Carnival Celebration

Official Small Island Pride lyrics from- Calypso Awakening From The Emory Cook Collection 1. Carnival Celebration (Small Island Pride 1956, from Dance Calypso, Cook LP 1180) Verbal Bravado abounds as the calypsonian issues a challenge to well known hoodlums like Mastifay and Cutouter. There were several calypsos of his type, since the singers were easy to pret to various underworld charecters. The sparse instrumentation, featuring prominent guitar and maracas and no horns, harks back to an earlier, pre-commercial era of calypso. Ah, Mastifay, Mastifay/Meet me down by the Croisee And Cutouter, Cutouter /Meet me down by the green corner Well. I waiting for this carnival/To jump up with these criminals I going to arm myself with a big stick/Any man in town I meet, That is real licks Cause I done tell Mammy already/Mammy do, do tie up your Belly Cause is murder, federation/With war and rebellion When they bar me by the junction.// Monday morning I wake up early/Two drink of Vat* to steam up My body And I jumping up like I crazy/I alone go collapse the city With my razor tie on to my poul**/I like a badjohn in the 18th Century And with my stick in my waist/I chipping in space Is to spit in ole nayga face.// Well, to show you I in for trouble/On my right hand is my steel Knuckle My chooker# in my left pocket/Boys, my pooya+ under my Jacket And I jumping up like if I wild/I know they bound to say that is Old style But they could beat me like a child/I taking licks with a smile And I pelting war like I wild.// Well, as man I consult my doctor/ to check my lungs and my liver I done pay of my Lawyer/So he could pay off my undertaker And as I have no mother nor father/They could post me back To Grenada Cause I tell Mr. Chance/I done pay in advance To bury me down in Grand'Anse.// Vat 19, locally made rum; ** type of wood, frequently used in Stick-fighting; # dagger; + machete (Lyric Information from Smithsonian Folkways)