This pancocojams post showcases the the Trinidadian song "Afouyèkè". According to a book on Eastern Caribbean game songs entitled Brown Girl In The Ring, "Afouyèkè" is performed as a dance song by adults. A YouTube video which is embedded in this post shows children performing a game while singing this song.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in this video and thanks to Alan Lomax, J. D. Elder, and Bess Lomax Hawes for editing the 1997 Brown Girl In The Ring: An Anthology Of Song Games From The Eastern Caribbean. That book included lyrics for and information about the Trinidad & Tobago Children's Game "Afouyèkè". Thanks also to the publisher of this videos on YouTube.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO -Trinidad Patois Ring Game- Afouyèkè- Caribbean yard Campus Patois Class, Talparo
katvixenchick, Published on Oct 23, 2016
-snip-
This game was performed by adult women and school aged girls and boys.
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LYRICS "AFOUYEKE" (version #1)
[English version from the video that is embedded in this post:
Oh, sweet Mama
Sweeter than sugar
Sweeter than syrup
Oh, sweet Mama
Stones to cut down trees
Open the ring
Open it in time
Close the ring
Close it in time
Dance in the ring
Dance in time
Yekay for us to see
[repeat the words to this song any number of times]
-snip-
ring = the circle
Yekay - This word is used as a verb for any type of dance move that the person in the middle chooses to do.
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
From It doesn't appear that the gender of the line "Oh sweet Mama" changes when a male goes into the center of the ring (circle). However, groups who perform this song may chose to sing "Oh, sweet Papa" when a male is the center person.
The lyrics to Version #2 is slightly different from version #1 and the spelling for some of the same patois words in both versions are slightly different.
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LYRICS: "AFOUYEKE" (Version #2)
From
"Sung by the Rose Of Sharon Friendly Society Chorus in Blanchisseuse, St. George, Trinidad
CREOLE
Solo - Afouyèkè
Dou man-dou manman
Group - Afouyèkè
Solo - ròuch gwo lariviè gonmbo
(Alternation continues)
Afouyèkè
Hach ka hachè bwa -
Afouyèkè
Machè laronn-la- come into the game
Afouyèkè
Ouvè -laronne-la
Afouyèkè
Dansè -laronne-la
Afouyèkè
Yèkè pou mwen ouè-ou
Afouyèkè
O dou manman
Afouyèkè
Dou – dou manman
Afouyèkè
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SINGABLE TRANSLATION
Solo - Afouyèkè
Group- Oh, my sweet mama
slippery river stones
Solo -axes cutting wood
(Alternation continues)
come into the game
Open up the game
Dance into the game
Twist so I can see
Oh, see mama
Sweet. Sweet mama
TO PLAY
This is not a true game, just a circle with partners dancing in the middle; as they tire, they rejoin the circle and others take their place. The dancers improvise their movements in response to the soloist's lead lines, each one different, each one joyous, inside the supportive circle underneath the Caribbean night sky."
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: The source for both of these lyric forms (for Version #2) is Brown Girl In The Ring: An Anthology Of Song Games From The Eastern Caribbean, editors: Alan Lomax, J. D. Elder, and Bess Lomax Hawes < (New York, Pantheon Books, 2997, page 59)
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SINGING GAME "AFOUYEKE"
From Alan Lomax, J. D. Elder, and Bess Lomax Hawes for editing the 1997 Brown Girl In The Ring: An Anthology Of Song Games From The Eastern Caribbean (New York, Pantheon Books, 2997, page 58, 59)
"ABOUT THE SONG
The Rose Of Sharon singers of Trinidad are bilingual though most of their songs are in English, this adult dance song is in the Creole language. The singable English translation given here is not as poetic as the Creole text but approximates its literal meaning. This song demonstrates well the characteristic two-phrase litany of West Africa: the second phrase, "Afouyèkè" (probably an African word), being repeated over and over by the group, he lead singer's brief, improvised poetic phrases being thrown in in no particular order. This is a very frequent dance accompaniment style in the Lesser Antilles."
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
Out of curiosity, I searched for results in Google translate for the word "Afouyèkè". Here are three results:
Yoruba (Nigeria, West Africa) = Opportunity
Igbo (Nigeria, West Africa) = Opportunity
Haitian Creole - Awakening
These definitions fit how "Afouyèkè" is used in these songs. I think that it's very possible that the word "Afouyèkè" (and yèkè) in this Trinidadian song comes from either Yoruba or Igbo or both languages. And it's also very possible that the meaning of that word was changed to "awakening" in Haitian Creole. If the word "Afouyèkè did originally come from Yoruba and/or Igbo, note how the meaning of yèkè" (yekay) was further changed to mean some type of dance move.
I wonder if there's any connection between the word "afouyèkè" in this song and the word "yèkè" in the title of the 1990s hit Guinean song "Yeke Yeke".
This pancocojams provides three versions of lyrics for the Calypso song "Murder In De Market" (also known as He Had It Coming To Him" and "Stone Cold Dead In The Market".
Information and comments about this song are included in this post along with four YouTube examples of this song performed by Gracie Barrie (1940s); Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Jordan (1946); Harry Belafonte and The Islanders (1960s), and Lorna Myers; 2010?).
In addition to presenting these lyrics and information, I'm also highlighting the use of the term "stone cold" in these songs.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Lord Invader for composing and performing this song and thanks to the other Calypsonians for their adaptations of this song. Thanks also to Houdini and other singers for their renditions of these songs. In addition, thanks to members of the Mudcat online folk music discussion forum who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
Definition of stone–cold for English Language Learners: completely or totally".
-snip-
While this post doesn't focus on the issues of spousal abuse and revenge murder, I recognize the significance of those issues in this song and in life itself.
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SONG LYRICS
These lyrics are given as Example #1, Example #2, and Example #3.
I believe that the composition that is given as Example #1 is older than the composition that is given as Example #2. However, I'm not sure about this.
Example #1:
LYRICS: MURDER IN DE MARKET
(Lord Invader, 1939?)
Murder in de Market, murder.
Murder in de Market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Betsy Thomas, she kill Payne stone dead.
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Betsy Thomas, she kill Payne stone dead.
Payne dead, Payne dead, stone dead.
Payne dead, Payne dead, stone dead.
Payne dead, Payne dead, stone dead.
Betsy Thomas she kill Payne stone dead.
"oh, I ain't kill nobody but me husband.
Oh, I didn't kill nobody but me husband.
Oh, I didn't kill nobody but me husband.
Oh, I ain't kill nobody but me husband,
So I could face de judge independent!
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Betsy Thomas she kill Payne stone dead.
De big Grand Session is tomorrow,
De big Grand Session is tomorrow,
De big Grand Session is tomorrow,
Betsy Thomas she kill Payne stone dead.
She ain't kill nobody but she husband,
Oh, she didn't kill nobody but she husband,
Oh, she ain't kill nobody but she husband,
Betsy Thomas, she kill Payne stone dead.
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Murder in de market, murder.
Betsy Thomas kill Payne stone dead.
"Pp. 34-36, musical score, notated for voice, guitar, drums and bass.
Edric Connor, Songs from Trinidad, 1958, Oxford University Press.
A version sung by Young Tiger, 1953, is on youtube.
Discussed in Louise Cramer,"Songs of West Indian Negroes in the Canal Zone." California Folklore Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 3, July, 1946. (JSTOR)
This article (not seen) is the basis for assigning the song to Barbados, and has the story behind the song. (It may have the date of the event).
Rewritten and revised as "Stone Cold Dead in the Market" by Wilmouth Houdini, a calypso singer, in 1939,* an adaptation of "He Had it Coming" (another title), it was a hit for Ella Fitzgerald, Belafonte and others. See thread 34020 for the Belafonte version as posted by Joe Offer. http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34020
Franklin Bruno, 2011, Popular Music and Society** vol. 34, issue 1, pp. 7-21.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a933307712
-snip-
posted on Mudcat discussion thread http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138235 by Q (Frank Staplin), 31 May 11 - 05:57 PM along with the following citation of locations: Barbados, Trinidad, Canal Zone of Panama"
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor: *According to the information given in Comment #3 of the Mudcat excerpt below, the information given in this sentence is incorrect. The corrected information is that Lord Invader composed and recorded this song is 1939 and Houdini, another Calypso singer (Calypsonian), recorded an adapted version of this song in 1946.
**This quote is given in this post after the Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Jordan sound file that is embedded below.
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Example #2
STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET
"(Frederick Hendricks; aka Lord Invader) [Pancocojams Editor's note: This could be Wilmouth Houdini's 1946 adaptation]
"She: He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.
He: Last night I went out drinking,
When I came home I gave her a beating;
So she cotch up up de rolling pin,
And went to work on my head 'til she boshed it in.
I lie cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
I lie cold dead in de market,
She kill nobody but her husband
She: I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.
He: My family is swearing to kill her,
My family is swearing to kill her,
She: His family is swearing to kill me,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He: He lie cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
He lie cold dead in de market,
She kill nobody but her husband
She: There's one thing that I am sure
He ain't going to beat me no more
So I tell you that I doesn't care
If I was to die in de 'lectric chair
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.
He: (spoken): Hey, child, I'm goming back and bosh you on the head one more time
.
She: (spoken): No, no, man, you can't do dat
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
The criminal is stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.
This source says the song was written by Frederick Hendricks, Northern Music/ASC
AP
Recorded by Harry Belafonte
Transcribed from "Ella Fitzgerald, 75th Birthday Celebration" (Decca CD) (duet w
ith Louis Jordan)
Another source attributes it to Wilmoth Houdini, 1946."
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Example #3:
LYRICS- MURDER IN THE MARKET
"As recorded by Young Tiger (George Browne) in 1953
Stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Well, she killed nobody but she husband.
Yes, she hit him in de head wit' de fryin' pan,
She hit him in de head wit' de fryin' pan,
She hit him in de head wit' de fryin' pan,
And if she kill him, he had it comin'.
And so he's stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Well, she killed nobody but she husband.
Last night he went out drinkin',
And den he came in and gave her a beatin' [not sure; recording has a glitch at this point]
So she picked up de rollin' pin,
And worked on his head till she bashed it in.
And now he's stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Well, she killed nobody but she husband.
Now his family is swearin' to kill her,
His family is swearin' to kill her,
His family is swearin' to kill her,
So if she kill him, he had it comin'.
And now he's stone cold dead in de market, mother! [or "murder"?]
Stone cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
Well, she killed nobody but she husband."
-snip-
*These lyrics were transcribed by Jim Dixon from the recording on YouTube and posted on Mudcat 04 Jun 11 - 08:46 AM http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34020
Unfortunately, Young Tiger's sound file is no longer available on YouTube (as of the date of this pancocojams post, but probably earlier.)
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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "MUrDER IN DE MARKET" (also known as "STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET" & "HE HAD IT COMING TO HIM"
Pancocojams's Editor: These selected comments are given in chronological order based on their publishing date. They are numbered in this post for referencing purposes only. I encourage you to read the entire discussion thread which also includes biographical information for and comments about Lord Invader.
My explanatory comments are given in parenthesis.
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34020
1. [This first comment refers to what this commenter alleges was an actual event that served as the story behind Lord Invader's song].
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Murder in de Market (Caribbean)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 01 Jun 11 - 02:13 AM
"Q, Betsy Thomas' murder of Thomas Payne occurred in the 1870s."
**
2. [This comment was written in response to Q's question about the citation of the 1870s date.]
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Murder in de Market (Caribbean)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 01 Jun 11 - 05:48 PM
"i have the songbook "Folk Songs of Barbados" collected by Trevor Marshall, Peggy McGeary, and Grace Thompson. They include the song and its melody, unfortunately no accompaniment :( and the date of the events, stating that "Betsy Thomas, the common-law mate of one Thomas Payne, allegedly murdered him during a quarrel". There is a mention of the song in Trinidadian songbooks. What I find interesting is how distanced the folk version is from the events, compared with "Stone Cold Dead in The Market", which is from a first-person perspective, and is, in my opinion, one of the best songs about battered woman syndrome ever, done before battered woman syndrome was ever named or recognised. Also in the case of murder ballads based on true stories, how does a person find information on the actual incident? Because some American murder ballads seem to have a large proportion of people on this forum who have information about the real incident."
**
3. [Q provides information about Lord Invader's composition of this song, including the original song title "He Had It Coming" and the composition date of 1939.]
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Murder in de Market (Caribbean)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 03:29 PM
"(Houidini's) "Stone Cold Dead describes a murder in Port-of-Spain's Grass Market in 1939. He recorded it himself in 1939 (as "He Had it Coming) but it got no popularity until Songstress Fitzgerald unearthed it......"
Time Magazine, Music: King of Calypso, Aug. 26, 1946. Unsigned article about Wilmoth Houdini (Edgar Leon St.-Clair his real name).
The 1939 incident may have been an unintentional copycat murder?"
-snip-
The information given in comment #3 above corrects the information given in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Cold_Dead_in_the_Market_(He_Had_It_Coming) about this song:
" "Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)" is a 1946 song with lyrics and music by Wilmoth Houdini, a Trinidad and Tobago musician who had moved to the United States. It was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five on Decca and later included in the Ella Fitzgerald album Ella and Her Fellas. The single was the first of five singles that Louis Jordan would take to the number-one spot on the R&B Juke Box chart.[1] The song also reached number seven on the U.S. pop chart.[2] The B-side of the single, "Petootie Pie," was also an R&B chart hit peaking at number three. This song received later notoriety in the 2010s with the 2011 release of L.A. Noire in which this song is featured."
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1 [Video]: STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET (1940s)
silezukuk, Uploaded on Sep 24, 2009
Gracie Barrie [singer]
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Example #2: [Sound File] : Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan - Stone Cold Dead In The Market (He Had It Coming)
FunkyChez's channel, Uploaded on Jan 14, 2009
-snip-
Here's a review of this song as mentioned earlier in this post:
From http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03007766.2011.539807
Altmetric Articles
“Stone Cold Dead in the Market”: Domestic Violence and Americanized Calypso"
Franklin Bruno
Pages 7-21 | Published online: 10 Feb 2011
"Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan's recording of “Stone Cold Dead in the Market” was a major R&B and pop hit in 1946. In narrating a woman's murder of her abusive husband from a sympathetic first-person point of view, the recording's depiction of domestic violence raises the question of how it achieved mass popularity in a cultural milieu that discouraged frank discussion of this topic. This paper attempts to account for this popularity by tracing the musical and lyrical changes between the hit recording and its sources, the Caribbean folk ballad “Payne Dead”/“Murder in the Market” and calypso performer Wilmouth Houdini's 1939 adaptation “He Had It Coming,” and by arguing that Fitzgerald and Jordan's adoption of an exoticized West African accent, as well as their public personae, effectively produced a comic and ethnic “mask” from behind which the song's subject matter could be presented with relative frankness."
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Example #3 [Sound File] MURDER IN DE MARKET (Barbados) - Lorna Myers
angarseno, Uploaded on Aug 10, 2010
A Juilliard School graduate, Lorna Myers' opera and concert career spanned Europe, the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean...
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Example #4 [Sound File]: Lie Stone Dead In The Market by Harry Belafonte & Islanders on early 1960's Mono Celebrity LP.
lrh1966, Uploaded on Jan 9, 2012
Celebrity record album# UT 154. We usually think of the 1956 classic, "The Banana Boat Song", and its signature lyric "Day-O" when we hear the name "Harry Belafonte", but this "King of Calypso" had many other songs and albums as well, including this lp album titled: "An Evening Of Folk Songs & Calypso - With The Islanders". He broke away from "RCA Victor" for a bit to do this lp with the obscure label, "Celebrity". Not sure of exact recording date, but estimate it in the 1960 to 1963 frame of time.
This post showcases ten videos of baptism service songs and chants by members of Mt Olive #2 Independent Baptist Church, Trinidad.
Mt. Olive #2 is located in 5th Company Village, Moruga. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moruga, "The district of Moruga lies on the central south coast of Trinidad at the western end of the Trinity Hills. It is in Victoria County, Trinidad and Tobago, and is served by the Princes Town Regional Corporation."...
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the members of Mt Olive #2 Independent Baptist Church, Trinidad. And thanks to Brother L. Forbes, the publisher of these examples on YouTube.
Information about this church as well as any information about and any additional lyrics for these songs/chants would be greatly appreciated. For instance, are the composers of these songs and chants known, when were they composed, and how well are they known in Trinidad and elsewhere throughout the Caribbean?
-snip-
UPDATE: 10/4/2015
I shared information about this pancocojams post on the comment thread of two of those videos and included the questions that I wrote above. Here's the response that I received from Brother L. Forbes:
"Azizi Powell Thank you for your comment! But with reference to your question "Are the composers of our songs/chants known, throughout Trinidad and the Caribbean" I'd have to answer both yes and no. Yes, they're known by the members of the Independent Baptist Missionary Union/Independent Baptist Mission Churches. Our songs/chants are popularly given to us from God, by way of dreams, visions, revelations, or just Holy Ghost led singers while seeking or preparing for baptism. And No, there are little information about our composers to the rest of the caribbean. But keep in mind. MANY of the songs/chant sung, derived from our singers, who've never sought fame or recognition.
Feel Free To use whatever information, Videos I've posted on my Channel. But Above Be blessed."
-snip-
UPDATE: 10/4/2015
As a result of Brother L. Forbes' inclusion of the names "Independent Baptist Missionary Union/Independent Baptist Mission Churches" in his comment, I've added some information about that Trinidadian religious denomination in an Addendum below.
-snip-
With the exception of the African American originated songs that are sung twp of these videos (a variant form of "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" and a variant form of "When The Saints Go Marching In"), it appears that these Trinidian religious compositions are chants that are repeated over and over again, sometimes with some slight call & response variations.
As previously mentioned, any corrections to my comments would be greatly appreciated.
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Summary statements given for these videos indicate that they chronicalize two baptism service events- one in January 2013 (or published on YouTube in January 2013) and one held on Sunday 10th August, 2014. Videos for these two events are presented separatedly in chronological order.
VIDEOS PUBLISHED IN JANUARY 2013
Example #1: Baptism at Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 2013 (Pt1)
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Jan 13, 2013
Baptism Service at Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church, 5th Company Village Moruga
-snip-
Here's a comment from the video's publisher in response to questions about this song:
Brother L. Forbes, 2013
"The name of this Tune is called "John Saw The Number, What a Number of souls, what a number of souls!"
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Example #2: Baptism Service At Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church (Pt.2)
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Jan 14, 2013
Chant - "I see You, I see You, I see You, By The Jordan, O Glory Hallelujah"
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Example #3: Baptism At Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church (Pt 8)
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Jan 14, 2013
Candidate # 6 Being baptized into our Lord. Held at the Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 5th Company Village Moruga, Trinidad
-snip-
This song is a version of The African American Spiritual "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder".
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Example #4: Baptism At Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church (Pt 9)
Brother L. Forbes Published on Jan 15, 2013
Candidates (souls) after being baptized return Shouting, to receive the Right Hand of Fellowship.
Chant - "It's a Happy Day, When I married to Jesus" "It's a Happy Day, The King Of Glory Coming"
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VIDEOS OF BAPTISM SERVICE HELD ON AUGUST 10, 2014
Example #1: Baptism At Mt.Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No:4}
.
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 14, 2014
Marching To The River...
Tune: "Marching On, Marching On, When The Saints Go Marching Home, I Would Like To Be In The Number, When The Saints Go Marching Home"
-snip-
"When Ths Saints Go Marching Home" is a variant form of the African American originated religious song "When The Saints Go Marching In".
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Example #2: Baptism At Mt. Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No:6}
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 14, 2014
Baptism Held On Sunday 10th August, 2014. At The River; The Procession Sang & Shouted "Show Me The River, Show Me The Pool, Show Me The River Where John Baptized
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Example #3: Baptism At Mt. Olive #2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No:8}
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 14, 2014
Tune: "Happy Day, When I Married To Jesus"
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Example #4: Baptism At Mt Olive #2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No:10}
.
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 14, 2014
Tune "When Jesus In The Vessel We Can Smile At The Storm"
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Example #5: Baptism At Mt. Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No.12}
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 16, 2014
Baptism March Returning From The River, Singing "What A Number Of Souls"!
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Example #6: Baptism At Mt Olive # 2 Independent Baptist Church 2014 {No.15}
Brother L. Forbes, Published on Aug 17, 2014
Held On Sunday 10th August, 2014 @ 5th Company Village, Moruga. Tune:"There Is No City On Earth For Me To Dwell, There Is No City On Earth For Me To Dwell, But There Is A City Way Over Yonder, There Is No City On Earth For Me To Dwell"
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ADDENDUM: SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT BAPTIST DENOMINATION (TRINIDAD & TOBAGO)
From http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs129/1102288672315/archive/1121532844001.html
"Baptist Union of Trinidad and Tobago
Baptist presence in Trinidad can be dated from 1816. The first Baptists were companies of black soldiers who had fought alongside the British during the American War of 1812-1814. At the end of the war the defeated British forces found a homeland for their supporters who could no longer remain on American soil.
Six companies were settled in Trinidad and out of this settlement emerged the Baptist community. They had embraced the Baptist faith while in slavery in the US. Through their own efforts and with the support of missionaries from the Baptist Missionary Society in the United Kingdom and later that of the Southern Baptist Convention in the US, Baptist work in Trinidad prospered. More than 100 churches were established in both the north and south of the island.
The Baptist Union of Trinidad and Tobago (BUTT), was formed in 1854.
During the 1940s and 1950s divisions arose in BUTT as a result of differences in opinion over modes of worship, attitudes of foreign missionaries, and minor doctrinal issues. Factions broke away and formed individual associations, conventions and unions, such as the Independent Baptist Missionary Union and the Independent International Baptist Churches. Sometime later the northern group of BUTT churches formed the Trinidad and Tobago Baptist Association (TTBA)."...
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From https://books.google.com/books?isbn=9057026104 Praising His Name in the Dance: Spirit Possession in theDance by Kenneth Anthony Lum (2000)
[summary of that book]
"The author provides a detailed portrait of the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work, two religions that share a common basis in the traditional religion of the Yoruba in West Africa. Specifically, the author studies the phenomenon of spirit possession, an integral aspect of worship in both religions. In the Spiritual Baptist Faith, a person who is possessed by the Holy Spirit retains his or her own identity, while in Orisha Work, those who are possessed by the orishas (spirits), become the spirits. Both types of possession are based on the Yoruba concept of self in which identity is dependent on the spirit which animates a physical body. This common basis of religions enables the respective populations to interact extensively and explains why an individual can experience both types of spiritual possession."...
[page 33, Google books]
"George Cowan [representative of the London Baptist Missionary Society-L.B.M.S.] arrived in Trinidad in 1845 [and found schisms in the six Baptist company churches that had been formed].
[page 34].
Cowan was seen by some to be an unwelcome intruder by church members who were concerned about their loss of independence...
Cowen called for the affiliation of the six company churches under the L.B.M.S., with the latter having the final say in all matters of belief and ritual. He also called for the removal of (i) the Baptist elements of rejoicing and shouting and (ii) the manifestation of the holy spirit from worship. All of the company churches, with the exception of the Third Company church, agreed to those demands and were affiliated with the L.B.M.S. However, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, disgrunted members of the company churches withdrew and formed their own church; they became known as the Disobedient Baptists. It was from this group... that the Spiritual Baptist faith emerged, after some Disobedient Baptist moved to other parts of Trinidad, taking with them the original ways of worship of the earlier Merikin Baptist. The original Disobediant Baptist renamed themselves Independent Baptists, and they eventually formed a coalition which the London Baptist which became known as the Baptist Union Of Trinidad and Tobago."...
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From http://www.wiusbsoinc.org/history.htm
"West Indian United Spiritual Baptist Sacred Order
...The Baptist Faith has been practiced in Trinidad and Tobago for the last 190 years. It was brought here between 1815-1816 by African-American refugees of the American war of independence who were themselves members of the earliest Black Baptist Congregation in the Southern United States of America. They were ex-soldiers of the "CORPS OF COLONIAL MARINES" who had fought on the side of the British during the conflict.
The spread of “Baptist Witness” has been phenomenal. From the original seventy, [70] to an estimated one hundred thousand, (100,000) today. In fact by the end of the 19th century , three[3] variations of the Faith existed:
1. The ‘Orthodox’ London Baptist.
2. The Independent Baptist.
3. The Spiritual Baptist.
Today there are at least six [6] variations
1. The Baptist Union of Trinidad and Tobago. [The London Baptist].
2. The Independent Baptist.
3. The Spiritual Baptist.
4. The Sovereign Grace Mission Baptist.
5. The Fundamental Baptist.
6. The Trinidad and Tobago Baptist Association."...
This post showcases the orignal recording of the Calypso song "Mathilda" ("Matilda") by its composer King Radio (Norman Span). Lyrics of this song and information about King Radio are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to King Radio for his musical legacy. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT KING RADIO
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Radio
Norman Span, known as King Radio, was a calypsonian active in the 1930s and 1940s.[1]
"
He was the composer of many calypsos which later became standards, such as "Mathilda",[2] "Man Smart, Woman Smarter",[3] and "Brown Skin Gal".[4]"
-snip-
Unfortunately, this is the only information that is found on that Wikipedia page.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: King Radio - Mathilda
CanchozI Uploaded on Feb 4, 2009
****
LYRICS: MATILDA (MATHILDA)
(Norman Span, aka King Radio)
Chorus
(Oh, Lord), it’s Matilda,
(Believe me, friends) It's Matilda,
(What a difficult)
Matilda, she take me money and gone Venezuela
(Everybody!)
Matilda
(That’s why love)
Matilda
(It’s difficult)
Matilda, she take me money and gone Venezuela
Verse #1
It really hurt me, friends, but what's to do?
Now listen what the woman gone and do.
(Mow dat water!)
Matilda,
She take me money and gone Venezuela
Chorus
Verse #2
So never me friends never to love again,
Now listen all me money gone in vain.
(Oh Lord!) It's Matilda who take me money and gone Venezuela
Verse #3
Five thousand dollars friends I lost,
The woman even sell me cart and horse!
(Oh Lord!) Matilda, she take me money and gone Venezuela
Chorus
Verse #4
The money was to buy a house an' land,
Now listen as she draft a serious plan,
(Fire! Water!) Matilda, she take me money and gone Venezuela
Chorus
(Everybody!)
Matilda
(Say it up, boys)
Maltida
(I get a call)
Matilda, she take me money and gone Venezuela
Verse #5
Well the money was right inside me bed,
Stuck up in the mattress right below me head,
Oh Lord, this is Matilda that take me money and gone Venezuela
Verse #6
I feel a jumbie shove me head,
He said "Boy, no money inside your bed"
(I must a lost it),
"Matilda, she take your money and gone Venezuela."
Chorus
Verse #7
Where I put my hand was all in vain,
Right on the spot, I got a serious pain,
(Mow dat water!) Matilda she take me money and gone Venezuela
Chorus
Matilda
da da da da
Matilda
ba ba ba ba
Everybody!
Matilda
[sound file cuts off with instrumental chords)
-snip-
Transcription from the recording by Azizi Powell. Additions and corrections are welcome.
Note that this transcription may be considered to be in part a correction of some of the words that were transcribed by MorwenEdhelwen1 on this Mudcat thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=8026
Matilda, Matilda
-snip-
I agree with that King Radio sings "gone Venezuela instead of the version "run Venezuela" that was popularized by Harry Belafonte in his 1953 recording and thereafter.
Thanks, MorwenEdhelwen1. Also notice that the words to the chorus changes sometime.
A "jumbie" is an evil spirit or demon in the folklore of some Caribbean countries.
This pancocojams post showcases information, sound files, and partial lyric transcriptions with comments of Roaring Lion's Calypso song "Netty Netty". Information about Roaring Lion is also included in this post. This post also includes an anonymous blogger's comment and my comments that question the generally accepted meaning of this Calypso song- t hat it refers to abortion.
The content of this post is provided for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Roaring Lion for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube sound files and videos.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT ROARING LION (with information about "Netty Netty")
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Lion
"Roaring Lion (22 February 1908 – 11 July 1999)[2] was a calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), "Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", which are still performed today. The song "If You Wanna Be Happy", which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 18 May 1963, as well as the R&B singles chart,[3] is based on Roaring Lion's "Ugly Woman"."...
Lion was born Rafael de Leon in Aroquita, in the Caura Hills of northern Trinidad, to a mother named Basalicion de Leon and a father named Arias Cairi Llama...
In March 1934 the Trinidadian phonograph merchant Eduardo Sa Gomes sent Roaring Lion and Attila The Hun to New York to record; they became the first calypsonians to record abroad.[5] He was also the only calypsonian vocalist of his generation who could read and write musical notation.[6]
Roaring Lion achieved fame for his linguistic prowess as much as for his catchy tunes. His lyrics, delivered in rapid-fire style, show an impeccable command of the English language (as well as Trinidadian slang), and are replete with witty turns of phrase, humorous metaphors, and clever alliteration and internal rhymes. Of all the early calypsonians, he was by far the most scandalous, with the most banned songs by a large margin. His "Netty Netty", the song of a prostitute who left town to have an abortion operation, shocked not only Trinidad and Tobago, but also neighbouring countries such as Grenada, where he was banned for a while (as his song "Excursion to Grenada" relates)."...
-snip-
Read my comments below about the widely accepted story that "Netty Netty" is about a prostitute who left town to have an abortion.
Here's part of a comment that was posted in this blog's comment section on December 12, 2019 by anonymous [a self-identified West Indian] " get no reference to abortion in these lyrics, rather just a song fairly directly about sex and lacking even the clever double entendre of other calypsos."
Thanks for your comment, anonymous!
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: roaring lion NETTY NETTY
roger Ramirez, March 26, 2009
-snip-
Here are several comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
Vernell Quashie, 2010
This is Road March (Leggo) of 1937 by Roaring Lion
**
sbhawanie69, 2011
@SuperSnk1 Actually the melody for Netty Netty is an an leggo from th 1800's called Prisonnier Levez.
**
tricia chin, 2013
'swagger, mystery, precision of expression, a capacity for sharp data gathering, and an unaffiliated imagination.' Lennox Grant on the makeup of a calypsonian. A truly accurate description by Grant. Calypsonians tease, insult or assuage the entire population ( Trinidad) every year. Their job is to be our mirror, or telescope, and whatever they are, and how their tunes are judged, depends on a mixture of personal skill and attention to national mood and events. The true calypsoes, the ones that are timeless, are those which capture the particular quirks of national culture, or situations, which remain with us today.The Roaring Lion is a giant in this respect. His calypsoes remain popular through re-mixing or on their own. The tune on link is funny, dark and popular some 80 yrs after its Road March win in 1937.
**
T&T History, 2013
'Netty, Netty' was banned 1936 by Commissioner of Police on grounds of 'immorality'; Collector of Customs dumped entire first shipment of the record in Port of Spain Harbour
****
Example #2: Roaring Lion - Netty Netty
mrprofessor18, Uploaded on September 11, 2010
Chune
****
LYRICS [1936s version]
From a transcription of the 1936 recording that was posted on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=140347&messages=25 by Mick Pearce, 19 Sep 11 - 08:09 AM along with some corrections of that transcription that were posted by James Fryer, 19 Sep 11 - 10:41 AM and two changes that I made which are given in italics.
NETTY NETTY
(Rafael de Leon aka Roaring Lion)
Christmas night, I almost died with laugh,
Lying in me bed with a high brown calf*
Christmas night, I almost died with laugh,
Lying in me bed with high brown calf
She heard a gin-bottle with a wicked roll**
Ah Tamboo Bamboo *** Netty make her lose control
Singing, Netty, Netty
Gimme the thing that you got in your belly
The calf* on me bed was very still
And when she heard a gin bottle she got a thrill**
And said "Wake up, wake up darling, let's make our names
Your Tamboo Bamboo *** addlin' me brain"
She jump up off me bed and nearly bust me blind
Lash me in the face with a body-line.
Singing, Netty, Netty
Gimme the thing that you have in your belly
[verse 3 not transcribed]****
Singing, Netty, Netty
Gimme the thing that you got in your belly
The calf* caught a vap and she start to dance.
She said, "Lion, this the time to take our chance"
I said "Woman, you better stop your stupidness
You always calling men for foolishness"
She said "I care nothing at all"
She jump out the road and she nightly fall.
Singing, Netty, Netty
Gimme the thing that you got in your belly
-snip-
Notes about this song with attribution in brackets:
*"calf" = [slang for] a woman [James Fryer]
[This word was previously written as "craf" which may have been a typo. It was corrected by anonymous [a self-identified West Indian] in the comment section on December 11, 2019
** "She heard a gin-bottle with a wicked roll" i.e. he can hear a bottle-and-spoon band.[James Fryer]
*** "Tamboo Bamboo" - a type of carnival band pre-dating steel pan [James Fryer]
Correction-by anonymous December 11, 2019 [self-identified as a West Indian] "Tamboo Bamboo is an instrument, basically a stick of bamboo (there a tamboo bamboo bands, but tamboo bamboo is not a band)."
**** [Verse #3] = this verse sounds mostly slang or possible French-influences patois and I can make out only a little, so I've omitted it here [Mick Pearce]
James Fryer also wrote that "the lyrics 'If you can't stand the digging/Give me back me shilling' are sung in other versions of this song".
My changes to this transcription:
I changed the name "Nelly" that Mick Pearce gave in the last line of Verse 1 to "Netty". Also, Mick Pearce wrote "Your dambou-vamou addlin' me brain" as line four of Verse 2. I changed that to "Tamboo Bamboo", conforming with the change that was given to that transcription by James Fryer.
-snip-
Also, "high brown" refers to skin color and may be the same as the African American term "high yellow", meaning a very light skinned Black person, in this case, a light skinned Black woman.
{Read the comment about "high brown" from anonymous December 11, 2019
****
QUESTIONING THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED MEANING OF THE CALYPSO SONG "NETTY NETTY"
While it is largely believed that the song "Netty Netty is based on a true story about a prostitute named Netty who had an abortion, consider this comment that was posted by GUEST 19 Jun 14 - 01:51 AM on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=140347&messages=25
"Speaking to a Trinidadian. The thing in her belly just really relates to her lady parts. Netty is a prostitute. The words if you can't stand my digging (sex), give me back my shilling refers to if she doesn't like what he's doing she can give the money back"
-snip-
It's possible that Roaring Lion purposely wrote the phrase "the thing in her belly" to mean either "a baby [to be aborted]" or "a lady's body parts". That said, it certainly seems to me that the lyrics as they have been transcribed are a much better fit for the "lady's body parts" meaning than the "baby to be aborted" meaning.
The Wikipedia article whose link is given above indicates that "[Lion's] "Netty Netty", the song of a prostitute who left town to have an abortion operation, shocked not only Trinidad and Tobago, but also neighbouring countries such as Grenada, where he was banned for a while". [end of quote]
I wonder what would have been so shocking in 1936 about a prostitute having an abortion. It's likely that a number of prostitutes in those days had abortions. But perhaps what was shocking was to openly sing about that fact. That said, it seems to me that a song that even alludes to a man repeatedly asking for "a female's "lady parts" could have been considered more sexually provocative then a man asking a woman to have an abortion. Also, it seems to me that some other references in the song "Netty Netty" might have been considered more shocking than the line "give me the thing you have in your belly" - For instance, what about the references to Netty holding a "gin bottle" and "a tamboo bamboo making her loose control"? Do "gin bottle" and "tamboo bamboo" refer to a man's body part" and not [just] types of music bands? If so- hmm.
As to the belief that the line "give me the thing you got in your belly" refers to abortion, here's another comment from James Fryer 19 Sep 11 - 06:00 PM as published on that same Mudcat discussion thread whose link is given above:
"We only have an unsourced statement on Wikipedia to say it is [about abortion], but the line "gimme the thing you got in your belly" does point in that direction... Possibly the patois verse sheds more light on it. Also there may have been other verses which weren't recorded, and there may have been well-known events which were only alluded to in the song.
I checked in the book that comes with the "West Indian Rhythm" box set, which says:
The Growling Tiger (Neville Marcano) recalled that "Netty" was "a girl from behind the bridge" (east of the Dry River in Port of Spain). She deported herself as though she was having a baby but never delivered the infant, this being an important part of the song's satirical content."...
[end of quote]
Unfortunately, I'm not able to transcribe the third verse of the 1936 version of this song which the two Mudcat commenters Mick Pearce and James Fryer were also unable to decipher. I agree with James Fryer that "Possibly the patois verse sheds more light on it. Also, there may have been other verses which weren't recorded, and there may have been well-known events which were only alluded to in the song."
That quote from Growling Tiger might be interpreted as implying that the song "Netty Netty" was about her having an abortion. But I wonder if there is any other contemporaneous explanations from Roaring Lion, or any other Calypsonian, or any other person who allude to that meaning or directly indicate that the song "Netty Netty" was about abortion. And if that line is about a baby that Netty was carrying, why did Lion want her to give "it" to him (to abort)?
If this story [about "Netty Netty" being about a prostitute having an abortion] isn't a relatively recent invention, and was instead contemporaneous with Roaring Lion, I wouldn't be surprised if that abortion explanation for the phrase "thing in her belly" line was a story that might have been promoted by Roaring Lion to cover up the more explicit meaning of those lyrics & other lyrics in that song. It wouldn't surprise me if anyone who was really in the know about what this song was really about chuckled when they heard that cover story. They might even have publicly confirmed that that story was the "real" meaning of the song just to "put one over" on un-hip listeners.
Since I strive to be "hipper" (in spirit and not so much in weight), I don't mind admitting that I very much doubt this Calypso song has anything at all to do with abortion.
This post showcases a sound file of "One Day One Day Congote" (Congotay), a song about wife beating by the Trinidadian group "The Love Circle's 2003 album "Home Grown". Information about The Love Circle is included in this post.
This post also includes my attempt at transcribing the lyrics to that song. I made that attempt because I couldn't find lyrics to this song online.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspiration, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to The Love Circle for their musical legacy. Thanks also to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOVE CIRCLE
From https://www.gospelreggae.com/browse/artists/the+love+circle/detail.html
Official Bio
"Since their inception in 1981, The Love Circle has earned a reputation as one of the most outstanding musical families in Trinidad and Tobago. The late great Ras Short I (Garfield Blackman), the founder of The Love Circle and father of the musical genres of "Soca" and "Jamoo", has left a legacy of musical creativity that is hard to emulate (on any level). This, combined with the extra-ordinary musical talent of group members, has put The Love Circle on the cutting edge of musical culture in the Caribbean.
Today, the group is made up of the youngest children of the Blackman family, Isaac, Nehilet, Marge, Eldon, Sheldon and their mother Claudette Blackman...
'Jamoo', the musical style performed by the group, delivers a Christian message over Trinidadian, African, Indian, and various other World rhythms. The music seeks to amplify love, to explore the ills of society (drug abuse, AIDS and oppression) and endeavors to provide solutions through meaningful Bible-based lyrics.
Early CDs by the group include "Jamoo Victory", and "Children of the Jamoo Journey". In 2003 the group released "Home Grown". Under the production expertise of Isaac Blackman, this digital masterpiece helped take "Jamoo" to a whole new level.
"Homegrown" is a clever collection of songs written and performed by the sons, daughters and widow of the legendary Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman), the inventor of soca music. This rustic compilation combines rootsy, acoustic jamoo sounds with syncopated digital urban beats. Jamoo is the gospel of soca -- a unique blend of calypso, East Indian and African rhythms, with elements of folk, reggae, jazz and blues. Fresh from the backyard of the Blackmans, this labor of love is packed with rich vocal textures and lush harmonies, a showcase of the tremendous talents of this musical family."
-snip-
According to this article "Jamoo" means "Jehovah's music".
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE:
The LOVE Circle [Ms.Claudette Blackman]- One Day Congote (Congotay)
majabsalu, Uploaded on Sep 22, 2008
****
LYRICS: ONE DAY CONGOTAY
(Claudette Blackman)
Spoken:
It’s time to stop forever the flow of violence
Sings:
Lead –Mmmm-mmm
Yeah-eah
Group -Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai
Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai
Lead – With some men in the street, women it makes me wonder
If they fall from the sky or if they born from a mother.
They beating their woman as if she’s some beast of burden.
No love, no consideration, no kind of reason.
But I tell you
Lead & Group – One day, one day Congotay.
Lead – Which means one day you will pay.
Lead and group – Even if it is when you will get older, then
What you sow I say one day you will reap one day.
Lead & Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai
Lead- The woman bawling.
Lead & Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai.
Lead –She can’t take the beating..
Lead & Group -Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai.
It’s too much aches and pain.
Lead – Lord, the same from ever since the creation
An eye for an eye and there is no alteration.
So when you treat your woman bad, brother, please remember
The same thing could come and happen to your little daughter.
So I tell you
Lead & Group – One day, one day Congotay
Lead – Which means one day you will pay.
Lead & Group – Even if it is when you will get older, then
What you sow I say one day you will reap one day.
Lead & Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai .
Lead & Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai.
Lead & Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai .
Lead- God made woman from out of man’s body.
So they are no longer two but one flesh in matrimony.
So when you beat your woman it’s only the fool you’re playing
All the beat you are beating is only your own self you are treating
So I tell you
Lead & Group – One day, one day Congotay
Lead – Which means one day you will pay.
Lead & Group-Even if it is when you will get older, then
What you sow I say one day you will reap one day.
Lead- Oh
Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai.
Lead -It’s too much too much
Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai
She can’t take the beating
Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai
Oh God
Oh God
Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai
Lead -It’s time to stop the flow of violence
Group: Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai.
Lead- Live life [words are indistinguishable]
Group- Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai.
Group-Cry-yai-yai-yai-yai yai
[singing fades]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. Additions and corrections are very welcome
****
EDITORIAL COMMENT ABOUT THE SAYING "ONE DAY, ONE DAY CONGOTAY" (CONGOTE)
"One day one day Congotay" is a Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada) proverb that means "One day you will pay for your misdeeds".
A portion of the entry for the word "congotay" in Lise Winer's book Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles [Google Books] suggests that "congotay" came from the words "Congo's Day". "Congo" here is a referent for all people of Black African ancestry and not just people of Bakongo ancestry. My sense is that Lise Winer's conclusion is that "One day Congo's Day" is a shorthand way of saying that one day justice will prevail for all the wrong that has been done to Black people. The proverb "one day one day congotay" extends that core meaning to apply to individuals who do wrong and who will one day (also) have to pay for their misdeeds.
Two pancocojams posts will be published ASAP that continue this exploration into the meaning of the proverb "One day Congotay". The first additional post presents other examples and comments about the Caribbean folk saying "one day one day Congotay" and the second post features examples of the children's line game song "Congotay".
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics for the Calypso song "King Liar". Selected comments about this song from the featured YouTube sound file's viewer comment thread are also included in this post.
In addition, this post presents information about Lord Nelson, the performer of this song, as well as information about "lying contests".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT LORD NELSON
From http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lord-nelson-mn0000234788/biography
Artist Biography by Chris Nickson
"Like many calypsonians from Tobago, Lord Nelson (born Robert Nelson) had to seek his fame and fortune in America. And he found it -- although not in the U.S., but back home, where he remains one of the acknowledged stars of soca, the mix of soul and calypso that has been the island's musical mainstay since the mid-'70s. Born and raised in Tobago, Nelson left his homeland after graduating high school, hoping for a better life in Brooklyn. However, he'd hardly had a chance to unpack before he was drafted and sent off with the U.S. forces to Korea, which was where he first showed his talents as a singer and comedian, performing in Army shows. Later, back on American shores, he began singing with West Indian steel bands in Brooklyn, mostly covering calypso hits in his unique fashion, which went over strongly with the Caribbean community. Still, he never considered writing his own material until he became friendly with another calypsonian, Mighty Duke, who mentored him. Nelson's own style took from calypso, but also from the American music he heard every day, adding more than an ounce of funk to the proceedings on songs like "La La" and "King Liar," which became Caribbean hits. While not the first to make soca music, he found a great deal of popularity, to the extent that in 1989 he won the title of Uncrowned King in a competition for off-island artists at Trinidad's annual Carnival. In 1990 he signed with Shanachie, which ensured good distribution for his music -- certainly more than his brethren in the West Indies -- and he was able to go global with his sound, even if he had become part of the digital sound rather than relying on 'real' instruments; his label debut, When the World Turns Around, offered a digital remake of his earlier album Love You Forever, which had originally appeared on the tiny Joker label. The uncle of another young soca/rapso artist, Mojah, Nelson continues to record and perform."
-snip-
Notice that Lord Nelson's name, like the names of other old school Calypsonians emulates the names of British royalty (for instance, Lord Kitchener, Lord Invader, Mighty Duke, and Sir Lancelot).
****
COMMENTS ABOUT LYING CONTESTS
"Lying contests" are informal or formal competitions in which people try to tell the best tall tale. A tall tale is a folkloric form which consist of highly exaggerated stories. Those stories are humorous because their exaggerations are told as though theey were truth [The fanciful stories are told with "a straight face"].
In 2013 Jay Weekes, a commenter in the YouTube comment thread for this featured song wrote that "these kinda competition does go on all now still....who lie last lie de best"
To date, I've only found slight mentions of the Afro-Caribbean custom of lying contests (telling tall tales). However, the 1935 book Mules To Men in which Zora Neale Hurston provides examples of that custom among rural African Americans in Florida from the late 1920s or earlier can serve to illustrate this custom. From http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/grand-jean/hurston/chapters/siteintroduction.html
"In her hometown of Eatonville, [Zora Neale] Hurston was brought up in a culture in which lying, i.e. folk tale telling, was an artform. Hurston celebrated this culture of lying when she published a collection of "them big ole lies" told "on the store porch" by the working class African Americans of her hometown of of Eatonville [Florida] (Mules and Men)."
-snip-
If you are aware of any online articles about Caribbean "lying contests", please post that information in the comment section of this post. Thanks!
****
FEATURED EXAMPLE
Lord Nelson - King Liar
charsukaifan, Uploaded on Jan 11, 2009
Yuh hear lie
-anip-
Another YouTube sound file of this song indicated that it was first recorded in 1977.
****
LYRICS FOR "KING LIAR"
(performed by Lord Nelson)
[verse 1]
I know some of you wouldn't believe me
But if I lie, ask meh good friend Marky
It was a big lying competition
To see who they would crown as lying champion
Liars from all parts of the West Indies
Big shot liars from all dem foreign countries
From a field about a thousand or so entry
In two days it boil down and leave just 3
I had meh eye on "Liar de Lion"
Cause I know he does come with some good ones
But they had a younger fella named Devo
Come from some village there in Tobago
He same he father is Tobago's best fisherman
Catch a fish a mile wide, 80 feet in span
He had to tie it on de boat and swim back to land
To get he brother Eric to give him a hand
[chorus]
Yuh hear lie, Dat is lie
Lie , yuh hear lie
Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie
You going to hell as soon as yuh die
[verse 2]
Liar de Lion, he laugh till he sweat
He say Mr Devo eh say nothin yet
If you really want to hear bout fishin
Let me blow you mind, now listen to something
When you talking bout fish, yuh just hit de spot
I was hoping you did believe it or not
The fish yuh father caught, fuh you it was great
But is dem small fish meh father does use fuh bait
Lion went ahead on points in de show
Completely eliminated Mr Devo
De next man to beat was "Wil The Outrageous"
He ask de judges if he could lie first
The judges asked Lion, the Lion agreed
He said any topic Wil pick is alright with me
He outrageous, I strong, let we meet head on
And when we done see who head fit to wear de crown
[chorus]
Yuh hear lie, Dat is lie
Lie , yuh hear lie
Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie
You going to hell as soon as yuh die
[verse 3]
De outrageous say that he knew a tailor
Comes to making suit, de man is a master
If you show him a man coming round a corner
He could make him a suit and don't even measure
Ah talking bout suit sitting down correct
Expertly made and fitting perfect
He used to sew for Shakepeare, make suit for Hamlet
And up to this day he eh make a mistake yet
You know de crowd went wild, they couldn't cool down
Ah say Liar de Lion losing he crown
De judges brought de crowd back to order
And ask de Lion to lie bout a tailor
He said my man is de best, Rolfy is his name
Cutting cloth, making suit is his game
Doh show him de man, my tailor is class
Just show him de corner whey de fella pass
And he go make a suit, dat is tailor
[chorus]
Yuh hear lie, King liar
Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie
You going to hell as soon as yuh die
Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie
You going to hell as soon as yuh die
·http://www.lyrics59.com/lyrics-478520/king-liar.html
-snip-
For some reason, this transcription doesn't include the words
"Chock it up/Let it up/move it up" which Lord Nelson sings in one form or another after the group sings the words "Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie/You going to hell as soon as yuh die".
Here's an explanation about the meaning of the phrase "chock it up"
From http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/chock.html
Chock it up/Chalk it up"
" “Chalk it up” is a very old expression that goes back to the custom of writing a customer’s outstanding charges on a chalkboard, especially in a bar. Today it means to give credit in a more general sense, as in the expression “chalk it up to experience” (credit it to experience, add it to your account of experiences).” A successful team may chalk up another win."
-snip-
Given that explanation, the phrase "chock it up" is important in the "King Liar" song. That phrase is important because it shows the singer "bigging up" himself (praising himself, patting himself on the back) for besting his competitor in the lying contest.
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"As a young boy, I kind of remember the chorus. I visited Trinidad recently and was liming with old friends in a rum shop in mayaro. I laughed until my jaws were hurting. The LIES and stories they were telling could rival that of the great Lord Nelson.. King Liar. Great kaiso!"
-TnT4Play
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"Chune of chunes. Love this one."
-David Smith
Posted in 2011
"This is the most hilarious kaiso of all time.
"If you tell a lie, you goin' to Hell as soon as you die." As a child, I actually heard this from teachers."
-AlmightyDreadlock
Posted in 2012
"yess sir lol you can find it here on youtube and yess it was nelson he sang that song in response to being opposed to enter Dimanche Gras that year, as he does not reside in trinidad. but he ah tobago child eh! boom! lol"
- Rip Mowt
-snip-
"Dimanche Gras" (Fat Sunday" is the Sunday before Mardi Gras.
Fromhttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_Dimanche_Gras_mean
"It's feast day in Trinidad. Dimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition)."
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"Calypso in trouble. You think any one of them singing calypso these days could sing a tune like this?"
-Sham9909
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"BIG BIG BIG Chune, Kaiso boy. One of the best ever recorded kaiso."
-therookiemusic
Posted in 2013
"Goodness, talk about master story telling and humour, The Mighty Duke who wrote this song, is a first class writer."
-Kaisokid7
-snip-
I've posted this comment for the record [no pun intended]. I'm not sure if The Mighty Duke actually wrote this song or if it was written by Lord Nelson.
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"Teacher Percy from Patience Hill was both school master and anglican lay minister what a giant.
-Andy Moore
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Thanks to the musical legacy of Lord Nelson.
Thanks also to the publishers of these videos, and thanks to all those whose comments are quoted in this post.
