Hang Dem High!

As the judge read the sentence, a visibly trembling Saddam Hussein defiantly shouted over the unrelenting voice of "Justice". He repeated, among other things, “God is great!” There was something about the spirit behind his dry-eyed tirade that I silently applauded. Apart from that quiet satisfaction, it was no time for jubilation for me. Man has no right to murder and I found no difference between what that judge was handing down in that court and what Saddam Hussein had been accused of doing.

In response to Mr. Hussein’s holding up the Qur’an and acclaiming the greatness of his God, the commentator noted with ill-disguised sarcasm that Saddam Hussein had only found religion AFTER his capture. I wondered at that moment if that commentator had realized the implications of his statement. What a refreshing change, I thought. Saddam Hussein had not been simultaneously` murderous AND religious. We can think of some of these religious, monumental hypocrites who continue to sanction even worse crimes against humanity and are still running around free.

I read somewhere that 90% of the population here in Trinidad and Tobago supports the death penalty, so I assume that our learning of this sentence must not have triggered as much as a spike in our collective mental or cardiac activity. We are more suspicious of the consequences of compassion than we are about the probability that we are very wrong to justify executions. We are satisfied to hang the by-products of our failure rather than the system that perpetuates the cycle of violence. See Mr. Kwabena’s plea for real justice in his A Job For The Hangman

I visited recently the website of the Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty to read once again one of the letters written by death row prisoner Stephen Eversley before his death in June 1999. I tried to read between the lines to find the demon who was beyond redemption. All I felt was intense sadness and loneliness – his, because he was alone and a desperate, condemned man and mine because I had separated myself from his ordeal and from those of all the other persons awaiting the same fate or about to commit crimes which will bring them to that place.

...."The rain is falling right now and its cold. I closing off now, and I going to brush my teeth, say my prayers, and try to get some sleep. Haven't slept for the day. Thanks again. Please write soon will you. Sincerely,
STEPHEN"
..............................................................................................................................
"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

Progress [Song]


Video mixed and uploaded by Maximilian Forte

PROGRESS
By King Austin

Today when I look around in the world what do I see?
I see footprints that man has left on the sand
While walking through time.
I see fruits of our ambition, figments of our imaginations
And I ask myself, When will it end? When will it end?
It is plain to see, universally,
This land is not bountiful as it was
Simply because, in his quest for success
Nothing stands in man's way.
Old rivers run dry, soon the birds won't fly
The mountains will be no longer high
And when I really think of it
I does wonder why, oh why?

I see charity deplored, equal rights totally ignored
Wisdom and ingenuity working in accord simply to afford
Such inventions as thermonuclear warfare
And environmental warfare
And I wonder now
Where do we go from here?
Prophets everywhere gaze upon the horizon
And declare that judgment will come
As the savage hands of unscrupulous men
Defile everything pass by.
Time is running out as we eat and drink
Species at the brink of being extinct
And I think no one can deny
That the price of progress is high, real high.

I see consciousness abate,
As today we live recklessly
Money makes egos inflate
And thereby creates a turbulent state.
I see a struggle between the sexes
New hang-ups and old complexes
Now the question is right in context
”What shall be next?”
I’ve already seen
The world has come divided
Between race, colour, creed and class
And some of the things the scriptures predict
Truthfully come to pass
Soil that wouldn't bear,
Children making children
To be part of this growing mass
And I ask, “If this is progress, how long will it last?"

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


A Note From The Gull

King Austin, this one is right up there with the best of the best. There are songs which have the ability to generate deep silence in the ear and heart and mind of the conscious listener. It is the silence which is required for giving our undivided attention to the messages that they bring. This song always brings another one to my mind. It is "Earth Crisis" by Steel Pulse. The lyrics carry a similar message:

Earth Crisis
By Steel Pulse


The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof now
Gave man His love and they reward Him with violence
And in these last days lend ears to what I say
Man in his ignorant state has signed and sealed his own fate
Doctrines of the fallen angels,
No water to quench eternal flames of hell
Doctrines of the fallen angels
No water to quench eternal flames of hell.

Chorus:
Earth crisis, Earth crisis
All this suffering
Earth crisis. Earth crisis

Misguided people, they don't seem to care
They carry the symbol of the eagle and the bear
Across the globe, far east to far west
High tax and cutbacks for military defence
Doctrines of the fallen angels
To quench eternal flames of hell
Doctrines of the fallen angels
To quench eternal flames of hell

Chorus
Earth crisis Earth crisis
All this suffering
Earth crisis Earth crisis

Super powers have a plan
Undermining Third World man
Suck their lands of minerals
Creating famine and pestilence
You hear what I say, hear what I say

The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof now
Gave man His love and they reward Him with violence
And in these last days lend ears to what I say
Man in his ignorant state sas signed and sealed his own fate in this

Chorus:
Earth crisis
In a Earth, in a Earth, in a dis ya time yah
Earth crisis, Earth crisis
You life in there hands just waiting to explode
Earth crisis
A touch of a button fingertip control
Earth crisis
It hardly surprising
Earth crisis
JAH kingdom rising
Earth crisis
All this suffering...


"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 Gull's Source of Christian Christmas Music

UPDATE: Sally DeFord now has a YouTube channel.

Last year I discovered Sally DeFord's website where I found beautiful Christian Christmas music. Although you can purchase her CD's, everything on this site is available for free download and non-commercial, Christian use. These songs are Susan DeFord's compositions and a refreshing addition to the old favorites. The story is the same but you find yourself paying close attention to the lyrics because it is obvious that they are the product of the composer's reverence and her loving meditations on the birth of the Christ.

In response to being questioned about why she makes her music available free of charge, Sally says:

"I guess it's just because I can. The Lord has placed me in circumstances that currently don't demand extra income, he has inspired the creators of technology to produce programs that I can use to publish the music without the assistance of typesetters, and he has given me a gift that I did nothing to earn. Sharing seems logical."

And we thought they were no generous people left in the world. Thank you so much Sally. You are a blessing.

The song below is one of my favourites. Click on the title to listen.

When Mary Sang Her Lullaby

Darkness fell o'er Bethlehem at last
And hastened weary travelers to their rest
The empty streets all silent,
All silent was the night
All silent 'neath the star of stars aglow with heaven's light

Then Mary sang her lullaby of love
And cradled in her arms the Holy Child
In that poor and lowly place
Hallowed by His grace
'Twas a lullaby to comfort all the world

Darkness fell o'er shepherds in the fields
Till heaven's joyful tidings were revealed
The angels' song of glory
Re-echoed o'er the plains
While in a stable, soft and low, a sweeter song remained

For Mary sang her lullaby of love
And cradled in her arms the Holy Child
In that poor and lowly place
Hallowed by His grace
'Twas a lullaby to comfort all the world

When darkness falls and night besets my soul
Her gentle song still sings of brighter hope
Above the voice of sorrow
Beyond all bitter tears
Echoes of that lullaby linger through the years

When Mary sang her lullaby of love
And cradled in her arms the Holy Child
In that poor and lowly place
Hallowed by His grace
'Twas a lullaby to comfort all the world.

The Gull's Top 25 Trini Christmas Dancing Songs

The following is the Laughing Gull’s top 25 list of simply must have, shake up yuh bum feathers, bus out yuh stereo speakers, Trinbagonian Christmas dancing songs. Regretfully, I had to arbitrarily restrict myself to 25 but I can think of nearly fifty that I had to exclude and that is not including instrumentals which were also excluded. A further restriction was that the choices were made from my very small personal collection. Final selections were based on the liveliness and quality of the music and the degree to which they tempted me to dance. When I looked at the final list, I realized that many of the songs are contained on the CDs shown below. I wish that Baron would produce a compilation of his soca parang songs. I would have liked to see his CD included. However you will find some of his wonderful Christmas songs in the top 25 list.


Lara Brothers - The Best of the Lara Brothers

Scrunter - A decade of Scrunter: De Parang Now Start

Strictly Parang: Vol I

Los Tocadores -Featuring Jennifer McPherson

Los Tocadores -Del Corazón

Link
1. Cristo Adonis (Rebuscar) - Don Alberto
2. Baron – Caminante
3. Baron – Come Go [Who can resist his unmistakable and welcome signature “uhhhhhHueya! Deyng, deyng, deyng...”] Lyrics
4. Baron – It’s Christmas Lyrics
5. Baron – It’s Christmas Again Lyrics
6. Daisy – Hurray, Hurrah! Lyrics
7. Gypsy – Sereno Say Lyrics
8. Lara Brothers - La Gaita
9. Lara Brothers – El Que Toca La Guitarra
10. Machel Montano – Soca Santa Lyrics
11. Singing Francine - Hurray Hurrah
12. Scrunter – Drinking Anything
13. Scrunter – Dat Eh Wukking Here Tonight(Cocotte) [Nearest thing in soca parang to “Shame and Scandal”]
14. Scrunter – De Parang Now Start Lyrics
15. Scrunter – Eat Something
16. Scrunter – Homemade wine
17. Scrunter – Madam Jeffrey Lyrics
18. Scrunter – Anita
19. Scrunter – Ah Want Ah Piece Ah Pork
20. Los Tocadores – Anda Parrandero
21. Los Tocadores - Baila La Parranda
22. Los Tocadores - Gente del Caribe
23. Los Tocadores – Sereno
24. Los Tocadores –Ya Es Navidad
25. Los Tocadores – Vamos De Parranda

Los Tocadores
These days I am really liking the crispness, fluidity and clarity of Los Tocadores’ lyrics and music and their wonderful control of the rhythm. My favorite Tocadores CD is the one featuring Jennifer McPherson. They have successfully produced festive music that encourages joyful expression in dance. The singers have a natural, spontaneous sound and their comfort with the language leaves you free to relax and really enjoy the entire product. I have included some of their songs which for me capture and ignite that special something required to sincerely welcome the spirits.

Special, special mention...
Kelwyn Hutcheon's "Christmas Classics" is like delicious, golden, doodoose mango nectar to the ear and heart. A beautiful addition to your Christmas music collection. But be warned: If you are a Trinbagonian who is not in Trinidad for Christmas and you are alone and deeply homesick without anything or anyone to distract you, you should avoid this CD. It’s going to make you cry, no, actually, it’s going to make you curl up against the stereo and bawl! ...and Uncle Kelwyn will not be interrupting his crooning to give you a hug and a KC dinner mint, so you'll be on your own. Don't say I didn't tell you.

You haven’t spent Christmas til you’ve spent
Christmas here in sweet T and T,
No, haven’t spent Christmas till you
and yours have seen these isles in the sea
Smell the pastelle and ham, hear sweet parang jam…”


Listen to his well loved:

Oh how I wish I were a child again

and his wonderful rendition of the Pat Castagne composition,

Kiss me for Christmas

..............................................................................................................................
"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

Eat Someting Before Yuh Go!

Consuming Christmas
I am going through my collection of Trini Christmas music and listening with wonder to the prominence which is given to eating and drinking in many of these songs. I’d be really interested to hear similar songs from any other culture in the world. Thinking about it, the only other group that I have ever known to broadcast with such vocal gusto their unbridled excitement about feasts are the birds. You would have had to stand under a tree laden with ripe fruit, like series or pommerac to appreciate the similarity. Bacchanal! Yes, I have heard some non-native songs about Christmas food like the one that begins with "Chestnuts roasting" but somehow the lines “Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe/ Help to make the season bright” seem to be discussing fingerfood when compared with the feast described in Baron’s "It's Christmas":

De parang does start on Christmas day
And we doh stop until Ash Wednesday
So bring out de souse, bring out de pelau
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Bring out de dasheen and de bacalau
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We drinking sorrel, gingerbeer, whiskey
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Anyting yuh bring is all right with we,
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We eating black cake, apple, grapes or prune
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Bring out something salt before de next tune
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We drinkin puncheon, home made wine and Vat
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
But if yuh bring babash, we drinking dat
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Is Christmas! [Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Merry Christmas! [Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]


Many Trinbagonian Christmas songs are literally odes to food and drink. Some preferring to focus on a single delicacy, for example, Camacho’s “Garlic Pork”:

Gimme some garlic pork. All ah want is garlic pork

or, Sugar Aloes with his “Black Cake Lover” and Merc’s “Puncheon:”

She does treat me good [puncheon]
Way a woman should [puncheon]
Ah want to fall down [puncheon]
Rolling on de ground [puncheon]
She does treat me good [puncheon]
Way a woman should [puncheon]

Leon Coldero joins the currying of Christmas trend with his “Curry Christmas”

Ah curry Christmas, ah curry Christmas,
Ah curry Christmas with Indrani family
Ah curry Christmas, ah curry Christmas,
Ah curry Christmas down dey in Caroni

Curry ham, curry pork, curry pastelle,
even had curry duck
Curry black cake and manicou
Dey even put curry in de callaloo

Was curry chicken, curry souse,
curry turkey, dey curry everything
So much food I eh leaving now
Dey even had curry chow chow


Some of these songs sound like menus gone mad. I’m thinking especially about Scrunter’s “Eat Something Before Yuh Go.” Obviously at Christmas time in Trinbago, when it comes to eating, if yuh eating, you are expected to eat like a Viking.

Yuh know today is Christmas Day
Anyting yuh want to eat, jus say
Yuh could eat it right down to be bone
Boy, make yuhself at home
Ah ha black cake, turkey, wild meat,
lappe an 'gouti, grapes, apple
Boy, come an sit round de table

Eat someting before yuh go
Eat someting before yuh go
Eat someting before yuh go
Eat someting before yuh go


Maicoo’s Trini Christmas Is De Best” is more of the same:

Ah give him bread and ham together with a pastelle
Ginger beer, punch a crème and sorrel
A glass of local wine went to his head
He turn to me and said "Oh yes, Trini Christmas is de best!"

Even Santa falls in line in Scrunter’s “Backyard Jam” as he anticipates the eating and drinking to be enjoyed when he arrives in Trinidad to spend the Christmas:

Get all de bush rum ready and de wild meat too
And a room somewhere in Santa Cruz
To relax when a take mih booze

Ah pack mih suitcase already, ah just waitin on a flight
So tell everybody, ah coming in Christmas Eve night
I eh comin on no reindeer, dat take too much time
Ah cyah wait to reach here, to hold somebody and wine
Woy yo wo yo yo yoy, Ah want a pelau,
Woy yo woy yo yoy, With dasheen and bacalau
Woy yo woy yo yoy, Santa want to jam
Woy yoy woy yo yoy, Woy yo woy yo yoy…Baila!


And when it come to drinking….
Sundar Popo's Nani and Nana were among some of the earliest Trinbagionians to have their thirst for alcohol exposed in song and in more recent years there have been a spate of rum ditties hitting the airwaves. Some of these Christmas drinking songs are not on the same level as "Rum Till I Die," but they do come quite close.

They cover the spectrum from the “Drink Ah Rum” and Lara Brothers' "Vamos A Tomar Un Trago" which are innocent enough, to Scrunter’s rabid “Drinking Anything:”

Ah drinking white, ah drinkin black,
Ah drinking puncheon, drinking Vat,
Ah drinking Bacardi and cherry


and Gypsy’s “Sereno Say”:

Man, I know you have your mistletoe
And I know you have your snowman
And I know you have chandeliers hanging high
But dat just doh make me feel blue
Because I have mih own share too
Ah have mih belly full of rum
And a big sky full ah sun
And a West Indian Christmas, a West Indian Christmas
Drink yuh rum until yuh belly buss, buss, buss
Den yuh go cross by yuh neighbour
Say, Nabe come cross by me later
With a old cuatro and ah old guitar singing sereno, sera

Sereno, sereno, sereno, sera ha
Sereno, sereno, sereno, say rum
Sereno, sereno, sereno, sereno, say rum
Sereno, sereno, gih yuh neighbour some, ay yay.


Scrunter wakes Madame Jeffrey from her bed to start the drinking:

Ma Jeffrey oye, get up! Is Christmas morning
Like yuh eh hear de cock crowing, oh gyul,
Is Christmas morning
Madam Jeffrey oye, get up! Is Christmas morning
Time to put some smoke in yuh kitchen, oh gyul.
Is Christmas morning
Madam Jeffrey oy, wake up Is Christmas morning
Ah hope yuh know is White Oak ah drinking, oh gyul.
Is Christmas morning
Madame Jeffrey oye, get up! Is Christmas morning…


Even in "El Caiman", a song originally from Colombia about a man who changed into a caiman and who was fed bread and cheese by his mother, the Trinidadian version has him drinking rum instead of the lemon refreshments that the original caiman drank. In "Caminante", Baron states that one of the qualities which his good parang men must have is the ability to hold liquor.

Sprangalang in “Bring Drinks” is gathered with his friends “in a thirsty way” and calls for the booze:

Bring me rum for my Christmas
We could drink a flask, we could drink a nip
If you have a bottle hiding, bring it out today


Or listen to Scrunter's “Homemade Wine” where he visits Miss Gloria, who spreads her vast selection of homemade wines before him and invites him to taste:

Ah eat black cake from Joan already [Aye Miss Gloria]
So right now ah doh want no more [Aye Miss Gloria]
But all dem local wine you present me [Aye Miss Gloria]
Ah got to taste some ah dem for sure [Aye Miss Gloria]
Oh Madam, which one is yuh favourite? [Aye Miss Gloria]
Bring it out quick, leh me taste it [Aye Miss Gloria]
Is you who make it and yuh mus know [Aye Miss Gloria]
Ah want a good head before ah go [Aye Miss Gloria]
She say, hog plum, [pa pa pa]
Pommerac, [pa pa pa]
Cashew [pa pa pa]
Guava [pa pa pa]
Balata, [pa pa pa]
Bandanya, [pa pa pa]
Aloes, [pa pa pa] and cane.

I want some homemade wine, Madam Gloria
Gih me de home de wine. It nice!
Ah want some homemade wine, Madam Gloria
Gih me de home made wine. It sweet!


and perhaps the most graphic scene of dissipation is captured in“Ah Want Ah Piece Ah Pork” where Scrunter describes his Christmas wish:

”When ah drinking mih babash, ah wah pork grease round mih mouth”

The hoarders and their marauders

In “Is Christmas Again” and “Something for Christmas” the singers, according to your point of view, seem to threaten or cajole the host into making his food and drink available to them:

Is Christmas again, is Christmas again
Bring out all de scotch, bring all de gin, yuh better bring everything
Feliz Navidad, dis is Trinindad
Spread de word around all over de town. Is soca parang
Vamos amigos, take one fuh de road…
And…

Ah say, yuh must give me something for Christmas
Yuh must gih mih something for Christmas
Yuh better run something fast
Cause ah walk with mih glass
Ah say yuh must gih mih something for Christmas.

Baron’s “It’s Christmas” unashamedly details the revellers’ strategy for denuding their hosts supplies:

Neighbour, neighbour, open de door, neighbour
Is Chistmas morning, you should be waking
Put de drinks on de table
Ah hope yuh bar able
Me and de boys come to give you a parang
We eh leaving till de liquor done
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Come on fellahs leh we take a next one
[Oy yo yoy, ay yay yay]
We have about ten more house to clean
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We drinking from paint to kerosene
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
Is Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Is Christmas, Merry Christmas!

Last year we went by Balliram
He play smart and hide de ham
Bring one bottle ah babash
De ting finish wit one lash
Had to leave de man house quick
He say he wife was feeling sick
Dat same night she was liming in de Croisee
Well if he tink dat he get away
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We going by he and spend de whole day
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We eating and drink everything he bring
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
When we leave dey, he musn’t have a ting
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas.
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas.

Big mouth Charlie invite we home by he
Boy he must be a madman,
to entertain dis parang band
When de music in we vein
And de liquor hit we brain
Dis band could drink down Carib and Fernandes
When you see we land in yuh house
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
De only ting remaining is yuh spouse
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay ]
People does lock dey door, run and hide
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
When dey see de size ah dis parang side
[Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas!
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas!

Marcia Miranda voraciously demands that the ham be brought out to her in “Bring Out De Ham”

Neighbour, oye, yo, yoy, Bring out de ham
Neighbour, aye, yay yay, yay, Bring out de ham
Neighbour oye, yoy, yoy, Bring out de ham
Neighbour aye, yay, yay, yay, Bring out de ham
All ah want to do is eat, Bring out de ham
Ah doh want no other meat, Bring out de ham
When ah taste good salt Rufus, Bring out de ham
Oh yes, ah feel like is Christmas! Bring out de ham


But Melan Garcia in his “Pitbull” strikes back at these guests who under the pretense of being parranderos are in fact barely disguised locusts:

Ah want two pitbills for Christmas
For all who cyah leave mih Rufus
When ah had one pothound alone
By Christmas ah down to ham bone
But dis year ah have a plan
For all wayward parang band
Two pitbulls ah want
One in de back and one in de front

[No more hooray, hoorah]
Let dem sing dey parang from far
[No more hooray, hoorah]
Ah could hardly hear dey guitar
If was long time, dey have me peeping
See me creeping through mih kitchen
Now is pitbull in de puef’n
Dey eh comin here fuh nuttin
[No more hooray, hoorah]
Oh let dem sing dey parang from far
[No more hooray, horrah]
Ah could hardly hear dey guitar...


I know that there is connection between the big appetities and the parang tradition, especially the house to house kind, something also to do with heavy drinking and needing something salt, but the most important influence has I think more to do with the generosity shown and expected in the Christmas season, and what says that better than abundant supplies of good food to offer to and share with guests. Then there is the host's pride in knowing that the guests were well fed and on the flip side the fear, as expressed by the hostess in Scrunter's "Eat Something Before Yuh Go", that people will say that she did not feed him if he leaves her home with an empty stomach and is later seen throwing up.

If you haven't yet added Scrunter's CD, "De Parang Now Start" to your collection, you are missing a big slice of RUMbunctious Trini Christmas Music. Alcoholics Anonymous should be advised to put these songs on their members’ "SONGS TO AVOID" list. Coming to think of it, Scrunter’s voice should also be on that list and maybe Ripley’s Believe It Or Not should consider noting it for its fascinating ability to make stereo speakers exhale alcohol while pumping his songs into a room. This makes Scrunter, in my opinion, the chanticleer of carousing.

"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

Cat Brain [Song]


Uploaded by Caribvoices

CAT BRAIN
By The Mighty Spoiler
Performance by David Bereaux
Lyrics below from the original

Well, my sister was suffering with she brain
And went for operation in Port of Spain
My sister was suffering with she brain
And went for operation in Port of Spain.
Well, the doctor took the brain right out of my sister head
For wickedness, put in the cat own instead
And the brain she had, he put it inside of the kitty
So she turn the cat and the cat turn she.

Well in the night is when the trouble start
She up and down the house
Ransacking the bedroom looking for mouse
And the cat with she brain, he cozy on the bed
Bussing kiss on top of she husband head.

When my mother lay the table with the rice and beef
The tomatoes, the eddoes and salad leaf
The cat would sit down on the chair of course
And in cat language he calling for pepper sauce
That time my sister ain't business with no table at all
She only looking for the few grains of rice that fall
Otherwise she in the kitchen with another ugly cat
Bussing down some cockroach, beetle and rat.

One day I see my sister not looking well
What was wrong with her, friends, I couldn't tell
She only vomiting and sweating out of the bed
The girl getting so fat, I say she go dead
Well I moving I couldn't watch my nieces and nephews
If you see kitten lying down inside my shoe
Well my mother gone down Venezuela
She couldn't afford to be no kitten grandmother.
..........................................................................................................


A Note From The Gull

Thank you, Mighty Spoiler!

"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

Drink Ah Rum [Song]


Uploaded by wongkee83

DRINK A RUM
By Lord Kitchener

Chorus:
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.

Mooma, Mooma would you like to join your sonny?
I am over here, happy in the mother country
Darling, for the Christmas, your son would be really jumping
Listen to the chorus of what we all will be singing...

Chorus:
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Is Christmas morning!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Mama, drink if you drinking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.
Let we fete if we feteing!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.

Again Mooma, I have invited Jamaica
Lovely Grenada, Barbados also Guyana
It's an invitation for a stupendous occasion
You can just imagine, we drinking till New Year's morning...

Chorus:
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Is Christmas morning!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Doudou, drink if you drinking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Mama, sing if you singing
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.

The fete is grand, bottles of all description
You must understand, liquor to supply a nation
I have ordered whiskey, punch a crema, gin and brandy
Lime and tonic water, lemonheart and Angostura

Chorus:
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Is Christmas morning!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Mama, drink if you drinking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.
No time for shivering!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.

On Christmas Day, when Big Ben alarm six thirty
We are underway to begin this festivity
Later in the evening, we passing through Picadilly
Everybody dancing and singing the same melody...

Chorus:
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Mama, drink if you drinking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Is Christmas morning!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.
Let we drunk if we drunking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.
Come and see how we jamming!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Come and see how we feteing!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
---- we shivering!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Lord, Christmas morning!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum
Oh Mama come and see how we feteing!....

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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"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