Yankees to Spoil the Fete June 28
The Mighty Calculator Ian Joseph strums through a calypso set—classic tunes from the ’50’s and ’60’s—starting with Roaring Lion and the virtues of having an ugly wife. Next comes the “Congo Man’s“ cannibalistic taste for “white meat.“ In “Shame and Scandal in the Family,“ Lord Melody critiques the unraveling of nuclear families in the wake of the occupation. The off-beat syncopation, the sweep of the thumb on strings, slowing then quickening, like the pace of colloquial speech, perfectly sets up each punchline:
In Trinidad there was a family
With much confusion as you will see
It was a mama and a papa, and a boy who was grown
Who wanted to marry and have a wife of his own
He found a young girl, that suited him nice
And went to his papa to ask his advice
His papa said son, I have to say no
This girl is your sister but your mama don't know
Woe, is me, shame and scandal in the family
Woe, is me, shame and scandal in the family
A week went by and the summer came 'round
And soon the best cook in the island he found
He went to his papa to name the date
But papa shook his head and to him he said
You can't marry this girl, I have to say no
This girl is your sister but your mama don't know
Woe, is me, shame and scandal in the family
Woe, is me, shame and scandal in the family
He went to his mama and covered his head
And told his mama what his papa had said
His mama she laughed, she said go, man, go
Your daddy ain't your daddy, but your daddy don't knowLike Lord Invader’s Rum and Coca Cola, and so many others, the lyrics are charming, sweetly menacing, and devilishly funny, while the melody dances over terrible memories. Calypso remains social disintegration recorded in song.
The lime heats up, and Maeve cries out for more. Carolina’s plea for a romantic Colombian Cumbia, in Spanish, goes unanswered. Reggae fans hurl requests for songs of peaceful communion, Soca enthusiasts fidget for a faster beat, but Calypso has something else in mind entirely—some serious comedy. Ian begins the thumb-strum. Prostitutes star again in Mighty Sparrow’s “Jean and Dinah,“ yet everyone of every shade and style sings along to the refrain and chorus:
It's the glamour boys again
We are going to rule Port of Spain
No more Yankees to spoil the fete
Dorothy have to take what she get
All of them who used to make style
While they taking two shillling with a smile
No more hotel to rest your head
By the sweat of thy brow thou shall eat bread
Jean and Dinah
Rosita and Clementina
Round the corner posing
Bet your life is something they selling
And if you catch them broken
You can get dem all for not’ing
Don't make no row, the yankees gone
Sparrow take over now.