We show disrespect and then we object
When people reject us and call us low class
Courteous words like "Thank you", "I'm sorry"
"Please" and "Would you forgive me?" which we once knew
Have now become a forgotten thing of the past.
We convict and we condemn in our minds
Our bosom pal without a trial
But this wickedness, crookedness,
Stupid and malicious guile is out of style
Can't we be constructive and try to engage
In something to alleviate this present shortage
Control the urge to damage and as a people be less savage
In this day and age, we must remember we pass that stage.
We don't hesitate to try and create
And then perpetuate fictitious impressions
Saturday night infidelity is a damn joke
We cussing, we whoring, we smoking dope
Sunday morning, we holier than the Pope.
The wanton consumption of alcohol
Just to get drunk and peddle in junk
With the asinine presumption
That man should treat woman like skunk
Now that's pure bunk
Why can't we forget about riot and scrimmage
Ignore the old talk and gossip in the village
Cease the damn wastage, stop going on the rampage
In this day and age, remember we pass that stage.
When we criticise, we tend to over dramatise
Thereby exercising ignorance and folly
The mistakes that were made by the older heads
If we doh benefit from them, we go beg we bread
Crapaud smoke we pipe if we are continuously misled.
We contend certain public servants are disgustingly lazy, openly
Yet we have no praise for the hard-working ones we see, no siree
As a result of the wars we incessantly wage on our elders and teachers
They just can't manage this perpetual sufferage
You don't have to go to college in this day and age
To know that we pass that stage.
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, Mighty Sparrow.
"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
Performed by Kobo Town
Lead singer/songwriter Drew Gonsalves
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
But 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 being 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 being 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 I put 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.
Today, Trinidad and Tobago celebrates Indian Arrival Day. Each arrival comes like one of the Magi bearing precious gifts to enrich and honour our nation. Each arrival sends us on a renewed quest to accommodate, to include, to transform, to grow. Thank you for coming. Thank you for refreshing and flavouring the pot, for rocking the boat and requiring those already here to make room while finding a new balance. Thank you for reminding us that our journey is never over, that we must continually depart from the status quo to evolve. Thank you for teaching us that in order to survive, we have to face kala pani and the fear of sagarollanghana, of losing ourselves, or how others have defined us in order that through blood, sweat and tears we can eventually discover that we are so much more. Thank you for the diversity that your presence has brought. Thank you for your cultures, your beautiful music and languages and food and crafts. Thank you for your optimism and patience and courage.
Close ranks Trinidad and Tobago and protect what you have created. Close ranks and protect your own.
"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.
When they talking race, I does tell dem, No
This is not the case in Trinidad and Tobago
Is dem politician that using dey brain
Misleading the nation for they own political gain
The problem is culture, it ent race at all
But that we can conquer if we stop thinking small
I have a vision and if I am seeing right
I think I see the solution that could put an end to this fight.
I see the rolling of a tassa, beating of a pan
As they play together, I see unity in the band
That combination mark the end of a long dispute
A sign that the Indians and the Negroes should follow suit.
How do you explain a racial tension?
I wouldn't entertain such ridiculous allegation
Our Indian brother always striving for unity
We support each other for more than a century
They patronise us, we patronise them
Without any fuss and without any problem
It is nothing racial, my friends, I can assure you
It is just a cultural division between the two.
I see the rolling of a tassa, beating of a pan
As they play together, I see unity in the band
That combination mark the end of a long dispute
A sign that the Indians and the Negroes should follow suit.
Dem wicked devil who inciting race
They want to see trouble and bacchanal in the place
But we're a peaceful people and we smarter than that
We wouldn't be inveigled into starting any combat
For instance, we meet at the races, the luncheon and the party
With lots of embraces, you can feel the sincerity
Well, such behaviour has just established my case
The problem is culture and nothing to do with race.
I see the rolling of a tassa, beating of a pan
As they play together, I see unity in the band
That combination mark the end of a long dispute
A sign that the Indians and the Negroes should follow suit.
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, Lord Kitchener.
"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.
Bringing back the dream of making T&T one again
We want unity across the land
We want harmony across the land
Across the land, across the land.
Unity all across the land, harmony is now at hand
As the world watches on, all races live as one
Unity across the land
One love and the brotherhood of man
Unity across the land
One home for the brotherhood of man.
Bringing back the belief of making T&T one again
We want true unity across the land
Real unity across the land
And may God bless our Nation.
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.
WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL
By Midnite Lyrics copied with minor edits from Midnite's website.
Them is you lackey and you crony
Only from resistance you gonna know me
The shak out of the lion mane truly
Enough arrows of corn tree
In a furrows of country.
Yeah ay Yeah ay oh
White collar criminal
Blue collar Krishna
All your decimation inclination
You tek cali out a India [India]
The feminine emblem
Send the best cultivator
Steel metal paper worker
Giving up your culture for cancer [cancer]
Living their life on the arrogant tip
Put them on a just-can’t-turn-around trip
Living in a comfortable scavenger vibes
Mud don’t cause pig to feel sick
Everyday they must put on the clown face
So now them accustomed to playing tricks
I’m not riding along on your quicksand pace
I don’t feel at home in it.
White collar criminal
Blue collar Krishna
All your decimation inclination
You tek cali out a India [India]
The feminine emblem
Send the best cultivator
Steel metal paper worker
Giving up your culture for cancer.
Well, I don’t think you know 'bout
None of the two Ithiopia
Run go go King James your version
What’s the first verse in a Esther?
Try neva to witness a people
Disappear transaction in action yeah
Hail when the boardroom hit order come down
Silence is the usual chain reaction
All them searching for them bigger power
Over occupation rejection racial
Every corporate capo on foot in retreat
Who’s the next sacrificial?
White collar criminal aye
Blue collar Krishna
All your decimation inclination
You tek cali out a India [India]
The feminine emblem
Send I the best cultivator
Steel metal paper worker
Giving up your ganja for cancer
Giving up your culture for cancer [cancer]
Yeah from the whipping in the temple
These representing everlasting life
From the dripping ina blood sweat fees
Ganja hustle free a soul tonight aye
And who that rebuke my ease
Is a judgment sacrifice ahay ahay
Karma protection reduce that
Give the ride one more boost.
White collar criminal aye
Blue collar Krishna
All your decimation inclination
You tek cali out a India [India] yeah
The feminine emblem
Send I the best cultivator
Steel metal paper worker
You giving up your culture for cancer.
Hail, I don’t think you know 'bout
None of the two Ithiopia
Why run go go King James your version
What’s the first verse ina Esther aye wey aye wey aye
Them is you lackey and you crony
Only from resistance you know me
The shak out of the lion mane truly
Enough arrows of corn tree
In a furrows of country yeah
White collar criminal
Blue collar Krishna
All your decimation inclination
You tek cali out a India [India]
I don’t think you know 'bout
None of the two Ithiopia
Run go go King James your version
What’s the first verse ina Esther [Esther]
White-collar criminal
White-collar criminal
White-collar criminal
White-collar criminal
Source: Lyrics copied with minor edits from Midnite's website. ..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Midnite.
Living their life on the arrogant tip
put them on a just-can’t-turn-around trip
Living in a comfortable, scavenger vibes,
mud don’t cause pig to feel sick
Everyday they must put on the clown face
so now them accustomed to playing tricks
I’m not riding along on your quicksand pace,
I don’t feel at home in it.
The prophets have the patience to wait on a higher power, an ultimate judge to dispense justice:
26 For scoundrels are found among my people;
they take over the goods of others.
Like fowlers they set a trap; they catch human beings.
27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of treachery;
therefore they have become great and rich,
28 they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;
they do not judge with justice
the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
29 Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?
30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:
31 the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule as the prophets direct;
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?
--Jeremiah 5 : 26-31
and when I read the stories about the day to day callous indifference and brutality, I understand why Jeremiah says, "my people love to have it so." What you allow those in power to do to you, is just more of what you have already been doing to each other.
And on the topic of white collar criminals, has anyone given a second thought to the case of Trinbagonian, Desmond Pavy, convicted ganja trafficker and escaped convict recently extradited from his homeland to Saint Vincent where he was sentenced to nine years in prison. Yes, he broke the law, probably many laws, and he and his family are now paying a very high price, too high, some may say, but I couldn't help noticing how efficiently he was hunted and caught and punished while others are deliberately, DELIBERATELY protected and left unpunished. If only Desmond Pavy and his partners could have exported marijuana by wire transfer instead of pirogue. They would have been sitting pretty now. And isn't it funny how that extradition thing works for some and not for others? Isn't it funny also to think that marijuana will be legal one day and will make its government taxed debut on shelves alongside Johnnie Walker Blue and other mind and body altering substances but white collar crime will NEVER EVER be condoned by the law.
Mohanie Phakira, my heart broke for you and for your baby to think about the trauma that she had to endure in her short life and the eternal heartache with which you have been discharged instead of a living, prospering child in your arms. When you spoke, among other horrors, about the lack of such a simple thing as a wheelchair and I thought about the millions upon millions that have been siphoned away from this country's patrimony with not a thought for ordinary people...you had to wait hours to get a blasted wheelchair? Imagine the millions that will be spent on the upcoming election campaigns...millions spent on garbage PR, garbage trinkets and garbage talk and how many citizens' lives will be crumpled up and literally thrown out also like garbage.
"Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you a king."
-- Bob Dylan in "Sweetheart like you."
"Some will rob you with a sixgun,
And some with a fountain pen."
--Woody Guthrie in "Pretty Boy Floyd"
"Lawyers can steal more money with a briefcase
than a thousand men with guns and masks."
-Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather".
It's my country's illusions I recall, I really, really don't know my country at 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.
SWEETHEART LIKE YOU
Composed by Bob Dylan
Performed by Guy Davis
The pressure's down, the boss ain't here, he's gone North for a little while
They say that vanity got the best of him, but he sure left here in style
By the way, that's a cute hat you're wearing and a smile so hard to resist
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
You know, I once knew a woman who looked like you
She wanted a whole man, not just a half
She used to call me Sweet Daddy when I was only a child
You kind of remind me of her when you laugh
In order to deal in this game, you got to make the queen disappear
And it's done with a flick of the wrist
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
You know, a woman like you should be at home, that's where you belong
Taking care of somebody nice who don't know how to do you wrong
Just how much abuse will you be able to take?
Well, there's no way to tell by the first kiss
But tell me baby,
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
You know you can make a name for yourself
You can hear the tires squeal
You can be known as the most beautiful woman
Who ever crawled across cut glass to make a deal.
You know, news of you has come down the line
Even before you came in the door
They say in your father's house, there's many, many mansions
Each one got a fireproof floor
Snap out of it baby, people are jealous of you
They smile in your face, but behind your back they hiss
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
You got to be an important person to be in here, honey
You got to done some evil deed
You got to have your own harem when you come in the door
You got to play your harp until your lips bleed.
They say patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king
There's one step down from here, baby
It's called the land of permanent bliss
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
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, Guy Davis, for this rendition of Bob Dylan's song.
Sister?
"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.
CORRECTION:The Community of Lopinot, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the National Parang Association of Trinidad & Tobago, will be hosting the Cruz de Mayo celebrations [May Cross] in Lopinot on Saturday 23rd May, 2015 and NOT on Sunday 31st May, 2015 as advertised previously. Do contact the Lopinot Tourism Action Committee at (868) 315-7891 if you require additional information about the event. Thanks to Rita Blanco for this correction.
.....................................................................................................
"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.
Alabama, Alabama. I so glad I was born here
And not in Alabama, Alabama
I happy I was born here
I have nothing against the United States
So listen carefully while I elucidate
Though Congress passed Civil Rights Bill
Alabama subjugating my people still.
They profess to believe in a democracy
Yet refuse to recognise racial equality
Some people got together, formed themselves a clan
Defied the laws of Congress to press the coloured man
So looking back it makes me so glad
To belong to Tobago and Trinidad
[So knowing that, it makes me feel glad
To belong to Tobago and Trinidad.]
In Alabama, they show no mercy
To people like you and me
And in churches during High Mass
Suddenly you hear a big blast
Men, women and little children too
Running helter-skelter, don't know what to do
When the obituary next day is read
Fifteen big people injured, four children dead.
Yet they profess to believe in a democracy
But refuse to recognise racial equality
Those who got together, formed themselves a clan
Defied the laws of Congress just to press the coloured man
Make me so glad then to really know
I belong to Trinidad and Tobago
[So knowing that, it makes me feel glad
To belong to Tobago and Trinidad.]
Well for instance, let's take Florida
And take a peep at what's going on there
And even in some parts of Britain
They don't treat you like a human
They'll persecute and lynch you in Jacksonville
Torture you and frame you up in Notting Hill
Exorcising your humanity
And still they claim to believe in democracy
Why profess to believe in a democracy
When in truth it is really high class hypocrisy
Well, I'm in sympathy with Dr. Martin Luther King
But we have our Premier, so we say thanks to him
We could make the world know
We have democracy in Trinidad and Tobago.
[So looking back, it makes me feel glad
To belong to Tobago and Trinidad.]
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.
Mih good partner lost his lover, he looking for obeah man
He want to get back his lover, he looking for obeah man
He went to Sangre Grande, he went up to Sans Souci
There he met ah old badjohn who say he is a obeah man.
You have a tabanca, you looking for obeah?
I have the formula to cure your tabanca
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
You treating the lady bad, now she leave you going mad
You come here to look for luck, I know how to do my work
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Georgie found himself in trouble up by the obeah man
And poor Georgie start to tremble up by the obeah man
Everything was going fine, the obeah man tell him wine
And poor Georgie couldn't wine so he tied him with a twine.
You have a tabanca, you looking for obeah?
I have the formula to cure your tabanca
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
You treating the lady bad, now she leave you going mad
You come here to look for luck, that is why I love mih work
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Geogie was in big confusion up by the obeah man
They make Georgie roar like lion up by the obeah man
Then he heard a voice next door, "Georgie, what you come here for?"
"You better get out that yard, that man does beat people bad."
You have a tabanca, you looking for obeah?
I have the formula to cure your tabanca
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
You treating the lady bad, now she leave you going mad
You come here to look for luck, that is why I love my work
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
The two men begin to rumble up by the obeah man
They scramble and then they tumble up by the obeah man
The police jeep coming down, they break down the partition
I heard when the police say, "Just hand me the cocoyea."
You have a tabanca, you looking for obeah?
I have the formula to cure your tabanca
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
You treating the lady bad, now she leave you going mad
You come here to look for luck, that is why I love mih work
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
Whap cocoyea! [oy-oy-oy] Whadap cocoyea! [oy]
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, thank you, thank you, Shadow! Music playing at full volume and I dancing and dancing and dancing and clicking repeat. Oy! This is trance music.
Whe bambadee bam bamban, whe bamabdee bam bambam
Whe bambadee bam bambam, whe bambadee bam!
Shadow, YOU know how to do yuh wuk. Welcome, all visitors, to the Tao of 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.
Never knew what a fool I was until I met you
Never knew I'd give my heart and you would be untrue
The whole world told me I was wrong to be with you
But my Mama told me, I would never fall
I was born to shine.
Ever since I was a child, they tried to keep me down
Every thing that I did, it was oh so wrong
Let me tell you something, I'm going do what I wanna do
'Cause my Mama told me, I would never fall
I was born to shine.
Shine, baby, shine, let them see where you're going to
Shine, baby, shine, let them follow you
Shine on!
Move on, move on up, is what I'm here to do
I am going to shine ------through and through
I don't care what you say, I'll shine all over you
'Cause my Mama told me, I will never fall
I was born to shine.
Ever since I was a child they tried to keep me down
Every thing I did, it was oh so wrong
Let me tell you something, I'm going do what I wanna do
'Cause my mama told me, child, you'll never fall
I was born to shine.
Shine, baby, shine, let them see where you're going to
Shine, baby, shine, let them follow you
Shine on!
Shine, baby, shine, let them follow you
Shine on!
Shine, baby, shine, let them follow you
Yeah, shine on, shine on...
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, Carol Addison! Blessings to all the people who urge and assist our children to shine.
"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.
Some reckless drivers, respectless drivers
Coming down the lane like they engine in they brain
Always hurried and worried, worried
Always late for work, racing with the clock
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
People crossing, yuh mashing yuh ex'
Doggie crossing, yuh playing yuh vex Pruh-pruh! yuh blowing, pruh-pruh!
Like if the pruh-pruh! could make the car stop
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
Some reckless people, real careless people
They crossing the street like they are made out of concrete
Breaking red lights like they crazy for spite
The driver tells them, Go. Is now they walking slow.
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
Overtaking the overtakers
Money making for undertakers Peep-peep! yuh blowing, peep-peep!
Like if the peep-peep! could stop a big jeep.
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
Big traffic jam up in the junction
Maxi want to pass so yuh stepping on the gas
Hurry-hurry, looking for money
And every pedestrian they see resemble salary.
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
Speeding, speeding, as though the road is yours
Stop this speeding and obey the laws Praap-praap! yuh blowing, praap-praap!
As though the praap-praap! could make a truck stop
Mash yuh brakes, mash yuh brakes!
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, Mighty Shadow!
"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 Council For Responsible Political Behaviour was set up to encourage moral, lawful and responsible conduct during this year’s general election. Last July the country’s main political parties received for consideration a copy of the code which was put together by a committee led by Harris and several civil society groups.
They included the Inter Religious Organisation (IRO), Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, the Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA), T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce, T&T Transparency Institute, Women’s Network of NGOs, the T&T Publishers and Broadcasters Association and the Communication Workers’ Union.
The code was endorsed last September by the United National Congress (UNC), People’s National Movement (PNM), Congress of the People (COP), Independent Liberal Party (ILP) and Movement for Social Justice (MSJ).
The code’s objectives
The code is intended to achieve the following objectives:
• Fostering of democracy through peaceful, free and fair elections, conducted at regular intervals in which voters are permitted to cast their ballots freely, without interference, fear, intimidation or bribery.
• Promotion of respect for human rights, the pursuit of civil and political liberties, the tolerance of divergent opinions, full and active participation of all in the political process.
• Encouraging participation in the electoral process by the People and to uphold their right to make political choices.
• Promoting an election process free from violence." SOURCE
Whereas pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the People of Trinidad and Tobago
• Have affirmed that the Nation of Trinidad and Tobago is founded upon:
1. principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God,
2. faith in fundamental human rights and freedoms,
3. the centrality of the family in a society of free men and women, and free institutions,
4. the dignity of the human person, and
5. the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by their Creator;
• Have affirmed their respect for the principles of social justice and therefore believe that:
1. the operation of the economic system should result in the material resources of the community being so distributed as to subserve the common good,
2. there should be adequate means of livelihood for all,
3. labour should not be exploited or forced by economic necessity to operate in inhumane conditions but that there should be opportunity for advancement on the basis of recognition of merit, ability and integrity;
• Have asserted their belief in a democratic society in which:
1. all persons may, to the extent of their capacity, play some part in the institutions of the national life and thus develop and maintain due respect for lawfully constituted authority;
2. freedom is founded upon respect for moral, ethical and spiritual values and the rule of law; and
3. provision is made for ensuring the protection in Trinidad and Tobago of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
• Have asserted that forgiveness and reconciliation are integral to nation building: Whereas
• The principles and beliefs enshrined in our constitution are best protected through the democratic process underpinned by fairness, the rule of law, freedom to express divergent opinions, equality of access to opportunities and through adherence to constitutional provisions that stipulate the rights and responsibilities of the citizen.
• It is the desire of the Undersigned persons drawn from civil society organizations throughout Trinidad and Tobago including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), Community Based Organizations (CBO), Media Houses, Trade Unions, Business Organizations and Religious Organizations (collectively the ‘Civil Society Organizations’), to encourage Political Parties to endorse the principles and codes set out in the Code of Political conduct for the common good of the People and in the national interest of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
• The political parties and their candidates who are signatories hereto (respectively the ‘Parties’ and ‘Candidates’) have agreed to pledge themselves to the Code of Ethical Political Conduct contained below
NOW THEREFORE it is hereby agreed and declared by the Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates as follows:
Code of Ethical Political Conduct
Objectives
This Code of Political conduct (this ‘Code’) is intended to achieve the following objectives:
1. Fostering of democracy through peaceful, free and fair elections conducted at regular intervals in which voters are permitted to cast their ballots freely, without interference, fear, intimidation or bribery.
2. Promotion of respect for human rights, the pursuit of civil and political liberties, the tolerance of divergent opinions, full and active participation of all in the political process.
3. Encouraging participation in the electoral process by the People and to uphold their right to make political choices.
4. Promoting an election process free from violence.
SECTION 1: Commitment
The Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates agree to:
1. Uphold the Constitution and the spirit and letter of the laws relating to the holding of public activities and election campaigns.
2. Maintain the highest moral principles and ethical standards with respect to their conduct during the campaign, the elections and the post-election period.
3. Co-operate with the police in maintaining law and order during election campaigns.
4 Promote and Enforce respect, tolerance, harmony and peace amongst their supporters and the general public during the campaign, the elections and in the post-election period by being positive role models.
5. Nominate a representative who will be responsible for all matters related to this Code and who will liaise with the council for Responsible Political Behaviour as established under this Code of Ethical Political Conduct.
6. Refrain from practices that promote divisiveness in the Society and commit to the removal of any structures (behavioural, cultural, social or organizational) which reinforce divisiveness.
7. Take deliberate steps to publicly disassociate themselves from criminal elements and criminal activity.
8. Confine their criticism of other political parties to the policies and programmes, past record and work.
9. Ensure that meeting organizers seek the assistance of police or other state assigned organizations on duty, to deal with persons disturbing or disrupting a meeting. Organizers should not take action against such persons.
10. Commit, while acknowledging each others past and present errors and prejudices, to supporting one another in a common effort to overcome selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence; to learn from the past that peace without justice is no true peace; to ensure the peaceful conduct of this and future elections.
11. Make this code known to supporters and uphold its adherence.
12. Uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
13. Ensure that their conduct is above reproach.
SECTION 2: Prohibited Conduct
The Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates agree to:
1. Not Offer any inducement or reward, for example money, groceries or other benefits, to another person to –
a) Join or not to join a party;
b) Attend or not to attend a public meeting, march, demonstration, rally or other public political event;
c) Vote or not to vote, or to vote or not to vote in any particular way; or
d) Refuse a nomination as a candidate or to withdraw as a candidate.
2. Not discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, class, religion or belief, or seek to mobilize support by reference to race, sex, gender, religion or class
3. Not make false or defamatory allegations in print or speech in connection with an election in respect of a party, its candidates, representatives or members;
4. Not use language or act in a way that may –
a) Provoke violence; or
b) Intimidate candidates, members of parties, representatives or supporters of parties or candidates, or voters; or
c) Invite, encourage or foster hatred, resentment or any form of violence;
5. Not seek to assassinate the character of or make defamatory comments about any individual, family, professional group or section of the community;
6. Not deface, or induce anyone to unlawfully remove or destroy, or deface the billboards, placards, posters or any other election materials of a party or candidate;
7. Not unreasonably prevent any other person access to voters for the purpose of voter education, collecting signatures, recruiting members, raising funds or canvassing support for a party or candidates;
8. Not abuse a position of power, privilege or influence, including parental, patriarchal, traditional or employment authority to influence the conduct or outcome of an election;
9. Not engage, recruit, or deploy any individual(s) for the purpose of violence, intimidation or harassment, including intimidation by congregating in groups wearing similar identifiable colours at or near to election stations on election day;
10. Not deface public or private property and structures;
11. Not permit the inappropriate or unauthorized use or abuse of minors or animals in the campaign process;
12. Not plagiarize or disparage the symbols, colours or acronyms of others parties;
13. Not Permit the use and abuse of State resources for political campaigns;
14. Not indulge in negative campaigning or advertising or any action which would bring the political process into disrepute;
15. Not use funds derived from any source, public or private, to improperly influence electoral choices;
16. Not knowingly associate with persons in their pursuit of illegal activities and or any kind of violence but rather actively cooperate with the security forces to bring such persons before the law;
17. Not criticize aspects of the private lives of Candidates, their families, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or candidates of other parties;
18. Not issue advertisements or other marketing material the cost of which is borne out of public funds;
19. Not encourage or permit alcohol or other drugs to be used in public during campaign activities on Election Day;
20. Not threaten or cause any persons to be threatened with loss of their jobs if they support or refuse to support a political party by attending or failing to attend political meetings.
SECTION 3: The Media
The Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates agree to:
1. Respect the right of the media to fairly present balanced reports and information before, during and after an election;
2. Respect the right of all parties and candidates to equity in access to the media.
3. Permit access by members of the media to public political meetings, marches, demonstrations and rallies of which they have control;
4. Take all reasonable steps to ensure that journalists are not subjected to harassment, intimidation, hazard, threat or physical assault by any of their representatives or supporters;
5. Refrain from using State advertising to induce media houses to support or degrade a particular party;
6. Ensure that their parties participate in not less than two (2) live televised and radio public debates organized by a Debates Commission agreed to by the Council as stated in Section 5: at least one of which will be a Leaders debate.
7. Be allowed equity of access to State owned media.
SECTION 4: The Campaign
The Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates agree to:
1. Chairpersons of all political campaign events appeal to supporters and the general public for peaceful behavior;
2. Such steps as the Police may direct are carried out so as to minimize obstruction of roads and inconvenience to the general public whenever political activities are held at roadsides;
3. All private and public property rights are respected;
4. Measures are taken to clean the environs immediately following the holding of political events;
5. Election campaign advertisements are removed within 30 days after the elections;
6. The use of State owned resources to support any Political Parties, Coalitions or any candidate is absolutely prohibited other than as stated in Section 3.7;
7. All donations in cash or kind are accepted based on:
• A “know your donor” principle
• Due diligence measures (similar to the requirement in financial institutions to identify and to report suspicious transactions’) should be undertaken so as to protect against ‘dirty money’ contaminating the process
• It will cause its accounts, including donations, to be audited by a qualified accountant and presented to the Council for Responsible Political conduct established under Section 5 below within 90 days after the holding of each Election
8. Every person is free to go about his/her lawful business without restriction, harassment or intimidation
9. From the time elections are announced; they, i.e. parties, coalitions and candidates shall not permit members or ministers and other governmental authorities or enterprises to use State resources to publish promotional material which identifies any Minister or candidate or adopts the slogan of any party.
10. Recognize and acknowledge the rights of accredited observers and monitors at polling stations for the purpose of observing the conduct of elections
11. International observers who subscribe to the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers are invited to conduct a review of all General Elections
SECTION 5: The Council For Responsible Political Behaviour
A Council for Responsible Political Behaviour (‘Council’) shall be set up to monitor and evaluate adherence to this Code of Ethical Political conduct by the Political Parties and their Candidates who are signatories hereto.
The Council shall be constituted upon signing of this Code. Each Political Party which is a signatory hereto shall appoint one person to the Council (the ‘Political Appointees’). The Organisations who are signatories to the Code of Ethical Political Conduct, other than the Political parties, prior to the [ ] day of [ ] 2014 (the ‘Founding Organisations’) shall collectively appoint such number of persons as is equal to the number of Political appointees plus one (1) who are not aligned to any political party.
The public will be encouraged to report breaches of this code to the Council.
The functions of the Council will be to:
1. Conduct public education around the Code and issues that civil society would like politicians to address on the platform
2. Monitor the election campaign activities and conduct of parties and their candidates
3. Network with bodies involved in monitoring elections in Trinidad and Tobago and with regional and international bodies which place governance as an important objective
4. Actively engage different networks which can bring moral suasion to bear on the conduct of political parties
5. Implement related activities consistent with the spirit of this Code as mandated by the broader body of civil society
6. Report to the broader body of civil society, and through it, to the public
7. Rate the behavior of Political Parties, Coalitions and their Candidates in accordance with the Code and based upon time periods as decided by the Council and made public.
Before proceeding to sanction any Political Party or candidate, if any Political Appointee so request, the council will consult with an international election observer group that has adopted the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.
..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
In the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian of March 25, 2015, an author [I don't have a subscription so I only had access to the introduction and no info about authorship] expressed the opinion that the political watchdog must have bite because:
"Our politicians do not automatically place limits on their behaviour, and the political culture is not one in which the actors and their parties are held responsible for their indiscretions, or their gross and irresponsible behaviour."
Although I consider it a step in the right direction when any organised attempt to guard the guards is initiated, this author's caveat is justified. Until people no longer require cattle prods or the law to act in an ethical manner, then political watchdogs without teeth will be ignored. Contrary to what our President urged during his inaugural speech in 2013, how many are consistently anxious to "do the right thing because it is the right thing to do," or to not back down when demanding that the right thing be done by others?
So I refer readers again to the blog, Ethics Alarms written by Jack Marshall, an ethicist, lawyer, and the president ofProEthics, Ltd. and I paste below his unethical rationalizations, numbers four and five of the forty-eight which he has illustrated and discussed in the post Unethical Rationalizations and Misconceptions.
4. Marion Barry’s Misdirection, or “If it isn’t illegal, it’s ethical.”
The late D.C. Mayor and lovable rogue Marion Barry earned himself a place in the Ethics Distortion Hall of Fame with his defense of his giving his blatantly unqualified girlfriend a high-paying job with the DC government. Barry declared that since there was no law against using the public payroll as his own private gift service, there was nothing unethical about it. Once the law was passed (because of him), he then agreed that what he did would be wrong the next time he did it.
Ethics is far broader than law, which is a system of behavior enforced by the state with penalties for violations. Ethics is good conduct as determined by the values and customs of society. Professions promulgate codes of ethics precisely because the law cannot proscribe all inappropriate or harmful behavior. Much that is unethical is not illegal. Lying. Betrayal. Nepotism. Many other kinds of behavior as well, but that is just the factual error in the this rationalization.
The greater problem with it is that it omits the concept of ethics at all. Ethical conduct is self-motivated, based on the individual’s values and the internalized desire to do the right thing. Barry’s construct assumes that people only behave ethically if there is a tangible, state-enforced penalty for not doing so, and that not incurring a penalty (that is, not breaking the law) is, by definition, ethical.
Nonsense, of course. It is wrong to intentionally muddle the ethical consciousness of the public, and Barry’s statement simply reinforces a misunderstanding of right and wrong.
Closely related to the Barry Misdirection is……
5. The Compliance Dodge.
Simply put, compliance with rules, including laws, isn’t the same as ethics. Compliance depends on an individual’s desire to avoid punishment. Ethical conduct arises from an individual’s genuine desire to do the right thing. The most unethical person in the world will comply if the punishment is stiff enough. But if he can do something unethical without breaking the rules, watch out!
No set of rules will apply in all situations, and one who is determined to look for loopholes in a set of laws, or rules, or in an ethics code, so that he or she can do something self-serving, dishonest, or dastardly, is likely to find a way. This is one reason why the ubiquitous corporate ethics programs that emphasize “compliance” are largely ineffective. By emphasizing compliance over ethics, such programs encourage the quest for loopholes. Remember that when Enron’s board realized that one of its financial maneuvers violated its Code of Ethics, it made compliance possible by changing the Code.
When an organization or society makes compliance…doing the right thing to avoid unpleasant consequences… the focus of its attempt to promote ethical conduct, it undermines the effort by promoting confusion in the not-infrequent circumstances when doing the right thing hurts. The better approach, and the one promoted by Ethics Alarms, is to teach and encourage good behavior and ethical virtues for their own sake. When the inevitable loophole opens up in the rules, when the opportunity to gain at someone else’s expense is there and nobody will ever know, it is the ethical, not the compliant, who will do the right thing. SOURCE
"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 a man is born is luxury,
They prove to me through history - he is somebody
And if a man is born in poverty,
Starvation and misery - he is nobody.
Everybody is somebody, nobody is nobody
The pauper or the wealthy, everybody is somebody.
Poverty is what dictate
To make such dangerous mistake about who is somebody
But when a woman makes her son or daughter
From the time that child is born, he or she is somebody, somebody.
Everybody is somebody, nobody is nobody
I mean the pauper, I mean the wealthy, oh yeah-yeah
Everybody is somebody.
Let me tell you this...
An empty pocket makes one sad
A loaded wallet makes one glad - listen carefully
If you are the one who is feeling glad
Remember that someone who is sad, is somebody.
Everybody is somebody, nobody is nobody
I mean the pauper, I mean the wealthy, oh yeah-yeah-yeah
Everybody is somebody
Everybody is somebody, nobody is nobody
I mean the pauper, I mean the wealthy, oh yeah-yeah-yeah
Everybody is somebody.
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, Mighty Shadow!
"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.
YOUR MOTHER'S LOVE
By Sundar Popo [Sunilal Popo Bahora]
Your mother's love should never forget;
The wrong things you do, child, you're bound to regret.
Your mother's love should never forget;
The wrong things you do, child, you're bound to regret.
Many nights she lost her rest to nurse you from her breast;
Many nights she woke up late and put you to rest.
Many nights she grieve to see you grow from infancy;
And many nights she wanted to know what will you be.
So use your conscience and sympathy
God said to worship she and then go to He.
माँ का मोहब्बत मत भूलना, जो कल काम किया है, वो ही बना ।
Maa ka mohabbat mat bhoolanaa, jo kal kaam kiya hai, voh hi banaa.
Mother's love, don't forget - those times she worked, sacrifices she only made.
You may be the one they call the majesty;
You may having money in a large quantity,
You may having friends in a high society;
Don't be too proud to know whatever you may be,
You may having riches to comfort your soul;
But your mother is the master key of this world.
Your mother's love should never forget;
The wrong things you do, child, you're bound to regret.
Never treat your mother bad, never make her sad;
Make your mother happy and glad, she'll never wish you bad.
Never treat your mother bad, never make her sad;
Make your mother happy and glad, she'll never wish you bad.
You never miss the water 'til the wells run dry
Just like your mother when she closes her eyes.
माँ का मोहब्बत मत भूलना, जो कल काम किया है, वो ही बना ।
Maa ka mohabbat mat bhoolanaa, jo kal kaam kiya hai, voh hi banaa.
Mother's love, don't forget - those times she worked, sacrifices she only made.
Your mother's love, should never forget;
The wrong things you do, child, you're bound to regret
Your mother's love, should never forget;
The wrong things you do, child, you're bound to regret.
Lyrics Source with minor edits.
..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Sundar Popo. Thanks to all our mothers who loved us into and through life, those who are still with us loving us and those who are loving us from beyond.
"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.
11They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
12 They acted shamefully, they committed abomination;
yet they were not at all ashamed,
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord.
13 When I wanted to gather them, says the Lord,
there are no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them....
--Jeremiah 8 : 11-13
Homeland, the cup of the wine of astonishment
which you have been handed
is deep.
..............................................................................................................................
"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 did they sing to you, O Lord Shiva? I too would like to sing like that!
Just as the saints Appar, Sundararar, Aludai Pillai (another name for Sambandar) and Manikkavasagar sang of you with full knowledge/understanding (I too would like to sing like that).
Overflowing with compassion, hearts melting with your love, how did the great Guru Shankara, the dear Thaayumaanavar, Arunagirinathar and Vallalaar sing sweetly of you in chaste Tamil everyday? (I too would would like to sing like that). SOURCE
Tell dem we not taking that, we coming right back
To make a scene, you know what I mean
So if you think ah joking, when we coming is plenty jamming
......... send you back whey you belong
Doh make no excuse when we make the news
Pure fire, higher, we coming to light up the Savannah.
So we coming again, we not taking that!
We go inflict real pain, and that is a fact!
You know they cyah discourage we
Because we full ah energy
The time would come for all ah we
Just wait and see real patiently
You know they just cyah keep we away
So we coming again
I want we all to hear this refrain:
Tell dem, tell dem, ey!
Tell dem, tell dem, come again!
Tell dem, tell dem
Tell dem, tell dem.
If you think we not ready for this fantasy
Just wait and see how bad it would be
We gonna teach a lesson for one reason
They must listen to the voices in the Savannah
When you bad, you bad, stay coming real hard
No stopping, so they could know who is the real thing.
So we coming again, we not taking that!
We go inflict real pain, and that is a fact!
You know yuh cyah discorage we
Because we full ah energy
The time has come for all ah we
To wait and see, real patiently
You know yuh just cyah keep we away
So we coming again
I want we all singing this refrain:
We coming and we coming and we coming and we coming and we coming!
After all is said and done it boils down to fun
For all of us, so doh make no fuss
This ent no war we fighting, me and Stalin
Is plenty loving, we go treat each other with respect
When it done, it done, we doh have to mourn we culture
It's only just a musical war... war!
So we coming again, we not taking that!
We go inflict real pain, and that is a fact!
You know yuh cyah discourage we because we full ah energy
The time has come for all ah we
Just wait and see, real patiently
You know yuh just cyah keep we away
So we coming again
I want we all singing this refrain:
We coming and we coming and we coming and we coming and we coming!...
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, Black Stalin and Steve Sealy.
"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.
What is this at all with we people in the world?
What is this at all with we people in the world?
If a man ent have a pretty face, good Lord!
Trouble around the place
Some will watch you from head to toe
And laugh anywhere you go.
But you could be pretty as the Venus star [The same flesh and blood]
You could be ugly as a gorilla [The same flesh and blood]
You could be rich [Same thing], you could poor [Same thing]
Black or white, crimson or mustard [The same flesh and blood].
You must understand the Lord says, "Come, let us make man."
So He made us all to His own image after all
So when you believe that you laughing me, is your own dear family
Take a knife and cut we up just like mud
Is the same flesh and blood.
You could be pretty as the Venus star [The same flesh and blood]
You could be ugly as a gorilla [The same flesh and blood]
You could be bad, [Same thing] you could good [Same thing]
Black or white, crimson or mustard [The same flesh and blood].
Look another thing that have us deep down in sin
This racialism business is pure foolishness
It have some places in this world some of us can't dwell at all
If you don't have the colour to suit, Mama, they'll treat you like brute.
You could be pretty as the Venus star [The same flesh and blood]
You could be ugly as a gorilla [The same flesh and blood]
You could be rich, [Same thing] you could poor [Same thing]
Black or white, crimson or mustard [The same flesh and blood]
It have some animals nowadays don't live so at all
Just take for instance Melody and his girl Constance
Sometimes when they making love, you may feel is two turtle dove
Why we can't adapt the same principle and live like people.
You could be pretty as the Venus star [The same flesh and blood]
You could be ugly as a gorilla [The same flesh and blood]
You could be rich, [Same thing] you could poor [Same thing]
Black or white, crimson or mustard [The same flesh and blood].
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!
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
