Mango Time: Dutty Tough
Mango Time: Dutty Tough
Mango Time: Dutty Tough
Dutty Tough
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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 it tell dem back,
So dem no answer yuh.
No care omuch we dah work fa
Hard-time still een we shut;
We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,
Dem might raise we wages, but
One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an
We no feel no merriment
For ten poun gawn pon we food
An ten pound pon we rent!
Mout-amassi
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Mout-amassi Liza, yuh no
Hear yuh mumma dah call yuh?
Meck yuh mout so galang plang?
Hear yuh mumma duh call yuh!
Yuh mout so fly, yuh mils tell lie.
Bun an Cheese
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Bun an Cheese by Louise Bennett Coverley
Excerpt from Laugh with Louise
Dem Bwoy dah jeer Miss Matty,
An a mock her an a tease,
Dem a kill demself wid laugh mah
An a call her Bun an Cheese.
Dem sey from Good Friday mawnin
Her jawbone no get no ease
Mawnin noon an night an bedtime
She was nyamin bun an cheese.
Fe breakfuss lunch an dinna
She got soso bun an cheese
She kea it go a church an
Movin pictures if you please.
She no count salfish an ackee
Cut her yeye pon rice an peas
Hear her me put pot pon fire
When me got me bun an cheese!
Rainy Day
If yuh want it an no need it
Curb yuh wanti-wanti ways,
Pudung wanti-wanti money
Fi de needy rainy days.
No might-be bout de rainy day,
No few a we, no some;
But eena everybody life
It must an boun fi come.
Tedeh, tomorrow, nex week,
Dis yah mont or tarra ear,
De rainy day deh pon de way
Fi ketch yuh unaware.
Sometime him creep up sofly like
A puss an stir up strife;
Sometime him drop like atom-bomb
An worries up yuh life.
But me gwine fi trick de bugger:
Day by day me dah prepare,
Dah save up lickle money an
Me ready fi him, me dear.
When rainy day strike me, ah gwine
Fi bring him to disgrace,
Jus wave me bank-book an bus out
A laugh eena him face!