as times change and one generation's seeming demise shifts into the next generations pop culture emblems one thing remains constant. humanity is not humanist. humanism is nothing but a construct of our romantic ideals of peace and love. humans are in fact animals (duh)who live by the basic code of survival using intrinsic instinct. where's the hope? self reliance. it is our nature.
classic Junior Delgado tune with Lee Perry production
been a long time now since I left Jamaica. one of the important lessons about living in developing countries is that I’ve learned how resource rich my life here is. it’s hard to be grateful sometimes. it’s easy to get vexed about trivial shit. but dammit at least I have a future filled with food, shelter and safety. that’s more than heaps of people have in Jamaica.
Jamaican music is a music of protest. I didn’t really understand that well until I’d lived there and learned to understand patois. many of Bob Marley’s songs are in patois and it’s funny to hear them played on advertising or at parties and people don’t understand how aggressive the lyrics are. or perhaps we don’t care, were oblivious to what’s happening outside of our culture.
but what Jamaican people may lack in resources they make up for with a passion for life and music. you can hear sound systems all over the island blasting the latest big tune. each month a new riddim will come out and every top dj will write lyrics and before long one or two or sometimes more versions of the riddim will be on everyone’s lips. taxis always blast the radio. in the country or in Town little kids rock and wine in front of the huge stacks of speakers. youths lean up against the sound and smoke spliffs and cigarettes and if there’s money they hold a Guinness. grown men play dominoes under mango trees on makeshift tables as the music from the nearest sound fills the steamy air with pulsing baselines. grannies make rice and tin mackerel on the coal stove and sing old church songs as if on stage. and the people live, survive and sing.
when there’s no future there is still music and community. that’s something. give thanks.
Startin over no easy-Jah know
Juh see, yuh hafi learn tings
Yuh hafi move like dem noa look pon you
See me a say man?
Bwoy sometime you hafi bruk out inna space
Gwaan like mongoose and crawl an slide tru fence
Goat no tuff like uno hafi tuff
If rain a fall yuh no fi fuss
Rasta man seh “bwoy, no watch no face
One one apple full basket
Tek time bredah everyting is everyting
Evenin soon come and inna morrow the sun gwaan shine again”
So I wek up inna morning and niam oatmeal
Dash lickle brown sugar pon it
Keep the belly from unger -keep de mind from fret
Tell john crow guh way, me no dead yet
petah touch
Aha, water dog down
Jumped from plank like
A jazz trumpet jumps
Crowd mad -bass player humps
"Wha? Wha yuh seh bwoy?"
"Sorry fi magga dog
'im turn roun bite you
touch seh dat seen"
Out he comes wet
Duck mouth blowing
Cheeks puffed like trombone
"Man? Who? Wha?"
"Wha yuh mean man?
But -yuh no easy
If you jump inna fryin pan
You gwine bun up too-
I -seen sah
a wha yuh deh pan man?
you mussa gone mad
duck dog trombone
nuh blow pan de land
a jus petah a gwaan like
'im no gone, a ball 'im
a ball, till dupy dem run
'cause man is a man
and deh time soon come"
"inna lights 'im seh"
"bwoy yuh behta run"
Mongoose
Dem wicked yuh know
a tief dem tief bredah
we lick dem down wit rock stone
we no love mongoose man
dem magga and wicked
dem come like dirt
if me find im inna fowl
coop im dead!
an if im cross road an I-a
drive -im dead to bumba clot!
yah man, we no romp wit
mongoose yuh know sista
dem dirty yuh fuck
we no love dem at all!
sciance business is mongoose
a deh devil work dat man
dem wicked yuh know
hear me a seh… mongoose fi dead!
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