Jamaican Song and Story Part 59

The pickers fall with slashing strokes to:--

[Music:

Me donkey want water, rub him down Joe, rub him down Joe, rub him down Joe; Me donkey like a peeny, rub him down Joe, rub him down Joe, Joe, rub him down Joe; Me Jacka.s.s gone a pound, bring him come Joe, bring him come Joe, bring him come Joe; Me donkey full of capers, rub him down Joe, rub him down Joe, Joe, rub him down Joe.]

"Peeny" is the Candlefly, which shines like my donkey's coat. "Bring come" for "bring" is very common, and in the same way they say "carry go," the "come" and "go" indicating the direction of motion.

Lx.x.xV.

"Bring dem come" is the t.i.tle of the next sing. It is in a curious minor mode, almost F minor, but wanting the leading note, which is replaced by E flat.

[Music:

A Somerset me barn, bring dem come, bring dem make me batter dem, bring dem come, me would take me picker batter dem, bring dem come.

A Woburn Lawn me barn, bring dem come, I will like to see dem batter me, bring dem come, A Goatridge me barn, bring dem come, I want to see dem jostle me, bring dem come.]

This is a digging contest. The Somerset men challenge their neighbours. Whoever digs most yam-hills in a given time is to be the winner. Every man is confident that he will hold out longer than every other, and boasts like Goliath. "I was born at Somerset; bring the strangers, bring them, let me beat them; I will take my pickaxe and beat them--I was born at Woburn Lawn; I should like to see them beat me." Honour and glory is the sole reward, but that counts for a great deal. It is so gratifying to hear the others say "Lah! that man dig hill, ya."

("Jostle" has the same meaning as "batter." When two ponies race, the riders try to jostle and foul each other.)

Lx.x.xVI.

The next is really a woodcutter's sing, but it is used also for digging:--

[Music:

Timber lay down 'pon pit, Timber; cut 'im make we go 'way, Timber; me want go 'way ya soon, Timber; timber lay down 'pon pit, Timber; timber, timber oh! Timber; me wanty go 'way ya soon, Timber; me want go home back a yard, Timber; a cedar timber oh! Timber; lash the saw make we go home, Timber; timber lay down 'pon pit, Timber.]

"Lie down on the pit, timber. Cut it, and let us go away. I want to go away soon, do you hear? Drive (lash) the saw hard."

The pit is not really a pit. The sawing is done where the tree falls.

A rough scaffolding is made and the log is rolled up to lie on the top of it. The bottom sawyer stands upon the ground.

The West Indian cedar is not a fir but a deciduous tree (_Cedrela odorata_), which looks like a hickory or walnut. It grows in the hills, and its lightness and durability make it very useful. Most people know it in the shape of cigar-boxes.

The rest bars are sort of pauses for breath. It will be seen that they break the rhythm. Throwing the accent on "go," in "go 'way," is characteristic. We should put it on "'way."

Lx.x.xVII.

Listen how restless and unfinished this sounds:--

[Music:

Me want go home a yard oh!

me want go home a yard oh!

me want go home a yard oh!

me want go home a yard oh!

a Guava Ridge me barn oh!

me want go home a yard oh!

mumma me want come home oh!

me want go home a yard oh!

poor me boy me want go home, me want go home a yard oh!

Teacher Bailey crahss 'pon me, me want go home a yard oh!]

Lx.x.xVIII.

The last example refers to the rebellion of 1865. Several whites were murdered, and the survivors are of opinion that their lives were saved by the prompt action of Governor Eyre, who proclaimed martial law and restored order by severe measures:--

[Music:

War down a Monkland, war down a Morant Bay, war down a Chiggerfoot, the Queen never know.

War, war, war oh!

War oh! heavy war oh!

Soldiers from Newcastle come down a Monkland with gun an' sword fe kill sinner oh!

War, war, war oh!

War oh! heavy war oh!]

The places mentioned are in the parish (corresponding to English county), of St. Thomas, except Newcastle, the hill cantonment of the white troops, which is in the next parish of St. Andrew. "Chiggerfoot"

takes its name from the chigoe, chigger, or jigger, the minute flea which burrows into the foot. It is interesting to see that this contemporary comment by the blacks describes the rebels as sinners.

Further on, No. Cx.x.xVII., will be found another view, in which they pose as aggrieved persons. It shows that there was a loyal as well as a disloyal party.

The reader has now had enough examples of digging-sings to show their nature and variety. The Negro is never at a loss for words, and the masters and overseers of the estate on which he generally labours, Bushas as he calls them--a word said to be derived from Pasha--are often satirised. The gangs on private estates are under a head-man, who is responsible to the Busha. The Busha is a white or coloured man as a rule--coloured in Jamaica meaning mixed white and black--and he is responsible to the master or owner. The workers have to be carefully looked after, for like other people the Negro will not do more work than he can help. Only when he is working for himself will he "let out," as he describes it, the whole of his splendid strength.

It is a mistake to suppose that the black man is either stupid or lazy. When he has an incentive to work he is industrious, and will do as much in one day in his own field as he will in two for an employer who pays him. In selecting land for planting his sagacity is remarkable, and he knows just where it will "come," as he says, guinea yam or white yam, and where coffee will succeed and where fail. It is a pleasure to see their provision-grounds, the miscellaneous crop looks so thriving. "Provisions" embrace all eatables, such as yam, sweet potato, coco (_colocasia_), sugar cane, beans of various kinds, maize (or simply "corn," as we call it, having no other), okra (_hibiscus esculentus_), ca.s.sada (_manihot utilissima_), plantain, banana, arrowroot, pindar (_arachis hypogoea_, a ground-nut), pumpkin, tomato and cabbage.

PART III. RING TUNES.

That informal kind of dancing, referred to in some of the Annancy stories, known as "playing in the ring" or "Sally Water" has its origin in English children's games. Sometimes it is merely a case of hunting the slipper or of finding a key pa.s.sed from hand to hand, but more often what begins in playing ends in dancing. The nature of this playing in the ring will be best understood from examples.