Tobago Correspondent
As calypso lovers around the world mourn the Mighty Sparrow, Tobagonians are taking the loss personally.
Slinger Francisco, 91, died on Sunday in New York, leaving an extensive catalogue of memorable calypsoes.
More than three decades after the Grenada-born artiste paid tribute to All Dem Tobago Gyal, women on the island are returning the favour.
The humorous song delves into Sparrow’s admiration for Tobago women and their physical features, particularly those from Mason Hall.
The witty composition incorporates the predicament faced by many foreigners who fall in love while vacationing in paradise and are reluctant to leave.
Using metaphors unique to Tobago, Sparrow praises the attributes of the local women, wondering if it was something in their local diet.
He described them as “sweet like a kaiser ball” and “pretty like a doll,” but warned that “they eh easy at all.”
Speaking with Guardian Media, popular Tobago singer and event hostess Adana Roberts recalled feeling very proud hearing the song for the first time when she was younger.
“We hope our icons could live on forever. It’s something we are never prepared for, but his legacy lives on through his music and the work he has done for the artform, and, of course, him paying tribute to Tobago women; he will hold a special place in our heart,” she said.
Roberts said, as an artiste, the song became a staple for her and her peers to cover during events on the island.
Mason Hall resident Rose Pierre-Jacob told Guardian Media the song still makes many women in her village blush.
“I feel good because he singing about Mason Hall girls, and we look good.
“If I could add something to it. He has another one, Jean and Dinah, Rosita, and my name is Rose. I feel real good knowing Sparrow looking at me,” she said while bursting into laughter.
On his passing, she said aspiring calypsonians “can take a page out of his book.”
Guyanese Desiree Saigo, 75, on the island on vacation, said she doesn’t have a favourite song, but enjoys all Sparrow’s music.
“May his sweet soul rest in peace,” she said.
At a bar in Black Rock, a group of friends were liming and discussing the veracity of the claims made by Sparrow.
“That is the truth. Them girls was really nice, no disrespect,” said Ricky Williams. His friend Mervyn Lincoln agreed wholeheartedly.
“The song real nice. The fact remains, Mason Hall has some really pretty girls, but the trouble part, me eh really know about.”
On his general impact on the genre, Lincoln said his quality of music has stood the test of time.
“Sparrow and them men is men that would naturally go down in history. The music was real nice, and no matter how old the music is, still sounding fresh when you play it. Them soca nowadays can’t touch them fellas. The man was a legend.”
Asked his favourite Sparrow song, Lincoln burst into acapella.
“Nothing in the world sweeter than ...”
His friend Heston Robinson, 67, expressed condolences to Sparrow’s family, describing him as “the greatest calypsonian” and one of the legends in the artform alongside Kitchener, Chalkdust and Duke. Comparing him to reggae icon Bob Marley, Robinson, a former panman, said Sparrow’s legacy will live on and nurture the next generation.
