Last night I sat in front of my computer screen and cried like a child. So ended weeks of concern about the silence of an online friend who has kept me company for a long while via my blog and his blog, "Hopscotch" but more so through our e-mail correspondence.
I knew nothing more about Louis Sellier apart from the facts that he was a fellow Trinidadian living in Seattle, Washington. He was from the same generation as my parents and had a similar background. Even though he no longer lived in T&T, he still cared enough to follow the news and to voice his concerns via his many letters which were published by the newspapers back home. He was a husband, a father, a retired person whose mind was more alert and curious than most, a gentle soul who found me through my blog and for some reason stayed close.
He never once asked me who I was. Unlike the people of the "flesh" and "show" who demand among other things that modest Muslim women remove their niqabs or that anonymous writers reveal their identities, Louis was secure and wise enough to be more interested in reading the more telling signals that identify the spirits of the persons with whom he interacted. I listened to his spirit as carefully as he did to mine and we were easy and contented with what our intuitions revealed.
In our e-mail correspondence, Louis and I discussed life, nature, politics, his travels, Trinidad and Tobago and finally in January this year he honoured me by sending me an e-mail to share with me the sad news of the death of his wife. Although we had never discussed his personal life, I felt his sadness as if Elena had been my life partner and I posted this memorial in response. It made me happy that he seemed to appreciate it very much. We continued to correspond but there was a very subtle difference in Louis. He had become quieter. I did not press him. I let him know that I understood that he would need time to come to terms with the death of his partner of forty-six years and the mother of his two children and I assured him that I was here for him whenever he needed to discuss anything that was on his mind.
On March 7 he wrote his last letter to me and he mentioned that his wanderlust was returning but that it was tempered by the awareness that it would not be as much fun to travel without the good companionship that his wife had provided in the past. I replied to that letter and suggested that he should maybe find a group with which he could travel. He never responded...I waited and told myself that I should not press him for a reply. Then I began to worry. It was not like him to remain silent. Weeks after, I again wrote him a gentle message, really worried about him but also just as worried about being too intrusive:
This was my last letter:
From: Guanaguanare the laughing gull Date: Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 5:47 PM Subject: Just checking... To: lmsell@******.net
Louis, I know that you must be very focused on making transitions and I don't want to intrude but sometimes I really, really stop what I am doing to just wonder about you. I'm just writing to let you know that I think about you and hope that you are well. I hope that you are on a trip around the world or soaking up the sun on a beautiful beach in Moorea or working on a gorgeous bonsai garden but don't you dare fall ill or leave this world without telling me !!! Wishing you life and peace and renewal with the Spring. Hugs and blessings, Guanaguanare
Unknown to me, my dear friend had already left this world.
Last night, desperate for any news, it occurred to me to search for him with Google. I entered his name within quotes and found among the results, on another Trinidadian's blog, "Sweetlime" the shocking news that he had died on March 16 "as a result of a tragic accident suffered during a trip to visit friends in Arizona."
Without ceremony, Google told me that my friend had died. In shock, I rushed automatically to communicate this news to another blogger and good friend of Louis in Malaysia who had been sharing his concerns with me about Louis' silence and then I wrote a message to his daughter who had supplied her e-mail with the news about her father's death.
Later I returned to the location where I had first seen the news. I stared at the screen, reading the words over and over, finding that I was comprehending less and less with each reading until just the immensity of the loss was all that registered and I began to weep with a sadness that was made much more bitter by the knowledge that it was a month ago that I should have cried. How could he have left without my knowing?
I never met Louis in person to hug him or see his smile. I just knew that he was a good person and he treasured kindness more than gold. It was enough that we were kind to each other, that we listened to each other. It was more than some people who work together in the same space share. It was more than some people who think that they know each other experience.
Thinking back on his quietness after the death of his wife, I am wondering if Louis was waiting, waiting patiently for Elena to send for him. I'm wondering if on March 16, only a couple of months after her death, he was not at all sad but extremely relieved to finally be freed to leave this world to join her.
Louis Sellier, my friend, thank you for your life and your trust and your friendship. I miss you and everything good and true that you represented.
Elena and Louis No es un adiós, es un hasta luego...
16 April 2011 | 22:56 I am beginning to find the offerings that others have made in memory of the life of Louis Michael Sellier and I will continue to collect the links below as I find them:
A man who was born in a small village, the son of a peasant woman. He grew up in another small village. Until He reached the age of thirty, He worked as a carpenter. Then for three years He was a traveling minister but He never traveled more than two hundred miles from where He was born, and where He did go, He usually walked.
He never held political office, He never wrote a book, He never bought a home, He never had a family, He never went to college and He never set foot inside a big city, but, yes, here was a man!
Though He never did the things that you'd usually associate with greatness, here was a man. He had no credentials but himself. He had nothing to do with this world except through the divine purpose that brought Him to this world.
And while He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. Most of His friends ran away, one of them denied Him, one of them betrayed Him and turned Him over to his enemies. Then He went through the mockery of a trial and He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. And even while He was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property that He had in the world, and that was his robe. When He was dead, He was taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed grave provided by compassionate friends.
More than nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race - our leader in the column to human destiny. And I think I'm well within the mark when I say that all of the armies that ever marched, all of the navies that ever sailed the seas, all of the legislative bodies that ever sat and all of the kings that ever reigned, all of them put together have not affected the life of man on this earth so powerfully as that one solitary life.
Here was a man!
.............................................................................................................................. "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 bid aims to have the UN recognize the Earth as a living entity that humans have sought to "dominate and exploit" — to the point that the "well-being and existence of many beings" is now threatened.
The wording may yet evolve, but the general structure is meant to mirror Bolivia's Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, which Bolivian President Evo Morales enacted in January.
That document speaks of the country's natural resources as "blessings," and grants the Earth a series of specific rights that include rights to life, water and clean air; the right to repair livelihoods affected by human activities; and the right to be free from pollution.
It also establishes a Ministry of Mother Earth, and provides the planet with an ombudsman whose job is to hear nature's complaints as voiced by activist and other groups, including the state.
"If you want to have balance, and you think that the only (entities) who have rights are humans or companies, then how can you reach balance?" Pablo Salon, Bolivia's ambassador to the UN, told Postmedia News. "But if you recognize that nature too has rights, and (if you provide) legal forms to protect and preserve those rights, then you can achieve balance."
The application of the law appears destined to pose new challenges for companies operating in the country, which is rich in natural resources, including natural gas and lithium, but remains one of the poorest in Latin America.
But while Salon said his country just seeks to achieve "harmony" with nature, he signalled that mining and other companies may come under greater scrutiny.
"We're not saying, for example, you cannot eat meat because you know you are going to go against the rights of a cow," he said. "But when human activity develops at a certain scale that you (cause to) disappear a species, then you are really altering the vital cycles of nature or of Mother Earth. Of course, you need a mine to extract iron or zinc, but there are limits."
Bolivia is a country with a large indigenous population, whose traditional belief systems took on greater resonance following the election of Morales, Latin America's first indigenous president.
In a 2008 pamphlet his entourage distributed at the UN as he attended a summit there, 10 "commandments" are set out as Bolivia's plan to "save the planet" — beginning with the need "to end capitalism."
Reflecting indigenous traditional beliefs, the proposed global treaty says humans have caused "severe destruction . . . that is offensive to the many faiths, wisdom traditions and indigenous cultures for whom Mother Earth is sacred."
It also says that "Mother Earth has the right to exist, to persist and to continue the vital cycles, structures, functions and processes that sustain all human beings."
In indigenous Andean culture, the Earth deity known as Pachamama is the centre of all life, and humans are considered equal to all other entities.
The UN debate begins two days before the UN's recognition April 22 of the second International Mother Earth Day — another Morales-led initiative.
Canadian activist Maude Barlow is among global environmentalists backing the drive with a book the group will launch in New York during the UN debate: Nature Has Rights.
"It's going to have huge resonance around the world," Barlow said of the campaign. "It's going to start first with these southern countries trying to protect their land and their people from exploitation, but I think it will be grabbed onto by communities in our countries, for example, fighting the tarsands in Alberta."
Ecuador, which also has a large indigenous population, has enshrined similar aims in its Constitution — but the Bolivian law is said to be "stronger."
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MOTHER EARTH
Preamble
We, the peoples and nations of Earth:
considering that we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny;
gratefully acknowledging that Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning and provides everything we need to live well;recognizing that the capitalist system and all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse and contamination have caused great destruction, degradation and disruption of Mother Earth, putting life as we know it today at risk through phenomena such as climate change;
convinced that in an interdependent living community it is not possible to recognize the rights of only human beings without causing an imbalance within Mother Earth;
affirming that to guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings in her and that there are existing cultures, practices and laws that do so;
conscious of the urgency of taking decisive, collective action to transform structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth;
proclaim this Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, and call on the General Assembly of the United Nation to adopt it, as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations of the world, and to the end that every individual and institution takes responsibility for promoting through teaching, education, and consciousness raising, respect for the rights recognized in this Declaration and ensure through prompt and progressive measures and mechanisms, national and international, their universal and effective recognition and observance among all peoples and States in the world. Article 1. Mother Earth
1. Mother Earth is a living being.
2. Mother Earth is a unique, indivisible, self-regulating community of interrelated beings that sustains, contains and reproduces all beings.
3. Each being is defined by its relationships as an integral part of Mother Earth.
4. The inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable in that they arise from the same source as existence.
5. Mother Earth and all beings are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as may be made between organic and inorganic beings, species, origin, use to human beings, or any other status.
6. Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings also have rights which are specific to their species or kind and appropriate for their role and function within the communities within which they exist.
7. The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance and health of Mother Earth.
Article 2. Inherent Rights of Mother Earth
1. Mother Earth and all beings of which she is composed have the following inherent rights:
a) the right to life and to exist;
b) the right to be respected;
c) the right to regenerate its bio-capacity and to continue its vital cycles and processes free from human disruptions;
d) the right to maintain its identity and integrity as a distinct, self-regulating and interrelated being;
e) the right to water as a source of life;
f) the right to clean air;
g) the right to integral health;
h) the right to be free from contamination, pollution and toxic or radioactive waste;
i) the right to not have its genetic structure modified or disrupted in a manner that threatens it integrity or vital and healthy functioning;
j) the right to full and prompt restoration the violation of the rights recognized in this Declaration caused by human activities;
2. Each being has the right to a place and to play its role in Mother Earth for her harmonious functioning.
3. Every being has the right to wellbeing and to live free from torture or cruel treatment by human beings. Article 3. Obligations of human beings to Mother Earth
1. Every human being is responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth.
2. Human beings, all States, and all public and private institutions must:
a) act in accordance with the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;
b) recognize and promote the full implementation and enforcement of the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;
c) promote and participate in learning, analysis, interpretation and communication about how to live in harmony with Mother Earth in accordance with this Declaration;
d) ensure that the pursuit of human wellbeing contributes to the wellbeing of Mother Earth, now and in the future;
e) establish and apply effective norms and laws for the defence, protection and conservation of the rights of Mother Earth;
f) respect, protect, conserve and where necessary, restore the integrity, of the vital ecological cycles, processes and balances of Mother Earth;
g) guarantee that the damages caused by human violations of the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration are rectified and that those responsible are held accountable for restoring the integrity and health of Mother Earth;
h) empower human beings and institutions to defend the rights of Mother Earth and of all beings;
i) establish precautionary and restrictive measures to prevent human activities from causing species extinction, the destruction of ecosystems or the disruption of ecological cycles;
j) guarantee peace and eliminate nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;
k) promote and support practices of respect for Mother Earth and all beings, in accordance with their own cultures, traditions and customs;
l) promote economic systems that are in harmony with Mother Earth and in accordance with the rights recognized in this Declaration.
Article 4. Definitions
1. The term “being” includes ecosystems, natural communities, species and all other natural entities which exist as part of Mother Earth.
2. Nothing in this Declaration restricts the recognition of other inherent rights of all beings or specified beings.
SEE TEXT IN SPANISH OF THE DOMESTIC LAW - "LEY DE DERECHOS DE LA MADRE TIERRA" .............................................................................................................................. "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.
[La la la la la la-la] People! [La la la la la la-la]
This was once a peaceful place, every race now talking race [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] Smart men preaching salvation, children seek revolution [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] People kicks with politics, addicts kicks with narcotics [Crazy] Hey![Everybody crazy]
Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow. Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow.
[La la la la la la-la] People! [La la la la la la-la]
Price of everything sky high, people in charge can't say why [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] Starvation and inflation, political malfunction [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] Massas doing what they like, workers daily talking strike [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy]
Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow. Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow.
[La la la la la la-la] People! [La la la la la la-la]
Unschooled children meek and mild, educated vile and wild [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] Vehicular commotion, commercialised pollution [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy] Old blokes saying rearrange, young folks say they want a change [Crazy] Hey! [Everybody crazy]
Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow. Today trouble we sow will grow and only bring more sorrow tomorrow.
[La la la la la la-la] People! [La la la la la la-la]
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! .............................................................................................................................. "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.
OLD TIME CALYPSO By Island Crew .............................................................................................................................. "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.
DON'T EVER LET GO Arranged by Emanuel Ector Album: Fire | Crazy Records | T&T 1986
Let your mind be free, lift your head up high Let it all hang out, don't live in the past But do the things that you really wanted to do for so long And was afraid, and was afraid.
Don't close out the world, be a part of things Let your voice be heard, get your best shot in And fight like hell for your rights, stand up for what you believe And have no fear, and have no fear.
Now, there is no guarantee this may work each time --------- is a everyday word Now listen here now Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go Ey-ey ey-ey ey-ey, ey-ey ey-ey ey-ey
Demand your respect, don't fold up inside Give and you will get, bring along your pride And know for sure what you want and how far you'd like to go And look ahead, and look ahead.
Love will take you far no matter who you are The choice is yours to make, be true and don't be fake And find a good thing that works and let the time do the rest Don't hesitate, don't hesitate.
Now if you do realise just how hard it is To try and please everyone Now listen here now Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go
[Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go Whatever happens, don't ever let go....]
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! .............................................................................................................................. "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.
Times may be rough, life may be tough
But we must keep going.
We feeling the pain, yes, we keep holding strain
But we must keep fighting.
Regardless of how it come, we just can't surrender
We got to keep working towards a better future
We may never be always down
And fighting to stay off the ground
We must remember our day will come.
Chorus:
While we appreciate the little life got to give
Regardless what's the hurt, we must think positive
Look on the brighter side, look on the brighter side
Because I see a silver lining behind this grey cloud whey passing
Look on the bright side, look on the bright side
For the bright side is where we going. Oh!
With a heavy load, yes, we going down the road,
But we must keep going.
Like if we commit a crime and we keep serving time,
But we must keep fighting.
Remember they say that nothing lasts forever
One day is for the slave, one day for the master
So always keep your courage up
Don't allow confidence to drop
One day we'll be right there on top.
Chorus:
While we appreciate the little life got to give
Regardless what's the hurt, we must think positive
Look on the brighter side, look on the brighter side
Because I see a silver lining behind this grey cloud whey passing
Look on the bright side, look on the bright side
For the bright side is where we going. Oh!
The journey may be long and you keep falling down
But you must keep standing.
It keep getting hot, like the pressure won't stop
But we must keep going.
Everybody in life does have they lil setbacks
But we just can't say, "That's that," sit down and relax
Don't care what we go through today
Surrender, we must never say
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Chorus:
While we appreciate the little life got to give
Regardless what's the hurt, we must think positive
Look on the brighter side, look on the brighter side
Because I see a silver lining behind this grey cloud whey passing
Look on the bright side, look on the bright side
For the bright side is where we going.
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!
..............................................................................................................................
"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.
Chorus:
Ah Mastife, Mastife, meet me down by the Croisee
Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner.
Well, I waiting for this Carnival,
Is to jump up with these criminals
I'm going to arm myself with a big stick
Any man in town I meet, that is real licks
'Cause I done tell Mammy already
"Mammy, doudou, tie up your belly. 'Cause is murder, federation, with war and rebellion When they bar me by the junction."
I gone down...
Chorus:
Mastife, Mastife, meet me down by the Croisee
And Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner.
Monday morning, I waking early
Two drink ah Vat to steam up mih body
And I jumping up like ah crazy
I alone goin' collapse the city!
With my razor tie on to mih poui
I like a Bajan in the 18th century
And with my stick in my waist, I chip -------- space
Is to spit in ole ------ face.
And I gone down...
Chorus:
Mastife, Mastife, meet me down by the Croisee
Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner.
Well, to show you I in for trouble,
On mih right hand is mih steel knuckle
My chooker in mih left pocket,
Boys, mih poyah under mih jacket
And I jumping up like if I wild,
I know they bound to say that is old-style
But they could beat me like a child,
I taking licks with a smile
And I pelting bois like I wild.
And...
Chorus:
Mastife, Mastife, meet me down by the Croisee
And Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner.
Well, as man I consult mih doctor
To check mih lungs and mih liver
I done pay off mih lawyer
So he could pay off mih undertaker
And as I have no mother nor father,
They could post me back to Grenada
'Cause I tell Mr Chance, I done pay in advance
To bury me down in Grand Anse.
Let they come wit dey...
Chorus:
Mastife, Mastife, meet them down by the Croisee
And Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner
Ah, Mastife, Mastife, meet me down by the Croisee
And Cutouter, Cutouter, meet me down by Green Corner.
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!
..............................................................................................................................
"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 lyrics below were transcribed from the version released in the 1996 album, "Children of the Big Bang". That version was expanded and there are differences, for example, "forward" is used instead of "come back".
I went away looking for another home
I try to run away, run way from my destiny
In another world, a world that was strange to me
I try to change myself, change my identity
But strong is the power of love, the power of freedom
The power black music fills my heart yeah
I forward to stay.
Chorus:
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
I went away through clouds and through falling mist
Multinational galaxies floating on inflated bliss
Through timeless loops, distortions and harmonies
And people like octo melodies, some with double agent strategies
And strong is the power of love, the power of freedom
The power black music fills my heart, yeah, yeah
I forward to stay.
Chorus:
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
[I went away] Yes, I pack my bundle
[I went away] Forward in the concrete jungle
[I went away] Was so cold!
[I went away] Early in the morning, no one to hold your hand
No one to understand. Yeah, yeah
When the blues gets you down
When the blues gets you down, down, down.
I had to forward home [Forward home]
Yes, I forward home [Forward home]
Yes, I forward home [Forward home]
And when I clear the airport and I make the highway
And I heard the sound of drums coming from the hills
I follow the sound of drums, I went into a yard
A lady told me, she say, "Son."
Point me to the four corners of the universe
And she rubbed my head with oil
And I knelt down and give thanks now.
Aye ayure, ayana o le le, aye ayure, ayana o le le
[Aye ayure, ayana o le le, aye ayure, ayana o le le]
Aye ayure, ayana o le le, aye ayure, ayana o le le
Chorus:
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
I went away, I leave and I forward home
I forward to stay, I must see mih way.
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, Andre Tanker!
"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.
If you are missing something that you once read on this site, it should be cached elsewhere on the Internet. From now on this site will only be about music and songs and lyrics. This reflects my decision to shed some of the preoccupations which have been binding me. I no longer want to be burdened by a need to be vigilant on behalf of those who can and should be doing that work. The information is all there. If we want to be informed, we will be. If we want to solve our problems, we will. If we have problems that linger, they do so because we have no intention of solving them or we intend to do so at some later point in time or we are in the process of solving them. I leave my beloved country in the capable hands of those who live there. ............................................................................................................................. "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.
Lillian, change yuh plan, Next year is Federation There'll be no discrimination Between a Trinidadian and a Grenadian.
Well, it have a Grenadian living next to me If you know how dem native does torture she It have a Grenadian living next to me If you know how dem native does torture she Every time they in for a confusion, they does bawl, "Small island, go back to your land!" But the Grenadian sit down and she draft a plan To stop them from all this tormentation Every time they shout, "Smally, find yuh land!" She does jump up with this lavway like a mad woman.
And all she bawling...
Lillian, change yuh plan, Next year is Federation There'll be no discrimination Between a Trinidadian and a Grenadian.
The Trinidadian turn to the Grenadian and said, Gyul, can you explain me what's Federation? The Grenadian said, Gyul, Federation is a combination of generation Because mih mother was a Barbadian She married to mih father - a Trinidadian I made two children, one for a Chinee man And they say the next one is a St Lucian Try yuh best and contact the generation And the answer to that is Federation. Hah! Hah!
Lillian, change yuh plan, Next year is Federation There'll be no discrimination Between a Trinidadian and a Grenadian.
The Trinidadian, Hush, yuh stupid woman! Every night I does bounce up Federation Monday night I went out with a Chinee man Tuesday night, girl, I slept with an Italian Wednesday and Thursday, I dine with two Martiniquan Friday night I get a cuff from a Yankee man Saturday morning I was in the hospital van Fighting hard to deliver Federation. Hah! Hah!
Lillian, change yuh plan, Next year is Federation There'll be no discrimination Between a Trinidadian and a Grenadian.
The Grenadian jump up and she pound she hand She said, Gyul, is we brought 'bout Federation With the Bajan mix with the Grenadian Dem St Lucian tie up with the Antiguan She said that Captain Cipriani rehearsed this to me That T. Albert Marryshow does fight for we So don't mind dem just-come politician They don't know one damn thing 'bout Federation.
Then she change up...
Lillian, change yuh plan, Try yuh best and hold down yuh man When they sign this Federation I going to leave you Like Moses on the promised land. Hah! Hah!
Lillian, change yuh plan, Next year is Federation There'll be no discrimination Between a Trinidadian and a Grenadian.
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! .............................................................................................................................. "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 MUST BE A WAY By Merchant Arranged by Eddie Quarless Album: There Must Be a Way | Charlies | T&T 1986
Du-du dit du du du du, du-du-dit du, Du-dit du-dit, du-dit d- dit du-dit du-dit du du
The present look of the world today is dim And if we don't take heed, my friend, the chance is slim [Chance is slim] Conflict and war, like nobody cares anymore Is there no peace? Will this slaughter ever cease? Woh oh
Chorus: There must be a way and we got to find it today [To find it] And let there be harmony, live life in unity There must be a way, I say, there must be a way. Ah ha Tu-tu du-tu tu-tu- tu-du-du, tu-tu du-tu tu-tu-tu-du-du
It seems man's basic aim is destruction [Destruction] And nuclear is his deadliest invention Could we stamp down on that is humanly wrong? Each creed and race must find an equal place. Woh oh Tu-tu du-tu tu-tu- tu-du-du, tu-tu du-tu tu-tu-tu-du-du
Chorus: There must be a way and we got to find it today [To find it] And let there be harmony, live life in unity There must be a way, I say, there must be a way. Ah ha
And now we face the threat of starvation [Starvation] And haven't yet got rid of racialism. No, no Use and abuse, and human rights are refused Justice must be what it was made out to be. Woh ho
Chorus: There must be a way and we got to find it today [To find it] And let there be harmony, live life in unity There must be a way, I say, there must be a way. Ah ha Tu-tu du-tu tu-tu- tu-du-du, tu-tu du-tu tu-tu-tu-du-du
Each time I hear the world news, Lord, it scares me. [It scares me so badly] To think of all the lives that perish daily Then what is the worth of our lives here on earth? There's so much more to life than waging war. Woh oh
Chorus: There must be a way and we got to find it today [To find it] And let there be harmony, live life in unity There must be a way, I say, there must be a way. Ah ha Tu-tu du-tu tu-tu- tu-du-du, tu-tu du-tu tu-tu-tu-du-du There must be a way and we got to find it...
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, Merchant!
"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.
How well I remember ------- in Rhodesia Bloodshed in Nigeria, famine in Biafra Even in Éire land, religious confusion We have a lot to be thankful for.
Think of how far we have travelled from Years of deprivation and starvation The indignity suffered by our forefathers Didn't stop them from carrying on The world we enjoy now is God's blessing Let us stop our grumbling and quarreling Love and peace must exist so let us cherish it We have so much to be thankful for.
So many races living together Homogenous mixture, we do for each other What about our culture, our greatest treasure Just these and a few more to be thankful for.
Think about the world situation So much hate, strife and degradation One slip over Iran could cause a total destruction. Them leaders could take a tip from our book And then this world of proverbial hope Let love, respect breed in each man to one another This we have to be thankful for.
True, we have our problems and our limitation Our waste of resources could cause frustration But here in this nation it's absolute freedom Democracy at its best, put it to the test
Look at how many religions And a hundred and one denominations Existing here and without any molestation, no prosecution Where else in the world there's democracy Expressed freely and abundantly Bear this in mind, we have stood the test of time 'Cause we have so much to be thankful for.
[To be thankful for] No deprivation, no starvation To be thankful for Tell them I say [To be thankful for] to be thankful for absolute freedom, no starvation [To be thankful for] Tell them I say [To be thankful for] no frustration To be thankful for absolute freedom, no strife, no hate, no degradation [To be thankful for] Tell my mother and father [To be thankful for] Tell Trinidad and Tobago [To be thankful for] Tell all them I say [To be thankful for] no degradation, absolute freedom, no frustration...
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!
.............................................................................................................................. "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