Singing Sandra - (Calypso Song) - "Voices From The Ghetto"; also known as "Crying" (information, examples, lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about Calypsonian Singing Sandra and showcases a YouTube video of Singing Sandra singing "Voices From The Ghetto" (also known as "Crying).

Lyrics for that song are also included in this post.

Thanks to Singing Sandra for her musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are featured in this video and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these embedded video and sound file on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT SINGING SANDRA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Sandra
"Sandra DesVignes-Millington (born 1957), better known as Singing Sandra, is a Trinidadian calypsonian who won the Calypso Monarch title at the 1999 and 2003 carnivals.

[...]

As a result of her career as an artist, she is a well-respected musician of soca. Her achievements were numerous. She was the second woman to win Trinidad's Calypso Monarch title, winning in 1999 with the songs "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto".[citation needed] She was able to finish in third place in 2000 and in fifth place during 2001's festival.[citation needed] In 2003 she won the title for a second time, with "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Ancient Rhythm", winning a Honda Civic car and a $70,000 cash prize, becoming the first female calypsonian to win the title twice. She placed third in 2005 and second in 2006.[citation needed]

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Calypso Monarch
1999
In 1999, Singing Sandra became the second woman to ever win the Calypso Monarch competition after Calypso Rose's win in 1978. This was an important feat, because by being crowned the Calypso Monarch at this annual Calypso competition that takes place at Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, she was essentially reaffirming the place of women in Calypso music and in society too, especially considering the fact that Calypso as a music genre, primarily focuses on lyrics full of social and political commentary. The two songs that put her in first place were titled "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto", which are songs that speak on poverty and racism.[2] The socio-political topics of these songs, were thus very critical of pertaining social issues present in Trinidad and Tobago, today. Specifically "Voices from the Ghetto" speaks about all the hardships that come with growing up in a poor, crime-filled neighborhood, and was considered a very personal song, because DesVignes-Millington herself grew up in the East Dry River area, which is known to be a very rough neighborhood.[3] Thus, competitions like the Calypso Monarch, are very important platforms for musicians that allow artists like Singing Sandra to be able to artistically voice their political experiences to both local and global audiences, because many tourists from around the world flock to Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival celebrations each year.

2003
Then again in 2003, Singing Sandra made history once more to become the only female Calypso artist to ever win the Calypso Monarch title twice. This repeat win, now marked her legacy within Calypso music and also helped to again bring attention to the importance of female voices within a very male dominated competition and genre. The two songs that Singing Sandra performed for this specific year's competition were also full of strong political ideas and were titled "For Whom the Bells Toll?" and "Ancient Rhythm". The latter song relates to the specific experiences of the African diaspora community in Trinidad and other places, and also reflects how Singing Sandra finds her own freedom within her music that help her embrace her diaspora identity.[4]”….

Legacy
Calypso artists communicate their thoughts and comments of the world, mainly, through their lyrics.[2] Although the music is important, the words are crucial for a successful career. The topics vary from singer to singer and can contain any and every type of criticisms,opinions, etc. As one of the pioneers in the Calypso industry, Singing Sandra's trajectory has empowered many listeners, especially women.“...

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: singing sandra crying




Andy wong kee, Sep 25, 2008

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: SINGING SANDRA ~ VOICES FROM THE GHETTO (TRINIDAD)🇹🇹



Lorenzo Abbott, Jan 10, 2018

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LYRICS: "VOICES FROM THE GHETTO" ("CRYING")
(Singing Sandra)

The sun rises slowly over the hills,
Everywhere is golden sunlight but still
Most nights with sad tales are crowded
Their days with dark clouds are shrouded
They don't smile and they never will,
Only vultures get their fill.
Empty promises is what they hear
No running water from year to year
Hearts that know one desire -
That if there is a Messiah,
Someday He'd hear their whispered prayer.

Cupboard always bare and scanty
Ten people in a one-bedroom shanty
Forced to sell on the pavement
No vacancies, no employment
Can't tell firecracker from gunshot
Blood does flow when things get hot
Ah 'fraid to look out mih window
To hear voices from the ghetto...

[Crying,] crying [crying] ay Lord, Lord [crying] crying, voices from the ghetto
[Crying,] crying [crying] Lord, Lord, Lord [crying] aye ay, voices from the ghetto
Help us Father! Oh, Lord!

Mothers does just hold their head and bawl
And them woman stronger than a wall
A big pusher eyeing she daughter,
Son in jail for manslaughter
Too bad for he, he ain't named Brad Boyce,
No bail, that's the black man's choice
Like Shadow say, "Poverty is Hell",
She little girl child belly start to swell
Some say life is a cycle
But don't draw she no circle
Where will it all end, only time could tell.

Outside the siren keep howling,
Inside your belly real growling
Police raid very often,
Simpson's measuring a coffin
One night in bed you sleeping,
Next night is a wake that you keeping
So you praying to win the Lotto,
Not to hear voices from the ghetto...

[Crying,] crying [crying] ay, crying, crying, crying, voices from the ghetto
[Crying,] crying [crying] Lord, hear them pleading [crying] ay, ay, ay, voices from the ghetto
Stretch forth a hand to us, Lord! We are not a forgotten people. Hear our cry.

With dented pride they soldier on
Revolutions' base, politicians' pawn
And often their tragic story brings a journalist glory
No wonder they view the world with scorn
From since the day they born
Some call them rebels without a cause,
These social victims of unjust laws
But yet they christen their heroes,
"Renegades," "Desperados"
Forever knocking on Heaven's doors...Hear me!

Steelband music shatters the silence,
Harmony to conquer the violence
Big men run when cops approach,
Fighting for scraps with the cockroach
Young turks, their turf protecting,
Almost every young girl expecting
So tomorrow, beg, steal or borrow,
There will be another voice from the ghetto...

[Crying,] Lord [crying] oh, oh, oh [crying] ay, ay, voices from the ghetto
[Crying,] Oh----- Mama [crying] Oh ----- Papa [crying] voices from the ghetto.

Social amenities, Lord, Heaven knows
Opportunities, well them always closed
Can't get work once it white collar
So if you can't stretch your dollar
Is later for you, crapaud smoke yuh pipe
You sure to dead from gripe
Life does rape dignity and pride
'Til there's only bitterness left inside
And everyday is a hustle,
Arguments are settled with muscle
'Til you six feet deep by three feet wide.

Children through life keep on drifting
Is something they smoking or sniffing
Maybe they trying to forget
This life of misery and regret
No one to come to their rescue
Except Cableton and Buju
So their boom boxes they leggo
To drown out voices from the ghetto...

[Crying] crying [crying] yeah, Lord, lord, lord [crying] ay, ay, voices from the ghetto
[Crying,] crying crying [crying] crying, crying [crying] crying, yeah eh, voices from the ghetto
[Crying,] I was born and bred in the ghetto [crying] I know what I talking about, you know [crying] ay, ay, I from the ghetto
[Crying] crying....

N.B. The following verse was sung at Singing Sandra's 1999 Dimanche Gras performance.

As parents struggle to provide
Children are neglected and deprived
Illiteracy on the rampage
Some parents never reach college
So ---- the child must ----
If he want to stay alive
The dropout rate does come out trump
As their big truck skid and hit life's bump
Dem can't relate education
To their daily life of starvation
So they take their chances in the dump

Every day garbage truck they hopping
Is old junk and metal they scrapping
To get a jump start on them corbeaux
Some does get squash like mosquito
So next time you passing the Beetham
In your fancy car, air-conditioned
Just above the hum of your motor
You might hear a voice from the ghetto.

-source: ROGERTHAT5949, 2018 posted in the discussion thread for this embedded sound file: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBVsNt2Qr8
-snip-
"Dimanche Gras" -" French for Great Sunday and is the title of the main carnival event called dimanche gras night. On dimanche gras which is carnival Sunday night the calypso competition and the King and Queen of the bands are held. It is a spectacle to begin the carnival on Monday morning (jouvert)." https://cguillaumme.caribsurf.net/dictionary.html

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