Portuguese Dance [Song]

PORTUGUESE DANCE
By King Pharoah

It was luck and chance,
Pharoah in a Potogee dance
It happen by chance,
Pharoah in a Potogee dance
While the music was playing
If you see how Potogee dancing, lord
I gave them a start
With a spicy Leggo to break down the yard.

Vishkee vishkee voy [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee vay [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee voy
Vishkay voy voy.

Pharoah! Pharoah!

Well, that was a programme,
Every Pototogee buy a ten round
One pick up a guitar
To play a Potogee rhumba
While the people dancing
If you see how Potogee grinning, lord
I jump and I ----------
With a spicy Leggo to break down the yard.

Vishkee vishkee voy [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee vay [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee vey
Vey voy vay vey.

Water more than flour,
Up come a Potogee Mama
"King Pharoah, I love you.
Tell me what I going to do?"
I say, "Let us dance."
"Pharoah, I want to romance."
"Please have a care."
She tell me, "Don't worry, my husband ent here."

Vishkee vishkee voy [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee vay [Pharoah!]
Vishkee vishkee voy
Vey vay voy voy.

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!
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A Note From The Gull


Thank you, King Pharoah! Some calypsos function as time capsules carrying images and sounds and all sorts of cultural artifacts from our past. Pharoah is singing from a time when a T&T Portuguese community still spoke their language and others could hear and, as in this calypso, note with amusement perhaps the prevalence of the fricative sounds "vishkee, vishkee." It is a beautiful language and I wish that I could hear it being spoken more often.

"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

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