Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part series on the Jamaican Mento (folk song) "Go Down Manuel Road" (also known as "Emanuel Road" and other titles).
Part I provides information about this song, provides song lyrics, and showcases three videos of the stone passing game that is traditionally done while singing this song. A video of a Ghanaian object passing game is included in the Addendum to this post.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/03/go-down-manuel-road-part-ii-mento-ska.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases five videos of "Go Down Manuel Road", including Mento, Ska, dancehall versions, as well as a rendition by Harry Belafonte.
The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remains with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of this song, and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "GO DOWN MANUEL ROAD"
"Go Down Manuel Road" is a traditional Jamaican stone (rock) passing game song. This song originated in the early 20th century if not before as a recreational song by men relaxing from their strenous work building roads. Although this song is probably more widely known as "Manuel Road", it's likely that the ealiest title of this song was "Emanuel Road".
Here's a comment about this game from http://ohic32.hubpages.com/hub/The-Beauty-of-Jamaican-Folk-Songs
"There are many different Jamaican folk songs, and all with different or sometimes similar tempo. They evoke different moods and feelings within the listener. Some of the songs call for people to engage in a session of fun and games. One such song is "Guh Dung Emmanuel Road Gal an Bwoiy" (Go Down Emmaneul Road Girls and Boys) which sees players in a ring trying to move the stones placed before them before it piles up. Moving the stones is all about timing or else, "Finga mash nuh cry gal an bwoiy. Memba a play wi deh play gal an bwoiy" (If your finger gets smashed don't cry. Remember we that we are playing)"
-snip-
The likely African origin of these games
Stone (rock, sticks, or other objects) passing games can be found in various African and Caribbean nations. Read the comment found under Example #1 from a Nigerian blogger who indicates that Jamaican and othe Caribbean rock passing songs have their source in Nigerian Igbo songs. Also, read another comment after the Example #1 video from a person from Surinam who indicates that that South American nation also has traditional rock (stone) passing songs.
-snip-
A comment about the Ghanaian stone passing game song "Obwisana" which was posted on http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1254&c=36 provides one explanation for these types of games:
"Susan Arnold wrote me:
"I know this song as an Akan song from Ghana. 'Obo asi me nsa, nana, obo asi me nsa' which is sung in a circle by children. The Akan place great importance on co-operation and this circle game can't be played without that and a high degree of accuracy when placing the stone, especially as it gets faster and faster and more intricate with 2 stones tapped together or going round in the opposite direction."
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-meanings-of-ghanaian-song-sansa.html for Part I of a pancocojams post on the Ghanaian rock passing song "Sansa Kroma".
As noted earlier, a video of a Ghanaian object passing game is included in this post's Addendum.
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LYRICS
The lyrics to "Emmanuel Road" are given in this comment exchange from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZNgBzxrKVc Patois Games (given below as video Example #1)
lfrancis18, 2007
"someone please my 80 year old mother and father told me they played this game in the 30's in jamaica. does anyone know the exact words?"
**
King Ackee, 2008
in reply to lfrancis18
Go dung ah Manuel Road galang boy
Fi go bruk rock stone
Go dung ah Manuel Road galang boy
Fi go bruk rock stone
Bruk dem one by one...Galang boy
bruk dem 2 by 2...Galang boy
Finga mash nuh bawl
Rememba ah play wi a play...
-snip-
Here's the Standard American English translation of those Jamaican Patois words (with the exception of the last two words which may indicate that you are suppose to continue singing in that same pattern)
Go down Manuel Road, gal and boy
[you've got] To break rock stone
Go down Manuel Road, gal and boy
[you've got] To break rock stone
Break them one by one (gal and boy)
Break them two by two...(gal and boy)
if your finger gets mashed, don't cry
Remember this is just a game*
* Remember we're just playing (so don't get angry or upset)
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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube with the examples with the oldest dates presented first.
Example #1: Patois games
brandeely Uploaded on Jan 15, 2007
This is the stone game. It's a traditional Jamaican childhood game played in rythm to a patois song.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's viewer comment thread:
angelastuger, 2007
"we play a simular game in Surinam ( South Amerca),it's about a hot stone that is going to burn you. It's related to the painful expericiences of african slaves on the dutch plantations. The hot stone symbolizes the pain and suffering the slave did not want to think about . Why are playing it we sing : faya ston , no burn me so , no burn me so aging masra Dantjie kiri soma pidgin. It means:Hot stone do not burn , because master Dan has killied somebodies child again."
**
lfrancis18, 2007
"someone please my 80 year old mother and father told me they played this game in the 30's in jamaica. does anyone know the exact words"
**
chung1chu, 2010
"Another indication of how Igbo the Jamaicans (and many other carribeans) are. This is a Traditional Igbo game for kids which you will hardly find these days. We used sticks mainly (but it could be any object). The song would have changed as the original language is lost and a new one adopted. We used to sing: Okereke okereke ... Okoroafor okoroafor... Kedu ebe oga na aga? Oga na aga nga Oga na aga Oga na aga nga... (continues until somebody whacks your hand with his stick)"
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Example #2: Manuel Road vid 0001
Tony Tyrell, Uploaded on Oct 6, 2009
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Example #3: Go Down a Emmanuel Road
LearnVision2010's channel, Uploaded on Feb 23, 2012
Staff and Students of the JFLL St. Catherine AEC with the popular Jamaican Folk Song
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ADDENDUM
Ghana, Ayenyah, children's game after school
Tetsublackstar, Uploaded on Jan 8, 2010
My friend Michi shot this children's (maybe especially girls) play in Ayenyah village, Ghana.I seriously loved watching thier playing and listening to their singing. I want to go back to Ghana sooner and see my students again.
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This is the end of Part I of this series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
I was listening to my grandaughter's on-line music class only to hear that song and recall that I was playing the game with my 98 year old mother last week. I had to hold her hand to move the stone though. It was just the two of us. We had so much fun, both remembering our former childhood days.
ReplyDeleteHow can I acquire the music sheet score for my grandaughter to practise
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Unknown.
DeleteThanks for your comments.
Perhaps these websites might have sheet music for "Go Down Emmanuel Road" or "Go Down Manuel Road":
https://www.free-scores.com/boutique/digital-sheet-music.php?search=Traditional%20Caribbean&devise=USD&start=15
Traditional Caribbean Download and print sheet music after purchase
I tried to find sheet music for that song (using either titles) on another website Jamaican Folk Song
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/composers/jamaican-folk-song-sheet-music/1814322?narrow_by=Go+Down+Emmanuel+Road&Ntt=Go+Down+Emmanuel+Road
but that song wasn't listed.
. Your story of your playing this game with your 98 year old mother and your grandaughter playing this song touched my heart and lifted my spirit.
I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you.
Best wishes to you all.
'Galang boy' is less 'girl and boy' (gal and boy) and more 'guh long boy' - go along boy. Guhlong - go ahead, go along.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Anonymous.
DeleteBut I'm not sure that's correct. Have you ever come across any song or text that use that "Guhlong" word or pronunciation?
A different Anonymous, here. I sort of hear guhlong boy rather than gal and boy in this version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlWvrrT77fo
DeleteBut also, the Jamaican scholar, Frederic Cassidy, refers to a variation of this game in his JAMAICA TALK: THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN JAMAICA. See p. 275: "The penalty for missing the rhythm and not keeping the stones passing is to have one's fingers 'mashed'—which explains the often repeated phrase, 'galang bwoy, finger mash, no cry!'"
Since the game supposedly originated as a quarry work song, or jama, and that ring games were originally for adults, it seems plausible that "galang bwoy" was the original, used to exhort the men to keep the game going, and it changed over time as it became a children’s game, nuh? Just like some versions are Galloway Road, some Emmanuel Road, some Manuel Road, etc.
Hello, a different Anonymous. Thanks for your comment and referring us to that version of "Manuel Road". Here's that linkand sound file title:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlWvrrT77fo Charles Welsh & Chorus - Emmanuel Road & Mango Time - Jamaican Ring play or game song - mento
Kingstoned - soundzz, Feb 14, 2009
….one of the best known jamaican song emmaneul road origanated as a ring play game or game song that involves the passing of heavy stones round a circle of sqating men this song has heard as a calypso and in many other versions rhe present recording shows in its orgiginal form , sung to the thudding rhythm of the stones being passed around the circle...
I still hear "gal and boy" in that singing, but I can imagine that it might also be (or originally have been) "Go long boy".
Here are two comments from that sound file's discussion thread:
Delete@kp2149, 2014
"Also played in Belize but with these lyrics:
Go to Kellyman Town, go tell deh gal me dehn bruk rockstone
Kellenby!
Go to Keyllyman Town, go tell deh gal me deh bruk rockstone
Kellenby!
Bruk dem one by one
Kellenby!
Bruk dem two by two
Kellenby!
Bruk dem three by three
Kellenby!
Bruk dem four by four
Kelenby!
(on and on....)"
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@isilvera3728, 2023
Well well this surely brings back memories. The last time I heard this song I was probably 11 years old it was commonly sung at wakes I had to laugh. Am sure it's an African beat and sometimes when families get together at night to sing this song and tell duppy stories was fun with eating rose for and mangoes on the day"
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Thanks again, Anonymous, July 4, 2023.
Best wishes.!
As a child in Belmont, Trinidad, in the mid 1950s, it was played loudly on a hi-fi set of the era. All the neighbors could hear it, and it was even played at Carnival time, but not in the street parades. I have always wondered who produced that recording, but this Ghanaian tune has always resided within my, when I think of the various lyrics of those days.
ReplyDeleteHerman Silochan
Toronto, October 2023
Greetings, Herman Silochan. Thanks for sharing information about hearing a recording of the song "Go Down Manuel Road" in the mid 1950s in Trinidad.
DeleteTo be clear, there's a Ghanaian stone passing game. However, the song "Go Down Manuel Road" is a Jamaican Mento song- meaning the melody and the lyrics are from Jamaica-not Ghana.