Mr. Peters - Good Mawnin, Belize (information, partial lyrics, YouTube examples, & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about Belize, Central America and information about Mr. Peters, King of Belize's Brukdown music.

This post also showcases Mr. Peters performing the now iconic Belizean song "Good Mawnin'*, Belize". Partial lyrics for that song are included in this post along with selected comments from two YouTube videos' discussion threads.

Additions and corrections for these lyrics are welcome.

*"Mawnin' (morning) is also given as "maanin'".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Mr. Peters for his musical legacy. 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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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/12/two-videos-of-belizean-christmas-song.html for a pancocojams post that showcases the Belizean Christmas song "Good Morning, Miss Lady". This song may be related to "Good Mawnin' Belize", but I don't know which song came first. -
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Updated 12/24/2016
If it's correct as I have read that "Good Morning, Lady" was a song that was traditionally sung by Belizean Christmas carolers, than that song is older than "Good Morning, Belize".

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INFORMATION ABOUT BELIZE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize
"Belize... formerly British Honduras, is a country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide."...

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From http://www.chabilmarvillas.com/blog/the-music-of-belize.html
"Often described as a true melting pot, the modern-day nation of Belize is a rich blend of different cultures, including the Maya, Garifuna, Creole, and Mestizo people.

During its earliest history, Belize was briefly under the dominion of Spain but then became Britain’s only mainland colony in the area. Later emigration of Mennonites from Germany and Switzerland added to the many European influences in Belizean music, including polkas, quadrilles, schottisches, and polkas.

Primarily from the Garifuna culture, local styles feature musical instruments like drums, banjo, accordion, guitar, and a donkey’s jaw bone (played like a saw or zither). The Mestizos, immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico, brought the marimba, double bass, and drum sets.

These various influences have created a number of distinct styles of musical expression in Belize. Cumbia, related to salsa and merengue, is a popular type of music played by troupes in areas where Mestizos live. Probably the most famous musical Creole style is known as “brukdown” (breakdown), a melodic mix of calypso featuring percussion and rhythms from a donkey’s jawbone, drums and banjos. Newer forms of brukdown are called “boom and chime” and feature the use of electric guitars, congas, and bass guitars.

Two related genres of music created in Belize are known as punta and punta rock. Developed by Garifuna musicians, punta and punta rock mix traditional rhythms and dance steps from African melodies and add modern lyrics to create a style somewhat similar to reggae. Punta and punta rock were developed for parties and social events where dancing is just as important a component as the music and singing."....

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INFORMATION ABOUT MR. PETERS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Peters
"Wilfred Peters MBE (April 15, 1931 – June 9, 2010) was a Belizean accordionist and band leader, known as the "King of Brukdown". He toured Europe and North America with his band, the Boom & Chime Band, and was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth in 1997 for his cultural contributions.
A Belizean national icon, Peters was one of the country’s best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he defined Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive Brukdown music style.[citation needed]

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From http://www.belizemusicworld.com/mr-peters-biography.html

....
"Mr. Peters' Boom & Chime

The King of Brukdown, Mr. Wilfred Peters is a Belizean national icon and one of the country's best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he continues to define and invigorate Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive brukdown music style.
Brukdown music reflects the journey of the African slave into the mahogany camps of Belize. It uses syncopated rhythms and call and response patterns firmly rooted in Africa, harmonies borrowed from Europe and lyrical themes colored with the Belizean Creole language and experience. Brukdown became the music of the people, whether urban or rural.

As one of the few remaining brukdown accordion masters, Mr. Peters learned to play the instrument from his father on the family farm near the Sibun River in Belize, where music was the main form of entertainment in his household and when farmers and loggers gathered.

"We had no radios or cassettes then, only what we could play. And with some white rum and wata, people would dance through the night," Mr. Peters said.

Performing with accordion and guitar since the age of seven, his reputation grew, and by his early teens he found himself in demand throughout Belize. His popularity never waned, and he and his band continue to be a steady fixture at dances, holiday celebrations and events around Belize."...

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PARTIAL LYRICS: GOOD MAWNIN' BELIZE
(as performed by Mr. Peters)

Good Mawning Belize
and good mawnin'
I said Good Mawnin' Belize
and good mawnin'
And how are you this mawnin'?

I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night

I got I got nine pickneys to feed,
yeah
And one on the way,
yeah
A wife always in need,
nice
What a beautiful day!

????
????

I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night.

?????
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I found the "I got nine pickneys" verse on this blog: http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=25697&page=3 posted by Diane
That blog discussion is about the differences between the word "pickinniny" and the word "pickney". Diane's prefaced these partial lyrics (and the chorus) with the comment ..."How 'bout LoveFM's song they play every morning, sung by the venerable Mr. Peters". She also wrote [I] "(might be a bit off with the lyrics, haven't been able to pick up love in the mornings lately.)"

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Good Mawning Belize - Mr. Peters



Byron Gordon Published on Oct 12, 2012
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Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread

justin lawton, 2014
"thank you som much. u mek ay fe hyear dis lee choon ya . ay musa b wah fool doe ca e mek i cry an all tru?"
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translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
Thank you so (very) much [for] making me hear this (here) little tune [again]. Am I foolish because I really cried when I hear this song?


Tesia Joslyn, 2015
"Awwww 😘😍😏😏 I remember listening to this song in the mawning before going to school when I was younger 😞😏😏😁"

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Reply
Frassmáasa Flash, 2015
"So dah chune ya gi yu bagga energy fi skuul"
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Translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
"So that there [particular ?] tune gives you lots of energy for school".

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Example #2: Good Mawnin Belize



Richard Lawry, Uploaded on Jul 19, 2009

Slideshow of Belizeans starting out their day in San Pedro Belize
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Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
maestrolx, 2010
"I love this cultural song it is so beautiful. It makes me feel good to be a Belizean."

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nmxterra, 2011
"Makes me miss Belize. I remember listening to this every morning.

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Lanny Mendez, 2012
"tiad ah hya spanish mi need fi hya wa lee creole fi get mi maaning started. time fi listen to wa lee live stream of Love Fm! wish mi Belize had betta education so i neva mi wa have to stuck da wa nada country. See you in a month my beautiful home!"

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Haiching Yin, 2012
"only those who were raised in Belize know this song, used to heard this every morning on bus to school :)"

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Dulce Alvarez, 2014
"GOOD MAWNIN TO ALL MY BELIZEANS!"

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Milton Amador, 2016
"I miss listening to this song on the radio 📻 miss my country"

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Alex Tytb Martinez, 2016
"This song is my alarm for school! 😵😵😨😜😂😂"

daintyminnie

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