Rags_to_Riches

|Dutty Tough | | | | |Sun a shine but tings no bright; | | |Doah pot a bwile, bickle no nuff; | | |River flood but water scarce, yawl | | |Rain a fall but dutty tough. | | | | | |Tings so bad dat nowadays when | | |Yuh ask smaddy how dem do | | |Dem fraid yuh tek tell dem back, | | |So dem no answer yuh. | | | | | |No care omuch we da work fa | | |Hard-time still een wi shut; | | |We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we, | | |Dem might raise wi wages, but | | | | | |One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an | | |We no feel no merriment | | |For ten poun gawn pon wi food | | |An ten pound pon we rent! | | | | | |Saltfish gawn up, mackerel gawn up. | | |Pork en beef gawn up, | | |An when rice and butter ready | | |Dem jus go pon holiday! | | | | | |Claht, boot, pin an needle gawn up | | |Ice, bread, taxes, water-rate | | |Kersine ile, gasolene, gawn up; | | |An de poun devaluate | | | | | |De price of bread gone up so high | | |Dat we haffi agree | | |Fi cut we yeye pon bred an all | | |Turn dumplin refugee | | | | | |An all dem marga smaddy weh | | |Dah gwan like fat is sin | | |All dem-deh weh dah fas wid me | | |Ah lef dem to dumpling! | | | | | |Sun a shine an pot a bwile, but | | |Things no bright, bickle no nuff | | |Rain a fall, river dah flood, but, | | |Water scarce an dutty tough. | NUH LIKKLE TWANG Me glad fe se's you come back bwoy, But lawd yuh let me dung, Me shame o' yuh soh till all o' Me proudness drop a grung. Yuh mean yuh goh dah 'Merica An spen six whole mont' deh, An come back not a piece betta Dan how yuh did goh wey' Bwoy yuh noh shame' Is soh you come' Afta yuh tan soh lang! Not even lickle language bwoy' Not even little twang' An yuh sista wat work ongle One week wid 'Merican She talk so nice now dat we have De jooce fe undastan' Bwoy yuh couldn' improve yuhself! An yuh get soh much pay' Yuh spen six mont' a foreign, an Come back ugly same way' Not even a drapes trouziz' or A pass de rydim coat' Bwoy not even a gole teet or A gole chain roun yuh t'roat. Suppose me las' rne pass go introjooce Yuh to a stranga As me lamented son wat lately Come from 'Merica! Dem hooda laugh afta me, bwoy Me could'n tell dem soh! Dem hooda sey me lie, yuh was A-spen time back a Mocho. Noh back-ansa me bwoy, yuh talk Too bad; shet up yuh mout, Ah doan know how yuh an yuh puppa Gwine to meck it out. Ef yuh want please him meck him tink Yuh bring back someting new. Yuh always call him "Pa" dis evenin' Wen him come sey "Poo". Dry-Foot Bwoy, by Miss Lou Wha wrong wid Mary dry-foot bwoy' Dem gal got him fi mock, An when me meet him tarra night De bwoy gi me a shock! Me tell him seh him auntie an Him cousin dem sen howdy An ask him how him getting awn. Him seh, 'Oh, jolley,jolleyl' Me start fi feel so sorry fi De po bad-lucky soul, Me tink him come a foreign lan Come ketch bad foreign cole! Me tink him got a bad sore-troat, But as him chat-chat gwan Me fine out seh is foreign twang De bwoy wasa put awn! For me notice dat him answer To nearly all me seh Was 'Actually', 'What', 'Oh deah!' An all dem sinting deh. Me gi a joker de gal dem laugh; But hear de bwoy, 'Haw-haw! I'm sure you got that bally-dash Out of the cinema!' Same time me laas me temper, an Me holler, 'Bwoy, kirout! No chat to me wid no hot pittata Eena yuh mout!' Him tan up like him stunted, den Hear him no, 'How siiley! I don't think that I really Understand you, actually.' Me seh, 'Yuh understan me, yaw! No yuh name Cudjoe Scoop' Always visit Nana kitchen an Gi laugh fi gungoo soup! 'An now all yuh can seh is "actually"' Bwoy, but tap! Wha happen to dem sweet Jamaica joke yuh use fi pop'' Him get bex and walk tru de door, Him head eena de air; De gal-dem bawl out affa him, 'Not going' What! Oh deah!' An from dat night till tedeh, mah, Dem all got him fi mock. Miss Mary dry-foot bwoy! Cyaan get over de shock!