People think being prime minister of a country
Is an easy task
Check the credentials of those who threaten to dethrone me
One night they couldn’t last
They criticize me.. ostracise me
In every rum shop.. & every bar
Try to embarrass me.. most unfairly
On front page of them newspaper
Calypsonian you could help me out
That’s why ‘A’ come to you
What you think I should do
chorus 1
Prime minister tell the people the truth
Let honesty be your guide
Tell the people the truth
And let them decide
Don’t pretend you could walk on water / No no no
Don’t expect you to build a bridge to Barbuda / No no no
You are the prime minister
You must be seen
To be incorruptible & squeaky clean
I strongly advise
Always look before you leap
And don’t make promises you cant keep
verse 2
Did you forget to mention your intention to raise taxes
Goin’ back a year or two
Is it crisis in the treasury or de threat of bankruptcy
Force you so to do
People need assurance.. private health insurance
Is it paid for with John Public money?
I’m a calypsonian.. & in my opinion
Present the facts on radio & tv
All rumour should be denied
Or guilt might be implied
Take friendly advice from me
chorus 2
Prime minister tell the people the truth
Let honesty be your guide always
Tell the people the truth
And let them decide
Share no chalice with them dictator / No no no
Don’t want this country to end up like Cuba / No no no
You are the prime minister
A messenger of hope
People under pressure unable to cope
Don’t give in to temptation
When you open your mouth to speak
Don’t make promises you cant keep
verse 3
When workers go on strike.. my dear boy it upset’ me
‘A’ cant sleep at night
Lie down & ponder how history will record me
What them historian’ will write
Will the compare me.. favourably
To men with insight wisdom & virtue
Will they compare me.. to my daddy
On Michael’s Mount erect my statue
Minister if you follow instruction
I will challenge any man
To point their finger at you
chorus 3
As long as you tell the people the truth
Let honesty be your guide always
Tell the people the truth
And let them decide
Don’t pretend you have every answer/ No no no
Don’t expect you to drive out foreign investor / No no no
You are the prime minister
Introduce legislation
To protect the right of workers all across this land
Don’t have to swallow a bible
Or sacrifice a sheep
Just don’t make promises you cant keep
Genre: Calypso Origin: Antigua and Barbuda Writer: Short Shirt and Stanley Humphreys Artiste: Short Shirt
Year of release: 1981
Did you ever consider what a place this world would be
If there was no national border
You could come and go as you please
You wouldn’t need a visa to go to the USA
Emigration system would see the end of its day
But such a change will disrupt politicians plan
Whose aim it is to control their own gang
But so they rise up, I say, is so they fall down
Like Hitler, who want all will get none
Cho.
Nationalism
Creating division among the world people
If we never had national boundaries
You and I could move about as free as a bird in a tree
Politician will never let this happen
They too power hungry to control people
They like to have soldiers fighting bitterly
To take over a little more territory
Soldiers die leave their family
Suffering in their country
That’s how nationalism is killing we
Russia put troop in Afghanistan
Iraq invading Iran
But this would simply never be
If they were all one country
Take a look at Germany
People of one family separated by political boundary
Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela wouldn’t have no dispute over a border
And a Trinidadian fisher could fish in anywhere on Venezuela
Cho.
Nationalism
Creating division among the world people
If we never had national boundaries
All the island gasoline would be shared equally
Politician will never let this happen
They too power hungry to control people
They like to have soldiers fighting bitterly
To take over a little more territory
Soldiers die leave their family
Suffering in their country
That’s how nationalism is killing we
India spend 25 million US to put a rocket up in the sky
Other nation they trying to impress
While their people standing their dying
Each nation must be number one
At the expense of their national
So who really benefit I don’t understand
Caribbean people wanted Federation
Politicians wanted their own nation
So it’s love for each other, you see
And not for the nation is our only way of survival
Cho.
Nationalism
Creating division among the worl d people
If we never had national boundaries
Cambodia and China would exist peacefully
Politician will never let this happen
They too power hungry to control people
They like to have soldiers fighting bitterly
To take over a little more territory
Soldiers die leave their family
Suffering in their country
That’s how nationalism is killing we
“Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”
That is what one politician said but with him I must disagree
See what you can do for your fellow man regardless where he come from
Politician would have you kill for their preservation
What we need now is one world government
That will stamp out greed, hatred, and discontent
So Reagan, Brezhnev, and all you others
Step aside; make way for higher powers
Cho.
Nationalism
Creating division among the world people
If we never had national boundaries
All the food in the whole world would be shared up equitably
Politician will never let this happen
They too power hungry to control people
Britain want to pass a Nationality Bill
So they will have the right to send out emigrant at will
They done work most of them for free
Had their forefathers in slavery
That’s how nationialism is killing we
Note: Transcribed from the lyrics. Anything in red I’m not sure of. You can help improve these lyrics or any others in the Antigua and Barbuda Song Lyrics Database. If you share give credit to the source – the songwriters’ obviously (sharing here is not intended to infringe their copyright) but also Wadadli Pen for taking the time to transcribe and share for public information. – JCH, blogger
This one is a collaboration between King Short Shirt and co-writer and collaborator Stanley Humphreys. It won him the road march king in 1980, a year in which he also won one of his 15 Antigua Calypso Monarch crowns. See also our song lyrics data base; and our song writers’ data base. All lyrics are transcribed from the song recording. Errors and omissions are my own; feel free to help me correct or fill in the blanks. – JCH, blogger
1.
Every year, it’s becoming more popular
The Carnival we display in Antigua
From every nation
They come to jump up in we steel band
Show them that they’re welcome
Let them enjoy our native land
You must show them
Our tropical sceneries
Our beautiful sites
Relating to histories
Our white sandy beaches
Our smiling faces
I say, they won’t want to go home
Cho.
They enjoying the Caribbean’s
Most colourful
Summer festival
2.
The tourist come
They come to enjoy the festival
It’s fun and spree
During the whole Carnival
They hear about j’ouvert
If you see them prowling for a band
They are filled with excitement
Dressed for the special occasion
Some are wearing tear up pajamas
Big boots and sneakers
With oversize trousers
Zip up panties
Half slip and nighties
Like if they don’t plan to go home
Cho.
3.
Our shows, I say they are spectacular
Yes we have
A high standard in Antigua
My calypsos
They vibrates the Caribbean
Our steelband and mas men
Strive for more innovation
See beautiful women in costume parading
The prince and princess
Are played by our children
Accept the invitation
For your participation
I sure you won’t want to go home
Cho.
4.
Once you have
Tasted this great festival
You must come back to share in our bacchanal
It’s so captivating
You can’t miss a next j’ouvert morning
The whole place pulsating
From sound of steel and brass playing
Mas bands parading
Colourful, fascinating
It’s so exciting
To see people dancing
So peaceful and free
It will live in your memory
You’ll wish Antigua was your home
Update again (July 25th 2017): This story has been fast moving so this update may already be dated. But last I read, Queen Ivena was being told she had to either remove the ‘offensive’ lyrics or lose her spot in the semi-finals (which went by last weekend), and last I heard she opted for door number 2. This may be the last update as I don’t want to get too deeply in to this as this space belongs to Wadadli Pen (maybe at some point, I’ll write about it on my own blog), but the writer and journalist and free thinker in me is disturbed. It’s one thing for the PM to follow through on his threat to sue for defamation (though honestly I’ve heard calypsoes more scandalous than this one e.g. – this calypso did call names and I was a child but I remember adults lapping up each line). It’s quite another thing, if the reports are true, for the body responsible for staging the calypso show to deny a calypsonian access to the platform given to calypsonians to sing their song (in a matter that has not yet been ruled on in the courts, to the best of my knowledge). This seems to be a harder line than the Carnival Development Committee took in 2010 when, in response to legal action involving objectionable lyrics by another artist, it reportedly said, that it can only advise an artist not to sing the song, not compel them to. Banning an artist from the stage feels unprecedented (stand to be corrected on that but I remember, through the years, even artists banned from the radio got to have their say on the stage). If the court rules that libel or slander has been committed, that’s one thing (it’s a risk). But this precedent (i.e. the Festival Commission’s change your lyrics or else you won’t get to perform), once set, can potentially affect not only the single artist but the art form as a whole (the internal pressure calypsonians and writers in general then feel to not offend and how that then re-shapes what they produce and dilutes the role of the calypsonian and the artist in our society). This concerns me as a writer and as someone who through Wadadli Pen pushes the literary arts (among which this site has consistently counted calypso) as an avenue for expression.
Update: According to the Daily Observer newspaper, Saturday 15tth July 2017, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has followed through on his threat to sue former Calypso Monarch Queen Ivena. “Queen Ivena was served on Thursday with a copy of the claim filed by Rika Bird & Associates on behalf of the Prime Minister,” according to the Paper. He reportedly claims severe injury to his character and reputation. The singer, based on the report, remains resolved not to change her lyrics (per his demand) as the song makes its way through the elimination rounds in the singer’s 2017 Calypso Monarch competition run.
At this writing, this posting of the song, ‘Nasty‘, is at over 7500 views and counting with majority up-votes/likes and user comments: e.g. “this is real calypso”.
ORIGINAL POST
A bit of context: There’s a calypso, by Antiguan and Barbudan Scorpion, which declares ‘Calypso go call Your Name’, and that has always been a hallmark of the art form, a folk music tradition that gained prominence as the voice of the people in a time when other platforms for free expression were not available. If you check our lyrics data base, you’ll see that speaking truth to power (via social and political commentary) is something calypso prides itself on. It does so via lyrical masking (symbolism, metaphor, pun, double entendre etc.). Just as often, though, names are called, and the cut is sharp and pointed. Ivena, who became, in 2003, the first female Monarch (as calypso is still a male dominated field), is the self-declared Razor Lady and has landed some cuts in the past. Usually politicians, often the villains of calypso, take it in stride, an alleged radio ban here or there, not to mention allegations of rigged calypso competitions; the chatter gets loud (to understand how loud you’d have to understand how topical Carnival is in season, across the Caribbean, summer in Antigua, and how intrinsic the voice of the calypsonian is to Carnival even with the popularity of soca), but lawsuits are rare. However, rare is not the same as never, and here we are. We try to stay out of politics here at Wadadli Pen, but we’ve covered calypso, an oral literary art form, on this site, including posting song lyrics, song writer credits, and artiste profiles, including this one on Ivena. It seems only right to share this local calypso battle, especially as it’s specifically over lyrics, and has now gained regional attention.
Antigua and Barbuda’s The Daily Observer reports on the possible legal battle between Prime Minister Gaston Browne and calypsonian Lena “Queen Ivena” Phillip if she does not change a line from her song, “Nastiness” [also known as “Nasty”]. The article does not quote the critical content, but you may check it out on YouTube. Queen […]
As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Musical Youth, With Grace, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved.
Transcribed by ear; all errors or omissions are mine. I’d love to continue building this data base of Antiguan and Barbudan song lyrics; anyone who wants to help with this (teachers? students? can anyone say research project?) welcome to do so.
Song: Illusion
The artist: King Short Shirt
You told the youths that they were free
And slavery has lost its sting
But they’re not foolish they can see
You’re lying deep within
Slavery has not left our doors not yet I’m sure
We have got to fight the battle some more
The time has come for every man in the Caribbean
To forge one common destiny
Designed to make our people free
We have got to stand up for the rights to lead the lives we choose
To change, enhance, or to refuse
Cho.
If you think the battle is done
My brethren you are riding
an illusion, an illusion
You talk of progress, love and justice, peace and unity
all illusion
We have no hold on these our native islands
Our hands are tied, we don’t control our actions
Come le we forward together in a social endeavor
our goal: social control
We slave no more
We’ll slave no more
only then we’ll slave no more
We’ll beg no more
We’ll stoop no more
Only then, we’ll be no …(?)
We cannot live forever more
Subjected from shore to shore
Reflecting cowardice and shame
Against our ancestral name
Are there no warriors left among us to rise and shine
No heroes left to rise up on to the shrine
No martyrs in our history for the youths to know
Scallas (?) died to make us free
Cuffy died to make us free
Garvey died to make us free
Must all these warriors die in vain
While we go back to slavery once again
Cho.
The struggle has only just begun
We’ve got to carry on
Uniting these West Indian lands
May take us generations
But independent in this region don’t mean one damn
If we can’t be independent as one
The economical policies are disheartening
The people voices are ringing
We are tired of living
A life of total subjection
Told what to spend
And what to keep
God knows sometimes we ain’t even have enough to eat
Genre: Calypso Origin: Antigua and Barbuda Writer: Shelly Tobitt (?)* Artiste: Short Shirt 1.
You don’t say in which family
You would like to be born
But you can control your destiny
To stand still or go on
Growing up in the ghetto
With all them bad example
You’re inclined to follow
The wrong set ah people
With price increasing everyday
And very little to put on
You might think it’s the best way
To steal from your fellow man
Cho.
In the ghetto I was born
In the ghetto life must go on
But poverty don’t mean crime and violence
We have got to change the environment
In the ghetto I grew up
Where hunger is part of life
But poverty don’t mean hating your fellow men
We’ve got to change these bad condition
We have got to change
For the benefit of our children
2.
Growing up with insecurity
That makes you sigh and cry
Day after day it’s calamity
The problems multiply
Sometimes you feel like giving up
But somehow you keep hanging on
Trouble starts and never stop
All through the night good Lord until morn
And then you hear your granny say
You must have faith my son
Each night you go to bed you pray
Hoping for relief to come
Cho.
3.
Day by day
You struggle on
With elusive goals in view
Wondering just why you were born
To suffer the way you do
Paddling to keep your head above water
Holding on to your good name
Sometimes you wonder why bother
When life remains the same
And you know giving up will never
Solve the problems we face
And I wish every one will consider
To help and fight off disgrace (?)
Thought you might want to know about this. CARICOM has issued a call for a new composition, an anthem if you will. That means song with lyrics; that means writers, get writing. I, myself, just might take a crack at this, the Muse willing. Here are the deets:
The submitted song should have a strong Caribbean identity plus flava and riddim, be playable on various instruments, make swell up with pride, bring us closer together, celebrate our Caribbean- ness. It goes without saying, right, that the song should have popular and emotional appeal.
Tall order. Are you up to the challenge?
Well you need to get cracking as submissions must be in by May 30th 2013.
To participate you must be a citizen of a CARICOM member state. You may submit more than one song, each four minutes or less, each on its own CD. There should be no identifying markers (presumably because these are to be judged blind). You must submit a completed entry form with original signature, plus a lyric sheet and music sheet.
So, what do you get if you win…let’s see.. how does US$10,000 sound? US$5,000 and US$2,500 for the runners-up. Nice purse. Coupled with the glory of hearing your song played and replayed at CARICOM events.
Apparently, there are to be national and regional committees and selections…I’m not sure what’s happening on the national level but I shall try to find out from the Culture Department as the preliminary round is supposed to be coordinated by the Directors of Culture and entries are to be submitted to the Culture Ministry not, apparently, directly to the CARICOM Secretariat. Pray Antiguan lyricists and composers don’t get left out because we’re sleeping on this as we have other opportunities in the past.
Anyway, each member state is supposed to submit its top 6 and then a regional panel will take it from there.
N.B. re intellectual property: the winning entry becomes the exclusive property of the CARICOM Secretariat. Runners up may reserve right to their composition. All entries must be original and shall not infringe upon the copyright of another.
Wadadli Pen 