A’MERICA

by Louise Bennett

Every seckey got him jeggeh,

Every puppy got him flea.
An yuh no smady ef you no
Got family ovah sea!

“Uncle zacky sen’ a parcel”.

“Air mail cable come from sue”,
“Sammy boat pull out dis mawnin”,
Yuh no hear sey sarah flew?”

Everybody disa talk bout

Finga-printin an passport,
Finance-board? merican council,
Airways ticket, winta-coat!

Ah wanda is wat fault dem

Fine rid po li jamaica,
Meck everybody dah lif-up
An go a merica?

Be de time yuh sey “puss-pickney”

As yuh y’eye quint, as yuh yawn,
Yuh miss smady an baps yuh hear—
¬Is Merica dem gawn!

Some a go weh fe vacation

Some a go weh fe tun “high”
Some a go fe edication,
But de whole a dem a fly!
Me ask meself “warra matta?
Me ask meself “wa meck?”
Is tidal-wave or eart’quake, or
Is storm dem dah expeck?

Jane sey she meet so much ole frien

Wen she strole dung new york,
Dat she feel like is dung king street
Or luke lane she eah walk.

Dem might call me “falla fashin”,

But wah fe do me chile?
Ef yuh no falla fashin, yuh
Wi never eena style.

Sso me dah go falla fashin,

Me dah lif-up an go weh,
Any time unoo no hear me mout.
Is merica me deh.

Colonization in Reverse
by Louise Bennett

Wat a joyful news, Miss Mattie,

I feel like me heart gwine burs
Jamaica people colonizin
Englan in Reverse

Be the hundred, be de tousan

Fro country and from town,
By de ship-load, be the plane load
Jamaica is Englan boun.
Dem pour out a Jamaica,
Everybody future plan
Is fe get a big-time job
An settle in de mother lan.

What an islan! What a people!

Man an woman, old an young
Jus a pack dem bag an baggage
An turn history upside dung!

Some people doan like travel,

But fe show dem loyalty
Dem all a open up cheap-fare-
To-England agency.

An week by week dem shipping off

Dem countryman like fire,
Fe immigrate an populate
De seat a de Empire.

Oonoo see how life is funny,

Oonoo see da turnabout?
Jamaica live fe box bread
Out a English people mout’.

For wen dem ketch a Englan,

An start play dem different role,
Some will settle down to work
An some will settle fe de dole.

Jane says de dole is not too bad

Because dey paying she
Two pounds a week fe seek a job
dat suit her dignity

me say Jane will never fine work

At de rate how she dah look,
For all day she stay popn Aunt Fan couch
An read love-story book.

Wat a devilment a Englan!

Dem face war an brave de worse,
But me wondering how dem gwine stan
Colonizin in reverse.
Dutty Tough
by Louise Bennett

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!

Saltfish gawn up, mackerel gawn up.

Pork en beef gawn up,
An when rice and butter ready
Dem just go pon holiday!

Claht, boot, pin an needle gawn up’

Ice, bread, taxes, water-rate
Kersene ile, gasolene, gawn up;
An de poun devaluate.
De price of bread gawn up so high
Dat we haffi agree
Fi cut we yeye pon bred an all
Tun dumplin refugee

An all dem marga smaddy weh

Dah gwan like fat is sin
All dem-deh weh dah fas wid me
Ah lef dem to dumpling!

Sun a shine an pot a bwile, but

Things no bright, bickle no nuff
Rain a fall, river dah flood, but,
Water scarce and dutty tough