of freedom you would not understand
De words our forefathers sang far from their land.
And dis melody (on de roads of slavery]
Far from all humanity (one day we all shall be free)
In de slave ships, "Lord Ligonnier", "Adelaide", "Salamander"
But who remembers?
De Burru drummers from the shores of Ghana
Dem callin' fi Kumina, "Tom kum adampa"
Dem leader Suru chanted dis song for you
Wid words of loss and magic too: "Maman Boubou"
GLORIOUS!! MYSTICAL! I am bowing low, King Selewa!
Mistou, generous spirit, I am not ashamed to say that tears of sadness, but more of joy and pride and gratitude are flowing. You must convey to Lord Selewa, my unending praise for his genius. Thank you so much for gently placing this jewel into my hand on this morning. I feel so blessed. The Universe has been channeling a series of special deliveries through the creative hearts of her musician messengers.
This most recent offering from King Selewa & his Calypsonians, illustrated by a beautifully arranged video, contemplates the experience of African slavery while reaching out to all humanity, "One day we all shall be free." It reminds us of and celebrates that resilience and pride and impulse to survive in the human spirit which has the power (if we can summon and sustain it) to go under or above the adversity and savagery that the world can throw at it, and to emerge on the other side, battle-worn but radiant.
This is healing music. This is life-affirming. This is a promise and a fulfillment. This is what happens when musicians are true. The Universe will speak with their voices.
The ancestors are pleased.
"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.
I want to call these the offerings of Anti-everything Trinbagonian patriots. I found them on boatshrimp's YouTube channel and loved the youthful, "The Emperor has NO clothes!", no holds barred assessment of the state of our country. I will update this post if I learn more about this band and the fighting spirits behind it. Until then, you may visit their website or their blog and do give these voices an ear.
THE OPPOSITION
THE OPPOSITION
By Anti-Everything
The opposition says, "Vote for change."
But we know better, because they’re just the fucking same
They have no new ideas, all the policies will remain
Words are only rhetoric, they’re spoken all in vain
And this is [they are] doomed to fail. [Repeat]
I can sound just like you, if I really wanted to
It’s really quite simple, if you follow this principle
Take a few key words strung together in a speech
Which you then preach like you care - education, heath care
Take a long......dramatic pause.
And vaguely criticize the laws
That you say will be rejected, if you get elected
Never mention strategy to move forward from here.
The opposition says, "Vote for change."
But we know better, because they’re just the fucking same
They have no new ideas, all the policies will remain
Words are only rhetoric, they’re spoken all in vain
And this is [they are] doomed to fail. [Repeat]
And yes I agree - we need to oust this regime
But what we really need to do is dismantle the belief
That the natural equilibrium is two parties
Colonial philosophy that only breeds apathy.
Because no real choice means no real voice
And “Ah voting by race, cuz daz wha they teach meh”!"
So instead of my MP, I voting for the party
It’s a misinterpretation of our democracy.
The opposition says, "Vote for change."
But we know better, 'cause they’re just the fucking same
They have no new ideas, all the policies will remain
Words are only rhetoric, they’re spoken all in vain
And this is [they are] doomed to fail. [Repeat]
The opposition says, "Vote for change."
But we know better, 'cause they’re just the fucking same
They have no new ideas, all the policies will remain
Their words are only rhetoric, it's only platform rhetoric
It's only platform...
And yes we all want change
But our problems are deeper than they say
Arbitrary politicians with a cliche catchphrase
Words are only rhetoric
With no strategy in place, you'll repeat your mistakes
The opposition says, "Vote for change."
But I know better, because they’re just the fucking same
They have no new ideas, all the policies will remain
Words are only rhetoric, they're spoken all in vain
And this is doomed to fail.
And yes we all want change
But our problems are deeper than they say
Arbitrary politicians with a cliche catchphrase
Words are only rhetoric,
No strategy in place, you'll repeat your mistakes.
I'Z DE MAN - I'z D Man is the lead single off of the Decision 2010 EP.
I'Z DE MAN
By Anti-Everything
I’z de man, I'z de man, I not shame,
Sabotage the Declaration of Port of Spain.
Say I'z de man who do dat, I'z de man
And I’z de man tell yuh wave yuh rag,
While I spend two million dollars on a flag
Say I’z de man who do dat, I'z de man
I'z de man but not the man that you thought,
Is me who start the rumor of the children in the port
Say I’z de man who do dat, I'z de man
And I'z de man, I’z de man yuh watch hard,
Build a smelter plant right in yuh back yard.
Say I'z de man who do dat, I'z de man.
Cause I’z de man, and you’z de man,
Third World and proud we doh have a plan.
Development - we’ll never get a bligh,
When ‘Vision 2020’ have cokey-eye.
But I'z de man. Woh oh woh oh oh oh oh
Iz de man movin real outta time
Convince the whole Integrity Commission to resign
I'z de man who do that and I proud now,
Nobody know about my foreign bank account.
'Cause I’z de man who does lime with Calder Hart -
Get the inside contract from UDeCoTT
'Cause I'z de man who do dat
Yes it's true, and don’t you know
I had a piece in the Piarco airport too.
And I’z de man, I'z de man don’t you know, don't you know,
I teif all the money from CLICO
'Cause I'z de man just in case yuh ask,
Make you pay for the bailout with a property tax.
And I’z d man, doh make no contribution,
But I coming out supporting the Draft Constitution.
I'z de man who do dat
Cause I'z de man who draft that.
Because I'z de man, and you’z de man,
Third World and proud we doh have a plan.
‘Vision 2020’ is just a scam,
So tighten yuh belt for hard time to come.
Recession or a blip? - It's just semantic
'Cause all the money, oil and gas won’t make a difference of it.
If development we’ll never get a bligh
When ‘Vision 2020’ have cokey-eye
But I'z de man. Woh oh wo oh oh oh oh
Did it in the name of Discipline, Production, Tolerance, Corruption.
Discipline, Production, Tolerance, Corruption.
What the point of Discipline for Production
When you have Tolerance for Corruption?
What the point of Discipline for Production
When you have Tolerance for Corruption?
SINKING SHIP
SINKING SHIP
By Anti-Everything
This is an SOS from the Trinidad.
Location - 11 km off the cost of Venezuela.
SOS. SOS. Mayday. Mayday....Help. Help.
Trinidad - a luxury liner, with wealth that few surpassed.
And in her day she sailed majestically over the Caribbean Sea
There were so few in her class.
And faithfully she fulfilled all her citizen’s needs
Until some were so overpowered by greed
That they decided to pilfer slow
Some even tried to take by bulk before they go
Now she look dull, she’s at a lull, could barely sit on her hull
Captain - this ship is sinking
Captain - these seas are rough
We gas tank almost empty, no electricity
and the oil reserves looking low.
Shall we abandon ship? Or shall we stay on it?
We sinking low, we don’t know. We don’t know.
...So Captain tell us what to do
Now today - finger pointing
Suspicions and allegations running strong
Just who’s to be blamed for all her failures?
Just who’s to be blamed for doing her wrong?
Now please remember, I’m warning you
For so many years, she’s had the same crew
Who held the keys to her vault,
So we know exactly just 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
We gas tank almost empty, no electricity
and the oil reserves looking low.
Shall we abandon ship? Or shall we stay on it?
And perish slow, we don’t know. We don’t know.
...So Captain tell us what to do
Thing start to fall, meh blood crawl...
...ah hold meh head when the sailors bawl
Captain - this ship is sinking...
TRINIDAD SUCKS
TRINIDAD SUCKS
By Anti-Everything
1,2, ...forged from the love of
liberty. In the fires of gas and oil.
There’s been no real democracy since colonial history,
When the campaign platform is a fete.
So salute to the illusion that we’re free
Vote for the motion because...
The government is corrupt
And the opposition just a bunch of crooks
And in case you did not realize
...our whole country is fucked
So make this your new anthem, and burn your national flag.
You take a few racist pigs and you put them in a race,
While the cost of living rises everyday.
They couldn’t balance a budget on their heads,
All the citizens of the country suffer when...
The government is corrupt
And the opposition - bunch of fucking crooks
And in case you did not realize
...Trinidad and Tobago is fucked
Trinidad is fucked.
Together we aspire, together we achieve
But together they conspire, together they deceive
And all what them ah say, the people dem believe
Still at the end of the day, none ah dem nah free
Lack of honor - nobody fit to run the country
That’s why elections have to call early
Westminster system - promoting fascism
Inevitable outcome of all the isms and schisms.
...(Call early.)
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!
Thank you, boatshrimp, for uploading these videos. You say that "Trinidad is fucked" but I want to believe that that is a warning of a possible outcome if we don't wake up now, rather than a statement of fact. I want to thank you for your music and your spirit and most of all for coming outside the ambit of the individual's concerns to address matters that affect us all.
"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.
There's a beautiful woman always dressed in black She just went for water around a winding track She's a spirit of beauty, strong yet gentle being She walks on this planet like some kind of queen.
Then Morena Osha, aye, aya She moves like the wind so free over land and rolling sea Sweet Morena Osha, aye, aya Always with her rhythmic beat moving down the street.
See the fall of evening, feel a cooling breeze Red and yellow drifting west, green and golden trees Hear the sound of drummers cracking through the night Hear them sing the song for Osha 'round a firelight.
Then Morena Osha, aye, aya She moves like the wind so free over land and rolling sea Sweet Morena Osha, aye, aya Always with her rhythmic beat moving down the street Morena Osha, aye, aya, Morena Osha, aye, aya Sweet Morena Osha, aye, aya, Morena Osha, aye, aya.
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!
There are a few songs which, if I had my way, I'd make anthems for my islands and this song is one of them. Such sweetness, although we think increasingly is more of an ideal to be dreamed about, aspired towards and protected, is a reminder of the unending harvest of love which our soil was created to bring forth.
For me, music like this sets the rhythm against which nature and man live in harmony. I see our swaying palms, I feel the breezes, the warmth, the colours, the smiles, the fruit, the little hands and bright eyes of our children.
But how does it work? Does the music come first from the idyllic dreams of musicians attempting to point the way and using as their only argument, the way in which our tense selves unwind as we are drawn closer to the fires of their imaginations?
Or is it that this vision being presented is simply the musician reminding us of a REALITY that has always been, and which persists despite all reports to the contrary. We, like Andre Tanker already has, will also see it once we open our minds and believe again. As Stevie Wonder sings in his "Power Flower"- "The power in the seeing is believing."
Morena Osha for me represents beautiful Trinidad and Tobago:
"She's a spirit of beauty, strong yet gentle being, She walks on this planet like some kind of queen."
La Reine Rive! Long live the true spirits of these islands!
"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.
Man could change my destination Man could give me suffocation Man could treat me very evil Man could get me into trouble Man could take my wife, change my life Leave me in grief But no man could change my belief.
For I believe in the stars in the dark night I believe in the sun in the daylight I believe in the little children, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I believe in life and its problems You could rob me, you could beat me, you could cheat me But you can't change me You could dig out my eyes And then cause me to cry You could tell me a lie but you can't change me
Man could blind me from the daylight Man could cheat me from my birthright Man could keep me far from riches Man could place me into deep chizz Man could bruise my face, take my place The night and the day no one could take away.
For I believe in the stars in the dark night I believe in the sun in the daylight I believe in the little children, yeah, lord I believe in life and its problems You could rob me, you could beat me, you could cheat me But you can't change me You could dig out my eyes, oh yay And then cause me to cry You could tell me a lie but you can't change me.
Man could take away my honour Man could turn success to failure Man could take away my gladness Man could fill my heart with sadness Man could steal my crown, pull me down Even the best thief could never steal my belief
For I believe in the stars in the dark night I believe in the sun in the daylight I believe in the little children, I believe in life and its problems You could rob me, you could beat me, you could cheat me But you can't change me You could dig out my eyes, oh yay And then cause me to cry You could tell me a lie but you can't change me.
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, Shadow. Amen!
"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.
Lord, Please walk beside me through this day. Clear the heavy air with the lightness of Your Presence. Guide my hands and steady my heart that I may give comfort when I cannot give hope, that I may give relief when I do not have a cure, and that I may radiate Your healing peace when the limits of science, time, and the human body overwhelm us all. Amen
Source
Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen
