MANY EVENTS AND LEARNING MOMENTS…

THOUGH we dwell in the present, circumstances at times compel us to seek comparatives to interpret current situations. It is easy to think that we live in the most dishonest age of human existence. Recently, a pause for a beer with some boyhood friends—when one referred to a current incident, that a friend of his that we all knew approached him for another small loan, when two previous loans were not paid. Before he gave us the outcome, he paused and reflected: “Remember them fifty cent Juke Box Dances that they used to got in the scheme? (Ruimveldt). Deh used to play duh Platters tune, ‘Wuh kinda fool do you think I am?’” And for each of us, a certain female came to our thoughts that our overseas buddy would surely remember, and we all laughed. We shook our heads, and I introduced another relevant reference to change the mood.

A lot ah we doing things, but the world change. Doing it is one, but getting paid is another. “Suh is wuh de man singing?” my colleague enquired with a gesture my way. “I singing the Beatles, ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ and I ent talking about booming.”

“How could a conversation on the effects of music turn so grim?” enquired ‘Brother’, a religious brother from early school days. Because music had to be an ingredient that was active in the creation of humankind. We sing hymns in worship, we sing love songs, war songs, when duh time come, and to duh special lady. Remember—“Pancho Carew at the radio station, fuh a dollar—duh brother in heaven now—but he would put out some of duh DJ sware fuh yuh, ‘To Donna, from someone special’. Yuh remember them times, boy? And when yuh meet she at the bus stop in the afternoon, is a lovely smile. Yuh might even get fuh hold she hand for a couple minutes—and that was a big thing back then.” Morals have also felt the impact of change.

Nuff pash-way (reference to a fist or broken bottle skirmish) in the dance that could occur with two males demanding the attention of the same female. When a special line of music was introduced and two opposing males would court the same sitting female to stand by, resting her hand in the reached-out male hand of her choice, outstretched to claim her, claiming the same lady for that special tune and its musical chart. “I went deh, at Talk of the Town, when you and One-Eye nearly pash-way—duh tune ‘I’m Not a Run Around’ de now come out, and the sweetie choose you.”

Brother intercepted: “We must remember that it was said that Shakespeare declared, ‘If music be the food of love, then play on, give me excess of it,’ because as we chatting here, everything in we life, both sad and happy—there was music and will be music.”

Every calypso, reggae tune, hymn, ballad, concert piece and love serenade archives an experience of knowing, of hope and of wisdom—based on lyrics and melody that never will leave us. On this journey of life and living.

De lamentables