Jamaican Song and Story Part 33

Annancy left him fife.

When him coming home, he an' his grandmamma, he said:--"Gran'mumma you know I leave my fife at groun'."

Him grandmamma say:--"Me son a know you well. You is a very bad boy.

Go for it but don't play."

When Annancy coming home he play:--

[Music:

None a we, none a we commando Sairey gone home commando Yahka Yahky Yak commando, Suck your mother bone commando.]

An' as he play he meet Hog.

Hog say:--"Brother, a you a play da sweet sweet tune."

Annancy say:--"No, Bro'er."

Hog say:--"Play, make me hear."

Annancy play twee, twee, twee, all wrong note.

Hog say:--"Tche! you can't play."

Hog gone round short pa.s.s.

As Hog go round short pa.s.s, him buck the boy was playing the tune.

Hog say:--"Bro'er Annancy I think a you a play, you beggar, you light fe me dinner, you libber fe me dog."

An' Hog carry home Annancy an' goin' to do him up for him dinner.

An' when Hog think him done up Annancy him done up him own mother.

An' that made Hog nasty feeder up to to-day.

_Jack Mantora me no choose none._

NOTES.

=ground=, a provision ground where yams, etc., are grown. They often p.r.o.nounce it =grun=, rhyming to run but even shorter.

=a leave=, I leave.

This tune has a bobbin, see _Digging sings_. Nonsense words of course.

=commando=, p.r.o.nounced common doe.

=yah=, with French =a=.

=pa.s.s=, path. It no doubt should be =gone down short pa.s.s=. The paths circle round the steep mountain sides and short cuts connect the loops.

=buck=, stumbles on, meet.

=you light, etc.= Your lights for my dinner, your liver for my dog.

x.x.xIII. DRY RIVER.

Once a man have t'ree daughter. Dem go go pick wacky.

When dem a come, dem come to a river having no water.

Dem meet a old man beg dem a wacky.

The two biggest one give the old man two wacky, one each, an' the little one wouldn' give any.

An' the old man sing:--

[Music:

You no give me one wacky you can't pa.s.s, You no give me one wacky you can't pa.s.s, You no give me one wacky you can't pa.s.s, Dry River will come an' take you 'way.

Draw me nearer, Draw me near, Dry River will come an' take you 'way.]

An' the little one won't give.

An' the two big sister want to give two more of their wacky to the old man; but the old man say:--"No, the little one must give me one of fe her wacky."

An' she won't give.

So the old man sing the sing again.

An' still the little one won't give, until at last the river come down carry him gone.

From that day people drowning.

_Jack Mantora me no choose none._

NOTES.

In the heavy rains of October and May the rivers rise suddenly, and an insignificant stream or dry river-bed becomes a raging torrent.

Travellers are delayed in the Seasons, as these rainy times are called, owing to the fords becoming impa.s.sable. This happens now less frequently than formerly, not because the rivers do not 'come down'

but because many of them are bridged.