The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #36282   Message #3156733
Posted By: MorwenEdhelwen1
18-May-11 - 09:38 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Small Island
Subject: ADD Version: Small Island
Yes I have:
The Duke of Iron's Cover:
Here are the lyrics from that recording:


SMALL ISLAND (Duke of Iron)
Written by Lord Invader (Rupert Grant) 1945

No flour, no rice in the land,
Why because there's too many small island,
They come by the one and the two and the three,
And now I find them up inside me breadfruit tree.
Oh small island, go back where you come from.

You come Trinidad in a fishing boat,
And now you wearin' a swagger coat,
I said small island go back where you really come from.

You see them Bajan (Barbadians), they the worst of all,
You hear them all call, "Me no gwine back atall."
Well in Barbados there was an old carterman,
But in Trinidad they are a great big policeman,
Oh small island, go back where you come from.

Now we have a quelbo playin' in the band,
Runnin' all about and sayin' he is a Cuban,
Play the violin is all that he know,
He run all about and say he pizzicato,
Oh small island, go back where you come from.

Now the Lord Invader is a smart fellow,
He tellin' people that he famous for Coca-Cola,
Run all about, and say he make his name,
Foolin' around with the women in Port-of-Spain.
Oh, small island go back where you come from.

It's the third and fourth lines of that last (improvised) verse that I'm wondering about.

Lord Invader recording: