Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados

16 Jun 11 - 10:18 PM (#3171779)
Subject: Lyr Add: DE ICE HOUSE SONG (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

DE ICE HOUSE SONG

Shake yuh right foot, shake you right foot
An' leh yuh left foot stand !
Shake yuh right foot, shake you right foot
An' leh yuh left foot stand !

1
On the mornin' o' de fire
Lord Nelson came down
He form de soldiers in a line,
An' he blow de ICE House down.

Chorus:-
Save John Gill, Save John Gill,
An' leh de Ice House burn,
Save John Gill, Save John Gill,
Leh de Ice House burn !

2
De Ice House in pawn
For a five-dollar note
For to buy a rocking chair
An' a silk sofa coat.

Chorus:-
Cease firing, cease firing
Don't limber up on me*
Cease firing, cease firing,
Don't limber up on me.

*limber up- "a phrase with a salacious meaning."

The Ice House burned in February 1860. Not only were ice and luxuries stored and sold there, but it served as a restaurant and hotel to the planter and commercial set and to the tourist.
Nelson, of course, died some 55 years previously- "poetic license".
Barbadians believed that the fire was deliberate ("in pawn").
John Gill was a popular chemist who dispensed medicines to the poor at cheap prices.
The tune is similar to a mazurka.

With musical score, pp. 4-5.
Trevor G. Marshall, Peggy L. McGeary and Grace Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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17 Jun 11 - 03:42 PM (#3172029)
Subject: Lyr Add: LICK AN LOCK UP (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: LICK AN LOCK UP

Chorus:-
Lick an' lock-up done wid,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin;
Lick an' lock-up done wid,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin.

1
De Queen come from England
To set we free;
Now lick an' lock-up done wid,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin.
2
Dey sell me mudda fuh six-bit piece,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin;
Now lick an' lock-up done wid,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin.
3
God bless de Queen fuh set we free,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin;
Now lick an' lock-up done wid,
Hurrah fuh Jin-Jin.

With musical score and chords.
A simple call and response of the end of the period of slavery, August 1, 1838.
At the emancipation celebrations, instruments were goat-skin drums, shells, rattlers, stone clappers, rasps, xylophones, tambourines, banjos, horns, bells and gourds; instruments found in the slave groups playing at festivities at the time.

Highly repetitive and rhythm syncopated, typical of many Barbadian songs.

T. G. Marshall, P. L. McGeary, Grace T. Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados

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17 Jun 11 - 08:27 PM (#3172113)
Subject: Lyr Add: CONRAD (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: CONRAD
Traditional

De mother-in-law said to de son-in-law,
'Wha' de hell it could be
Dat ev'ry fo'day mornin'
A man in Della Belly'.

Chorus:-
Oh Conrad! Oh Conrad!
Conrad come out de woman belly an' he gone to Trinidad.
Tra la-la-la-la, Tra la-la-la,
Conrad come out de woman belly an' he gone to Trinidad.

Lyr. Add: CONRAD
Merrymen version.

Chorus:-
Oh me mama, Oh me papa,
Big confusion down dey,
Conrad find heself in Paynes Bay.

1
Conrad lan' in Paynes Bay
Not a boat bring him dey, O Lawd!
Conrad come by duppy air-plane
Flyin' 'bout in de air.
One bright Friday mornin',
Three days after he la', O yes,
Conrad said 'I come from Woodstock,
Sent by the obeah man.'
2
Somebody swear to me,
A 'duppy crab' look like he,
Conrad is a duppy,
Fright'nin' ev'ry body.
Conrad is a coolie,
A good lookin' man is he,
Conrad is a coolie,
Foolin' ev'ry body.
3
Angie she ask Byron,
'What de hell dis could be
Ev'ry fo'-day mornin'
A man inside Doris Belly'.
Conrad called fuh cou-cou,
with Indian dressing they say,
An' a pint of strong white rum
Dat Phillips sell in Paynes Bay.
4
Took Doris to the X-ray
To see what happen wid she-
When de doctor went to examine
Conrad peep out at he.

Duppy- evil spirit which inhabits bellies.
Duppy crab- white land crab.
Coolie- applied to Asiatic immigrants, often a term of contempt. Some more recent East Indian immigrants are itinerant traders in cloth and clothing. The term also used to describe black people with jet-black curly hair ('good hair') rather than the normal kinky hair ('bad' hair).
Cou-cou- cornmeal and okra
Indian dressing- curry?

Musical score with chords.
The original song is believed to date from the 1935-1940 era. The Merrymen version from around 1966 and is more calypso in form.

T. Marshall, P. McGeary, Grace Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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18 Jun 11 - 01:04 PM (#3172394)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Charley Noble

Interesting as usual.

There should be some rowing shanties from St. Kitts as well.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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18 Jun 11 - 01:26 PM (#3172406)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Haven't looked at St. Kitts-Nevis yet. Or Guiana. Or Belize. Or- . There may be a lot of interesting material out there.

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19 Jun 11 - 04:25 PM (#3173024)
Subject: Lyr Add: DA COCOA TEA (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: DA COCOA TEA

1
I was once engaged to a lady,
Her love was all for me,
No matter the distance she did live
It was no trouble to me.
But another girl she did love me
An' tek me away from she
An' the only t'ing dat bring me back
Was a cup o' da cocoa *tea.

Chorus:-
Da cocoa tea is a poison to me,
Ev'ry time I drink it,
I don't know where I be.
If you want to find me
You gotta look for me,
For she got muh head up-sided down
Wid a cup o' cocoa tea.

2
Well den I went to the doctor
To see what de matter wid me
He had me well examined
An' then he said to me,
"Have you ever lived with a woman?
My man, never hide it from me
For the woman has had a *mixture made up
An' gib yuh in cocoa tea.
3
"Well then, my dear good doctor,
No good can be done for me."
"Why did you keep so far
An' didn't come to me?
In the end you'll reach the graveyard
Prepare what hour it be
So give all men the caution
Beware of cocoa tea !"

*All brewed beverages, including coffee and cocoa, are called tea in Barbados.
*The young man was given a 'dose' (a love potion with serious after-effects) in a cup of cocoa, and will come to an early and untimely death.

No. 54, with musical score and chords.
T. Marshall, P McGeary and G. Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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19 Jun 11 - 05:11 PM (#3173046)
Subject: Lyr Add: RATTY TICK (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: RATTY TICK

1
Have you heard about Ratty Tick?
Have you heard what she done?
Ratty Tick tek up Leslie watch
An' up de hill she run.
Brewster was workin' in his groun'
Saw Ratty Tick runnin', tumble-in down.
2
T'ought somebody had been drown,
Watchin' her trousers droppin' down,
Ratty girl if I did you,
Uh would hide muhself beneath a shoe,
Fuh de tiefin' deed dat yuh serve Leslie,
Yuh name shall be written in history.

A banter song, a village woman is taunted about the alleged theft of a watch.

No. 58, with musical score and chords.
T. Marshall, P. McGeary and G. Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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07 Jul 11 - 06:10 PM (#3183420)
Subject: Lyr Add: HIP! HIP! I LOVE LOU LOU (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: HIP! HIP! I LOVE LOU LOU

Chorus:-
(G)Hip! hip! I (D)love Lou Lou,
(D7)Hip! hip! I (G)love Lou Lou,
(G)Hip! hip! I (6C)love Lou Lou,
An' (G)Lou Lou (D7)love me too.
2
Ah (G)went in de kitchen to (10D)get some food,
Ah (D7)went in de kitchen to (G)get some food,
Ah (13G)went in de kitchen to (C)get some food,
An' (G)Lou Lou (D7)run me (G)out.
3
Ah went in de kitchen to get some tea, (3x)
An' Lou Lou run me out.
4
Kat-Kat you love Lou Lou, (3x)
An' Lou Lou love you too.

With musical score and chords, p. 40.

Marshall, McGeary and Thompson, 1991 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston.

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07 Jul 11 - 06:30 PM (#3183428)
Subject: Lyr Add: MILLIE GONE TO BRAZIL (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: MILLIE GONE TO BRAZIL

(C)Millie gone to Bra- (C)zil
Oh (G)Lawd, poor (C)Millie.
Mil-(C)lie gone to Bra- (C)zil
Oh (G)Lawd, poor (C)Millie.
Wid de (C)wi-ah tie up she (F)wais'
An de (G)razor cut up she (C)face
(Repeat the last two lines)

Millie down in de well,
Oh Lawd, poor Millie.
Millie down in de well
Oh Lawd, poor Millie.
Wid de wiah tie up she wais'
An' de razor cut up she face.
(Repeat the last two lines)

With musical score (moderately fast) and chords, p. 39.

A song from the 1920s. A man called Bailey murdered his common-law wife and deposited her corpse in a well. When questioned, he claimed that she had gone to Brazil. He was tried and condemned to hang.
(At the time, Barbadians were migrating to South, as well as North America).

Marshall, McGeary and Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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07 Jul 11 - 08:32 PM (#3183473)
Subject: Lyr Add: GLANDAIRY (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: GLANDAIRY
Calypso

Moderately fast.
Now (C)lis-ten frien's an' (C)I will tell
A-(C)bout Glan-(Dm)dairy which is (G)nex' to (C)hell.
(C)Lis-ten frien's an' (C)I will tell
A- (C)bout Glan- (Dm)dairy which is (G)nex' to hell.(C)
First of all, de (C)food is rough(F),
Es- pec'(12Dm)-ly de cou- (G)cou which is (G7)hard an' (C)tough,
Chorus:-
(C) An' if yuh f'ink I tell- (15C7)in' a (F)lie,
Wunna (Dm)all could go (C)fuh seven (G7)days an' (C)try.
2
De firs' night ah sleep ah didn' sleep well,
For de chinks an' de dog-fleas dey lend me hell.
De more ah turn, de more dey bite
An' worse of all ah didn't have no light.
So ah press a button an' call fuh help,
De warder come an' call me a whelp.
He say if I do attemp' it again
He gwine to pour de staff in muh head like rain.
Chorus
3
When ah was remanded ah used to run around
On a little round dey call de parade groun'.
We was remanded all in a race
Wid de very one will see de magistrate face.
An Officer standin' up watchin' we go roun'
Like ah was a race-horse pun de race groun',
Chorus
4
De fif o' May was de Jubilee
Listen an' ah tell yuh wha' dey give to we-
Banana an' sugah an' two sweet-bread
Had de currants on dem like flies pun a dead,
De evenin' time de stew an' rice did nice,
Chorus
5
Fuh Chris'mas frien's, day treat we nice
Banana an' sugah an' stew an' rice.
De stew was sweet an' very t'ick
Which start young men to start an' lick.
De only t'ing de rice was rough
An' de pris'ners cry out dat de stew din 'nough.
Chorus
6
'Tis muh las'verse frien's an' listen well-
Don' commit yuh all selves an' go straight to hell.
Follow de song an' don' do wrong,
De song will show de right way how to get long.
Ef yuh mis-pitch fall in de well
Yuh bet my frien's dat yuh gone in hell.
Chorus.

Credited to a calypso singer, the Mighty Pointer, and is alleged to record the composer's personal experiences while in prison in Barbados. The song is well-known as "Seven Days" which is the shortest period of detention.
The melody is the same as that of the "Riot Song," and may be a follow-up.

Musical score and chords, p. 38.
Marshall, McGeary, and Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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07 Jul 11 - 08:39 PM (#3183477)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Correction, verse 4, Glendairy-
Lines 5- 6:
De evenin' time de stew an' rice,
Don' dou't me frien's dat de stew did nice.

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08 Jul 11 - 07:08 PM (#3184009)
Subject: Lyr Add: DE CABIN (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: DE CABIN

Brightly-
I don' (F)min' de *cab-(C7)in brek (F)down,
So I (C7)get somewhere to lie (F)down,
I don' 6(F)min' de cab-(C7)in brek (F)down,
So I (C7) get somewhere to lie (F)down.
Two more (D7)rounds,
11 (Gm)An' de cab-in brek-(Gm)in down,
So we (C7)brek um (F)down!
So we (C7) brek um (F)down!

*Cabin is the labourers' cabin bed or bunk bed made of wood. Cheaply made, it sometimes collapsed when a couple got too playful.
A tune of the rum shop from early 20th century.

Musical score and chords, p. 36.
Marshall, McGeary and Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.

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09 Jul 11 - 12:41 PM (#3184427)
Subject: Lyr Add: COLON MAN (trad Barbados?)
From: kendall

I'm not 100 % sure of this one but I think it's from Barbados


COLON MAN

1 2 3 4 Colon man he come (3x)
And his watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I asked him for a dollar he gave to me a dime (3x)
And his watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
His watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I ask him for the time, he look up at the sun (3x)
His watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I think I go to Colon and get some money too (3x)
My watch and chain will hit the belly bum bum bum.


The story, as told to me was the Colon man was a boss in the sugar cane fields of Barbados, and he was illiterate, knew nothing about money or even how to read a watch. He went to Colon, Columbia and came back with a fancy pocket watch and gold chain. The field hand he was talking to saw right through him and made a fool out of him by asking for money and the time.

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09 Jul 11 - 01:08 PM (#3184442)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Colon is mentioned in several Caribbean songs. Laborers went there to work on the Canal, and if they survived, came back to their island with some money.

I haven't seen your song, however. Barbados or not, it is a worthwhile addition.

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09 Jul 11 - 01:39 PM (#3184463)
Subject: Lyr Add: PANAMA MAN (trad Barbados)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: PANAMA MAN

Oh de Pa(E)nama man 'ent got (A)no money,
Still de (B)Panama man want 5(E)love
When de (E)Panama man come (A)back from sea,
An' de (B7)Panama 9(E)Canal.
Chorus:
But 'e (A)cahn get me
Widout (B7)de money
To (A) buy me a taffeta 14(F#m)dress!(B7)
If de (E)Panama man gwine (A)court wid me
He gwine 18(B) treat me like a (E)queen.
If de Panama man gwine court wid me
He gwine treat me like a queen.
2
Look de Panama man come home from sea,
As skinny as a Church rat,
An' all he had in his grip fo' me
Was a wide-brim Panama hat.
3
When de Curaç`ao man come back to Bim,
He bring me a calico dress,
When de Panama man come back to Bim,
All he bring is the Spanish caress!

"Between 1850 and 1914 several thousand Barbadian men" labored on the Panama Canal.
Marshall, McGeary and Thompson, 1981 and reprints, Folk Songs of Barbados. Ian Randle Publishers. Also in Colon Man a' come. Mythographies of Panama Canal Migration, 2005, Rhonda D. Frederick, Lexington Books.

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09 Jul 11 - 06:36 PM (#3184584)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: MorwenEdhelwen1

Kendall, I have the songbook "Mango Time: Folk Songs of Jamaica", and this song is in it. I think it should be posted in the "Jamaican folk music" thread.ADD: Jamaican folk music. But then, it could be common in other countries...

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09 Jul 11 - 08:28 PM (#3184628)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Inter-island travel among performers is common. I put a note in the Jamaica thread.

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09 Jul 11 - 10:30 PM (#3184669)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: MorwenEdhelwen1

Q, on the Colon labourers, a significant percentage of them stayed in Panama and their descendants still live there, as they do in Nicaragua (the source of "Sound Bay Gal") and Costa Rica. All three of these countries have their own calypsonians.

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10 Jul 11 - 08:32 AM (#3184802)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: MorwenEdhelwen1

EDIT: Correction: Descendants of Afro-Caribbean banana-plantation and canal workers brought to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama as indentured servants/contracted labour still live in those countries, all of which have their own calypsonians.

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09 Mar 12 - 09:11 AM (#3320415)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: GUEST

The Colon Man song is also common in Jamaica. The story that goes with it is that many Jamaicans went to Panama to work on building the Panama Canal. When they came back to Jamaica they were rich, that explains why you ask them for money. Where you have "his watch and chain hit his belly" we say "him brass chain a belly" (well that is what I learned anyways). Both terms refer to the same thing- brass chain attached to watch.

Another important point in the song is that even though he has a watch when you ask him the time, he looked up at the sun- indicating that he could not read the watch but was just wearing it to be fashionable. After all, he is now rich enough to afford it!!!

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09 Mar 12 - 06:38 PM (#3320639)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

See "Colon Man," posted in the thread jamaican folk music, thread 40845:
jamaican folk music

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13 Apr 12 - 07:04 AM (#3337679)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs from Barbados
From: GUEST,wmconnolley

Colon man: my father used to sing / recite what he said was a British Army marching song from Jamaica:

one step, two step, nigger man come,
brass chain thumping belly rumpa-tum-tum,
(repeat)
one step, two step, nigger man come,
ask him what the time and he look up at the sun,
with a brass chain thumping belly rumpa-tum-tum.

Not very PC. The reason given for looking up at the sun wasn't that the didn't know how to read the watch, but that he didn't have one: only the chain, making a show of wealth.

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10 Nov 13 - 11:42 PM (#3574572)
Subject: barbados ah come from
From: GUEST

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