Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)

Subject: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 16 Jul 21 - 03:36 PM

Hello, guest here. Just wondering whether anyone has a transcription of the lyrics to this song from the Nonesuch LP 'The Real Bahamas in Music and Song', sung by Frederick McQueen? I can't make them out. It seems to have something to do with the African/Caribbean character Anansi and I wonder whether it refers to a specific story featuring that character. Any help or information would be gratefully received. Thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 21 - 04:57 PM

Does this question mean you have the liner notes but can't read them, or you can read them but need someone to interpret what the words mean? If that second option is the case, if you will enter those lyrics here that gives a big head start to folks to help you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 02:45 AM

The sleeve notes are minimal and the lyrics aren't included. The only lyric I can discern from the recording is 'Boy Nansi, come for your dinner boy'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 09:54 AM

It may help someone down the road to have a link to the song you want words for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRxD5Kbdmmc&t=8s

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 11:04 AM

I understand now - and having the link to the song helps.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 11:08 AM

The singer is very difficult to understand. Frankly, it sounds to me like he's doing a song he vaguely recalls and making a few things up as he goes. However, I spend at least half my life being wrong and the other half being told so. Such is life.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 02:51 PM

Boy Nasty, come for your dinner, boy.
Sister, you ain't the one.

And some other stuff I can't make out. It's the "No... but if you hum a few bars, I'll fake it..." island folk process.

Lomax, Crowley et al translated the Bahamian fellow as Boy Nasty. There's a very similar 1930's version that alternates with the ...let me go home... line of John B. Sail.

Only 'dinner' fable that comes to mind at all is Spider & Tortoise.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 17 Jul 21 - 03:12 PM

Word to the unworldly - Y'might want to make sure your "safe mode" is switched on. "Boy Nasty" on today's internet is about like searching for "Gary Oldman" and forgetting the "r".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 18 Jul 21 - 12:06 PM

This thread is already confusing. So I guess no one will complain if I share what came to mind on seeing the subject title ie "Come for your Dinner". Following a devastating hurricane in what was then the British colony of British Honduras some decades ago, the British army rushed to the ravaged area and set up camp in order to provide much-needed relief. Every day at 12 noon we, the distressed town residents, would be invited by bugle call to go to the centrally located camp for take-out hot meals freshly prepared by the lads in uniform. Grateful though we, the needy townsfolk, were, our elders retained their puckish sense of humour and soon came up with words to associate with the tune of the daily bugle call. These were the words: "Come fi yu dutty water! Come fi yuh rice an beans!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 18 Jul 21 - 12:35 PM

Manuel, do you know of any songs that came out of the situation, because that looks like a neat refrain line.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 18 Jul 21 - 04:22 PM

Relevant excerpt from the original sleeve notes by Jody Stecher:

"This is possibly a song from a story. Bahamian folk tales sometimes contain songs. "Boy Nansi" must be Anansi the Spider, the fabled West African trickster."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 18 Jul 21 - 06:41 PM

For those not familiar with the character: Anansi
Also mentioned in quite a few Mudcat threads.

Library of Congress index cards only (no audio.)
Boy Nasty
Brother Nancy's dead and gone along
B' Rabby and B' Booky go to the warehouse of the spirits

Spoken & sung by Alexander Finderson & unidentified group
July & August, 1935-36, Grantstown, Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas
Recordists Alan Lomax & Mary Elizabeth Barnicle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come for your Dinner (Bahamas)
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 18 Jul 21 - 09:52 PM

Guest, #, to the best of my knowledge, no songs came out of the situation. I have to agree with you that the quoted words could be employed as a very neat refrain. Thanks for sharing that quite original thought with me.