Trinidad and Tobago is the “Land of Calypso”, the birthplace of the art form, as far back as the late 1800s (Gros Jean). We have heard the often-used statement “By calypso our stories are told”, more so in October which was officially declared Calypso History Month in 2002.
The theme of this year’s celebrations is “Calypso: Music to Educate, Empower and Embrace our space in the world.”
Calypso unites us as a society on many levels, as do soca, chutney soca, soca parang and rapso, recognised art forms spawned by the original calypso genre. Many have contributed to the development of the art form…writers, musicians, producers, promoters and, of course, the calypsonians, many of whom are immortalised through their works.
In this the second of five in the series, we look at snippets of the conscious lyrics of some instructive calypsoes, ‘Music to Educate, Empower and Embrace our space in the world.’
PROGRESS, King Austin, 1980 (Winsford "Joker" Devine's composition):
Today when I look around in the world, what do i see…
It is plain to see universally this land is not bountiful as it was
Simply because in its quest for success
Nothing stands in man's way
Old rivers run dry, soon the birds wouldn't fly
The mountains will be no longer be high
And when I really think of it
I does wonder why, oh why
I see charity deplored, equal rights totally ignored
Wisdom and ingenuity working in accord, simply to afford
Such inventions as total nuclear warfare and environmental warfare
And I wonder now, where do we go from here…
Time is running out as we eat and drink species at the brink of being extinct
And I think no one can deny that the price of progress is high, real high
I've already seen this world have come divided between race, colour, creed
and class
And some of the things the scripture predict truthfully come to pass
Soil that wouldn't bear
Children making children to be a part of this growing mass
And I ask, if this is progress, how long will it last?
JAHAJI BHAI, Brother Marvin, 1995. Unity message that politicians and the population at large will do well to learn from (in spite of the calypso’s generalisation that excludes other prominent ethnicities such as the Original Peoples, Chinese, Portuguese, Anglo, Middle Eastern).
I am the seed of meh father
He is the seed of meh grandfather
Who is the seed of Bahut Ajah [great grandfather]
He came from Calcutta
Ah stick and ah bag on he shoulder
He turban and he kapra
So I am part seed of India
The indentureship and the slavery
Bind together two races in unity
Achcha dosti (good friend)
There was no more Mother Africa
No more Mother India, just Mother Trini
Janmabhoomi (my home)
My Bahut Ajah planted sugarcane
Down in the Caroni plain
So Ramlogan, Basdeo, Prakash and I
Is Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
Brotherhood of the boat, Jahaji Bhai
I would be ah disgrace to Allah
If I choose race, creed or colour
Bahut Ajah had to make that journey
For I to have Zindagee [life]
So it is ah great privilege
To have such unique heritage
Fifty percent Africa, fifty percent India
REAL UNITY, Machel and Drupatee, 1999/2000 (another calypso on national unity):
Well this one is about uniting a nation!
Why can't we all get along?
Why we fuss and fight?
Tonight we got to unite
Mister Machel and Drupatee
Wah yuh say?
Aap jaisa koi meri zindagi main aaye to baat ban jaye…
Hear me now! Say...
Nothing wrong with wining on a Indian girl
Nothing wrong with wining on a Chinee girl
Nothing wrong with wining on a African girl
Nothing wrong with wining on a Syrian girl
Is huge unity
Hear mih story...
Me eating mih curry from Harrylal
Me invite him out to piece ah pelau
Leh we take a little jump in the bacchanal
Take a chook and a wine in the Carnival
------ and he eating dumpling and dahl
Curry crab, fry rice from de Chinee gyal
Now we take a trip down to the Port of Spain
Make a little stop by the Textile King
Pretty in we costume with plenty sequin
'Cause yuh know we love we jumping, jumping
And that is real unity [huge unity].
Watch me now! Say!
Every creed and race, we jumping as one
Every creed and race could jump in a band
Love on another, unite the nation
Prime minister, all politician
President, police and also -------
Unite the nation, unite the nation!
----- moving like ah big family
And that is real unity [huge unity].
--------- we jumping up in a band
Every single man and every woman
Arawak, Carib, Amerindian
Unite the nation, unite the nation,
Unite the nation, unite the nation!
Aap jaisa koi meri zindagi main aaye to baat ban jaye
Unite the nation, unite the nation!
Ahaan baat ban jaye…
Everybody hug up together as one together
And love yuh sister and love yuh brother
We got to unite the nation, unite the nation!
Nasser Khan is the author of the book: Heroes, Pioneers & Role Models of Trinidad & Tobago, which is available as a free download at www.safaripublications.com/firstcitizenstt/heroesprofilestt/.