One Two Three Four Colon Man He Come (with lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcase the Jamaican Mento song "One Two Three Four Colon Man He Come." This post also includes background information about that song, a sound file, and two versions of lyrics for that song.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights belong with their owners.

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BACKGROUND TO THE SONG "ONE TWO THREE FOUR COLON MAN HE COME"
From "Brown Gal In De Ring: 12 Jamaican Folk-Songs Collected & arranged for schools by Olive Lewin: Oxford University Press 1974
"Colon is another name for Panama. Many Jamaicans who went there to help build the Panama canal were therefore called Colon Men. With the money they earned some of them were able to buy watches, and this song makes fun of the Colon Man who is showing off his watch on his return home. In some cases, however, there was no watch on the end of the chain! When his neighbours suspected this they would tease him by asking him to take it out and tell them the time."
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Hat tip to Nigel Parsons for posting this information & the lyrics to that song [the first verse of which is the same as the first verse found below] on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40845
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Several Jamaican Mento songs refer to the Panamanian town of Colon, to Colon Bay, or to Colon men. Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40845 for lyrics to three of those songs: "Me Lover Gone A Colon Bay", "Isaac Park gone a Colon", and "One, Two, Three, Four, Colon Man A Come".

This comment was posted after the lyrics to the song "Isaac Park gone a Colon":
"Colon was the port of disembarkation for labourers on the Panama Canal.

In 1888, the French De Lesseps company began with 20,000 laborers, most of them Afro-Caribbean. Over 22,000 died in the 1880s. The United States took over in 1904, the year Jekyll's book was published.

The deaths took place because of yellow fever, and the work of assassination squads who murdered any 'wooly-haired man" in the camps. "Straight-haired Coolies, that is to say East Indians, were allowed to go unharmed."
Walter Jekyll, 1904, Jamaican Song and Story, CXII"
[This quote is reformatted with the source credited at the end.]

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FEATURED VIDEO:
Cedella Booker Marley Colon Man



G4nJa4LiFe, Uploaded on Apr 6, 2011

Cedella Booker Marley - Smiling' Island of Song (1992)- Silvanio Rockers
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This song is found beginning at 1:30 & ending at 4:12 of that sound file.

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LYRICS:
Example #1:
1 2 3 4 Colon man a-come (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

Ask him what the time and he look upon the sun (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

So hee glance there upon the sun (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
That’s me.[This is said between each repeat of the first line]
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

So fast he leave the island so quickly he come back
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
That’s me [This is said between each repeat of the first line]
With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum.
[ending line] With his brass chain a-lick his belly bum bum bum
-snip-
Lick = hit (strike)
-snip-
This is my transcription of this song from the sound file that is found above. Additions & corrections are welcome.

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Example #2

1 2 3 4 Colon man he come (3x)
And his watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I asked him for a dollar he gave to me a dime (3x)
And his watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum

One two three four Colon man he come (3x)
His watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I ask him for the time, he look up at the sun (3x)
His watch and chain hit the belly bum bum bum.

I think I go to Colon and get some money too (3x)
My watch and chain will hit the belly bum bum bum.
-snip-
Source:
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138570#3184427 posted by Kendell

The information that Kendell wrote that he was told about this song appears to be inaccurate. Here's his comment:
"The story, as told to me was the Colon man was a boss in the sugar cane fields of Barbados, and he was illiterate, knew nothing about money or even how to read a watch. He went to Colon, Columbia and came back with a fancy pocket watch and gold chain. The field hand he was talking to saw right through him and made a fool out of him by asking for money and the time."

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/08/panamanian-calypso-get-ready-for.html

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Thanks to the unknown composers of this song and thanks to the vocalists who are featured in this video. Thanks to those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the producer of this showcased video.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

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The Real Meaning Of The Jamaican Folk Song "Cudelia Brown" ("Cordelia Brown")

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provide information & comments about as well as lyrics and sound files of the Jamaican Mento song "Cudelia Brown" (also known as "Cordelia Brown").

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, sociological, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MENTO MUSIC
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mento:
"Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music...

Mento is often confused with calypso, a musical form from Trinidad and Tobago. Although the two share many similarities, they are separate and distinct musical forms...

Mento uses topical lyrics with a humorous slant, commenting on poverty and other social issues. Sexual innuendos are also common. Mento was strongly influenced by calypso, the musical traditions of the Kumina religion and Cuban music. During the mid-20th century, mento was conflated with calypso, and mento was frequently referred to as calypso, kalypso and mento calypso; mento singers frequently used calypso songs and techniques.

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CUDELIA BROWN
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUNWfxCfko for a sound file of Cudelia Brown sung by Louise Bennett.
[embedding disabled]
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ZACK MATALON & THE SONNY BRADSHAW QUARTET - Cordelia brown (MRS Uk press)



Published on Sep 19, 2012 by mightydoctorbird
MORE ON
http://mightydoctorbird.blogspot.fr
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LYRICS - CUDELIA BROWN
(Jamaica Mento [folk song], no known composer)

O Cudelia Brown,
Wha mek yu head so red? (Yu head so red!)
O Cudelia Brown,
Wha mek yu head so red? (Yu head so red!)
Yu si' dung eena di sunshine wit' nut'n 'pon yu head,
O Cudelia Brown,
Wha mek yu head so red? (Yu head so red!)
On a moonshine night, on a moonshine night,
I met Missa Ivan, an' Missa Ivan tol' me,
Sey dat 'im gi Neita di drop, Jamaica flop, and di moonshine drop,
Ee-hee-aw, haw; Ee-hee-aw, haw; Ee-hee-aw, haw.
-from Noel Dexter and Godfrey Taylor: Mango Time: Folk Songs of Jamaica (Ian Randle Publishers ; 2007)
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Editor: This version of "Cordelia Brown" was included in Louise Bennett's 1954 record Jamaican Folk Songs", an LP on the Folkways label [F-6846]... http://www.akh.se/lyrics/cordelia_brown.htm

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CORDELIA BROWN

Cordelia Brown



Uploaded by Cupa42 on Mar 7, 2010
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LYRICS: CORDELIA BROWN
(Traditional folk song adapted by Mento composer Lord Burgess)
Oh, Cordelia Brown, although' you never tell,
Oh, Cordelia Brown, still I know your secret well
Yes you fell in love with Ned
And when he left, your head turned red
And right well you know,
That what I say is true

Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
You say you come out in the sunshine
With nothing on your head
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red

Oh, Cordelia Brown, yes I've been far and wide
Now I'm telling you, every girl wants to be a bride
So I know what happen to you
And please strike me down if it isn't true
He said he never would wed,
And that when your head turned red

Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
You say you come out in the sunshine
With nothing on your head
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red

Oh, Cordelia Brown, Saw you waiting' at the train,
Yes, he's gone away, might never return again
Now miss Brown may I confess,
I've yearned this long for your caress
Since your head so red
I think I'll marry Mabel instead

Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red
You say you come out in the sunshine
With nothing on your head
Oh, Cordelia Brown, what make your head so red

Reposted from http://www.nomorelyrics.net/harry_belafonte-lyrics/176355-cordelia_brown-lyrics.html
-snip-
* This version was popularized by Harry Belafonte in 1957.

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COMMENTARY: HOW CUDELIA BROWN'S (CORDELIA BROWN) HAIR BECAME RED
Traditional Version
From http://dianebrowneblog.blogspot.com/, an excerpt from an April 17, 2011 post by Diane Brown about her award winning children's book Cordelia Finds Fame and Fortune*:

O Cordelia Brown whe mek you head so red?
O Cordelia Brown whe mek you head so red?
For you siddung ina de sunshine
Wid nuttin' pon you head
O Cordelia Brown dats why you head so red.

...The story is about a little girl who is teased because she has red hair, in a village where everyone else has chocolate coloured skin like her, but they do not have red hair. She survives the teasing, and in fact, her red hair becomes something of importance in her 'fame and fortune'. It stands out...

It’s a diss [a snap, a rip, a taunt] The other children are “rippin on” (teasing Cordelia Brown in an unkind way) by saying that her hair is red hair because she stood in the sunshine when they actually know her hair is that color because of her mixed racial heritage...

Mento draws on musical traditions brought over by African slaves. The influence of European music is also strong, as slaves who could play musical instruments were often required to play music for their masters. They subsequently incorporated some elements of these traditions into their own folk music. The lyrics of mento songs often deal with aspects of everyday life in a light-hearted and humorous way. Many comment on poverty, poor housing and other social issues. Thinly-veiled sexual references and innuendo are also common themes. Although the treatment of such subjects in mento is comparatively innocent, their appearance has sometimes been seen as a precursor of the slackness found in modern dancehall.

* The book Cordelia Finds Fame and Fortune was first published in Jamaica in 1990 and was also published in the USA in 1994.
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Diane Brown's conclusions about how Cudelia (Cordelia) Brown's came to have naturally red hair is the same conclusion that I reached. The singers taunt a female named Cordelia because her hair's naturally red hair color is different from the hair color of others in her village. They ask her "What makes your hear red?" knowing that it is because she is mixed race. The second verse of that traditional version of "Cudelia Brown" gives an account of Mr. Ivan (a White man) "having relation" with Cordelia's mother Neita (Nita").

I believe that the singers' suggestion that Cudelia's hair is red because she stood out in the sun too long [and thus got sunburnt] was given derisively and would have been met with a scornful "Yeah, right" response. A light skinned or White person's face can turn red due to sunburn, and brown hair may get reddish tinges due to the sun. But I think the people who offered an explanation that Cordelia's hair is red due to her hair being burnt by the sun would have done so for taunting reasons since they know that that's not the real reason for that hair color.
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=76631#3159758 "Lyr Req: Cudelia Brown / Cordelia Brown" to read my comments and other comments about that song.
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Lord Burgess Version (popularized by Harry Belafonte)Version
This version of "Cordelia Brown" gives the implausible explantion for Cordelia's hair being naturally red* because she is embarrassed that the man she wanted to marry left her. In my opinion, if anyone would have actually suggested that explanation, they would have done so in a tongue in cheek, taunting manner because they would have known that the real reason that Cordelia's hair is red is that she is of Black/non-Black ancestry.

*The word "naturally" is emphasized here to distinguish hair color that is natural to a person from hair color which is changed due to the hair being chemical treated.

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RELATED LINKS
Here's a link to an instrumental version of "Cudelia Brown" ("Cordelia Brown"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5utpgUFUeE
Dennis Haynes / Ooh cudelia brown

**
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordelia for information about the origin and meanings of the female name "Cordelia".

**
Click http://www.mentomusic.com/edricConner.htm for information about & text examples of Mento music.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the unknown composer of "Cudelia Brown". Thanks to those who performed that song and its adaptation "Cordelia Brown". Thanks also to those whose quotes I featured in this post and to the uploaders of the sound files that are showcased in this post.

Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcomed.

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Two Jamaican Mento Songs That Mention John Crow

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part series about the Jamaican character/symbol "John Crow". This post provides excerpts of two Jamaican mento songs that mention John Crow.

Part I of this series provides information about the cultural meaning of "John Crow". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html for that post.

Part III of this series features the Jimmy Cliff song "John Crow".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/jimmy-cliff-john-crow-lyrics-video.html for that post.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES

LONG TIME GAL [excerpt]
Dis long time, gal, me never see yu,
Come mek me hol your han.
Dis long time, gal, me never see yu,
Come mek me hol your han.
Peel head John Crow sid upon tree-top
Pick off de blossom,
Mek me hold your han, gal, mek me hol
your han.

Reposted from http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/themes/journeys/gallery/resource/?id=488&resource_id=488

Also, click http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2856&c=113 for similar Jamaican words and a standard American English "translation" of those words.
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I believe that "peel head" means "bald headed" (having no hair on your head).

Here's a video of the Jamaican mento song "Long Time Gal":

"Long Time Gal":



uploaded by BajanBloom on Jan 13, 2011

"Miss Lou -- Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley has made a distinguished contribution to the development of Arts and Culture in both in Jamaica and the Caribbean region at large. Through her skillfully penned prose in Jamaican patois, Miss Lou has been able to raise the folk dialect to an art level now accepted and appreciated by all Jamaicans."

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ONE SOLJA MAN
Verse 1
One solja man come fe court me,
Me sey me no ha' nobody,
Him gimme one shillin' an' quatty.
Me tek i' buy silk an' satin.

Verse 2
Me wash i' me starch i' me iron i',
Me pred i' pon pingwing macka,
An one ole un-conscionable John Crow
Come fling i' eena crevice an' corner...

Verse 3
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tera i',
No tear up me silk an' satin.

Verse 4
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
Yuh mussa wan' me fe go fall dung,
An' lick me belly pon tambourina.

Solja- Soldier
Ha'- Have
Quatty- Penny halfpenny
Pred- Spread
Pingwing macka- Cactus
John Crow- Jamaican scavenger bird, but here used in a derogatory sense, alluding to 'Jeremiah'.
Eena- In
Weh- Why
Mussa- Must
Fe go fall dung- To fall down
Tambourina- Tambourine

Also sung as 'One Bungo Man', Bungo meaning an African.
*May be sung as: 'Him gimme one cock-y'eye fourbit', 'fourbit' being one shilling and sixpence.

Pp. 58-59, With music for voice and piano.

Tom Murray, Ed. and arr., 1951, Folk Songs of Jamaica, Oxford University Press.

[These lyrics & notes are were posted on http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40845 by Q on October 4, 2011]
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In Jamaican tradition "John Crow" is commonly referred to as a "disgraceful" bird. The adjective "unconscionable" means the same thing as "disgraceful".

In the context of this song, "John Crow" in this song is used as a derogatory referent to a dark skinned Black man,The phrase "An one ole un-conscionable John Crow" doubles down the derogatory meaning of the description (an unconscionable dark skinned Black man"). That meaning is substantiated by the note that the song is also sung as "One Bungo Man", Bungo meaning "an African." For another Jamaican mento that refers to "bungo", click http://cocojams.com/content/caribbean-folk-songs for the song "Bungo Moolatta".

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the unknown composers of these two songs. Thanks also for those who collected these songs, and those sand them, and those who posted them online.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Caribbean Song "One Solja Man"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents lyrics, video, and comments about the Caribbean song "One Solja" man.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

My thanks to the unknown composer/s of this song. My thanks also to the collector of this song, and those who have published the lyrics of & notes about this song. Thanks also to the performers on the featured video and the uploader of this video.

All rights remain with their owners.

FEATURED VIDEO
Jamaican Folk Song/ The Carifolk Singers



Uploaded by hollythomas18 on Jul 9, 2010

LYRICS: ONE SOLJA MAN
Verse 1
One solja man come fe court me,
Me sey me no ha' nobody,
Him gimme one shillin' an' quatty.
Me tek i' buy silk an' satin.

Verse 2
Me wash i' me starch i' me iron i',
Me pred i' pon pingwing macka,
An one ole un-conscionable John Crow
Come fling i' eena crevice an' corner.

Verse 3
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tera i',
No tear up me silk an' satin.

Verse 4
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
Yuh mussa wan' me fe go fall dung,
An' lick me belly pon tambourina.

Solja- Soldier
Ha'- Have
Quatty- Penny halfpenny
Pred- Spread
Pingwing macka- Cactus
John Crow- Jamaican scavenger bird, but here used in a derogatory sense, alluding to 'Jeremiah'.
Eena- In
Weh- Why
Mussa- Must
Fe go fall dung- To fall down
Tambourina- Tambourine

Also sung as 'One Bungo Man', Bungo meaning an African.
*May be sung as: 'Him gimme one cock-y'eye fourbit', 'fourbit' being one shilling and sixpence.

Pp. 58-59, With music for voice and piano.

Tom Murray, Ed. and arr., 1951, Folk Songs of Jamaica, Oxford University Press.

As posted on http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40845 by Q on October 4, 20112

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ABOUT THESE LYRICS
"One Solja Man" is a Jamaican Mento song. Another name for this song is "Wheel And Turn Me".* Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fMZp8Nerk for a 1952 sound clip of "Wheel And Turn Me" by Lord Flea with The Jamaican Calypsonians. (A number of Jamaican Mento songs are miscategorized as the more popular in the USA category "calypso". Subsequently, some Jamaican Mento singers used the descriptor "Calypso" and "Calypsonian" for their music and their groups.)

*Hat tip to Q from Mudcat for his July 22, 2012 comment on the Mudcat thread whose link is given above for sharing information that connects the Mento song "Wheel And Turn Me" to "One Solja Man".

-snip-

Comments about certain words in "One Solja Man":
In my opinion, "John Crow" in this song is a derogatory referent to a dark skinned Black man. The phrase "An one ole un-conscionable John Crow" doubles down the derogatory meaning of the description (an unconscionable dark skinned Black man"). That meaning is substantiated by the note that the song is also sung as "One Bungo Man", Bungo meaning an African." Also, read the notes for the song "Bungo Moolatta" given below the Caribbean song of that name on http://cocojams.com/content/caribbean-folk-songs Caribbean Folk Songs

The origin of the name "John Crow" comes from the black color of the crow. In the USA "John Crow" became "Jim Crow" and much later was used as a referent for discriminatory practices against Black people in the United States South and elsewhere in that nation.

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The word "tear" in the lyrics "No tear i' Jeremiah, no tera i'/ No tear up me silk an' satin" in the "One Solja Man" song appears to have the clear meaning of "Jeremiah, don't cause me to tear [cut] my silk and satin dress. But I think that word "tear" may also have have the added meaning of "tearing around [moving fast, wheeling and turning] on the dance floor.

As to how the woman in the song might cut her dress, the subsequent verse has her cautioning Jeremiah not to wheel & turn her so fast on the dance floor.

In the version of "One Solja Man" found above, the verse that includes the word "tambourine" is given as
"Yuh mussa wan' me fe go fall dung
An' lick me belly pon tambourina."

A contemporary American English translation of that verse is "You mustn't want me to fall down and smack my belly upon the tambourine".

Mudcat blogger Q shared a verse from a 1965 ska track by the Wailers that includes the lyrics:
"Now why you come wheel and turn me
Fi go lick a mi head 'pon you tambourine".

A contemporary American English translation for that verse is "Now how come you're dancing with me so hard that you're going to make me hit my head on your tambourine?"

Maybe a "tambourine" is just a "tambourine". But maybe "lick a mi head 'pon you tambourine" was a slang saying that meant "get all jacked up" ("get all messed up"). Or perhaps generally speaking "lick my head (or "my belly") on your tambourine" may have meant something like "fall flat on the dance floor".

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It’s also my position that the "no tear I Jeremiah" lyrics are an adaptation - albeit for a different purpose and with a different meaning- of the words of Jeremiah 9, verses 1-18. Here are two verses from that chapter:

Jeremiah 9:1 - 1 "Oh, that my eyes were a fountain of tears; I would weep forever! I would sob day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered"

Jeremiah 9:18 - 18 "Quick! Begin your weeping! Let the tears flow from your eyes"

-snip-
Because of those verses and other verses in that book of the Bible, "Jeremiah" is now known as the "weeping prophet". The entire chapter of Jeremiah 9 is found online at http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/jeremiah/9.html.

By the way, I found Jeremiah 9 to be particularly poignant in the context of the horrific massacre of movie attendees that occurred on July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/president-obamas-comments-dark-knight.html President Obama's Comments "The Dark Knight Rises" Shooting Aurora Colorado (Video & Transcript) for a Pancocojams post about that massacre.

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RELATED LINK
Click http://cocojams.com/content/caribbean-folk-songs for additional lyrics and videos of Caribbean folk songs.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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