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1950s
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 Count Owen    Lord Flea    Lord Lebby    Harold Richardson & The Ticklers  
  Arthur Knibbs    Chin's Calypso Sextet, A. Bedasse, E. F. Williams & Ivan Chin  
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Lyrics on this site

 

Page last revised: 8/10/13

 

Below is "Jamaican Calypso Songs", a booklet probably from the 1950s with the lyrics to 15 songs. Though some are Trinidadian calypsos, such as "Rum and Cocoanut Water", many are Jamaican mentos. A few are not familiar, such as "Tower Island Magic". There are some interesting variations in these renditions. For example, the version of "Belly Lick" is quite explicit compared to any recorded version I've heard.

 


(cover)

Brown Skin
Gal

 

Maryan

 

Kitch

 

Not Me

 

Linstead
 Market

 

Funny Names
of Places
in Jamaica

 

Rum and
Coca Cola

 

Tower Island Magic

Donkey
City

Hol 'Im Joe

Rum and Cocoanut
Water

Belly
Lick

Run Run
Run

Bargee

Take Her
To Jamaica

In addition to the booklet above, lyrics to mento and Jamaican folk songs can be found on various pages of this site. This page's cross reference below help you find them. Just click a song title to go to the lyrics. Also, take a look at this back jacket scan of Edric Connor's "Folk Songs From Jamaica".
 
Song: Written by: As performed by:
Adam's Fault (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Albany King Size Calypso No. 2  Count Owen Count Owen
Back To Back (Belly to Belly)  traditional Lord Lebby
Bargie traditional Tower Islanders
Big Bamboo Emile Straker Silver Seas Calypso Band
Big Bamboo Emile Straker Hubert Porter
Big Boy and Teacher Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Big Sid Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Blood Shot Eyes Hank Penny  Lord Lebby
Brown Skin Gal traditional Tower Islanders
Brown Skin Gal traditional The Charmer
Bulldog Count Owen Count Owen
Calypso Opinion Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Caroline (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Charlie's Cow (a.k.a. Matty Rag) traditional Silver Seas
Chi Chi Bud traditional The Frats Quintet
Chi Chi Bud Oh traditional Lord Messam
Chico Chico Count Sticky Count Sticky
Come To Montego Bay Eric Hayden Eric Hayden
Coolie Gal (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Daphne Be-Bop Walking Clyde Hoyte Silver Seas Calypso Band
Day Oh traditional Sam West
Day Oh traditional The Frats Quintet
Dip Dem traditional Sam West
Long Time Gal traditional Sam West
Don't Fence Her In Everard Williams Harold Richardson & The Ticklers
Dr. Kinsey  Lord Lebby Lord Lebby
Funny Names of Places In Jamaica traditional Tower Islanders
Gi Me Back Me Shilling traditional Lord Messam
Give Her The Number 1 traditional Eric Hayden
Glamour Gal Everard Williams Harold Richardson & The Ticklers
Healing In The Balm Yard Everard Williams Harold Richardson & The Ticklers
Hill and Gully traditional Sam West
Hog In A My Minty traditional Lord Messam
Hol 'Im Joe traditional Tower Islanders
Hold 'Em Joe traditional Lord Lebby
Hold Her Joe traditional The Charmer
Holiday Number Lord Messam Lord Messam
Honeymoon  Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Hosanna traditional The Frats Quintet
In De Land of America (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Island In The Sun  traditional Lord Lebby
Island In The Sun  traditional Lloyd Wilkes
I Visited A Wedding Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Jamaica Banana (a.k.a. Banana) traditional Silver Seas Calypso Band
Jamaica Bananas  Count Lasher Count Lasher
Jamaica Farewell  trad./Irving Burgie Lloyd Wilksy
Jamaica Fashion  Lord Lebby (?) Lord Lebby
Jingle Bell Calypso Lord Lebby Lord Lebby
Juicy Oyster Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Love (And Love Alone) Caresser  unknown
Linstead Market traditional  Lord Messam
Linstead Market traditional The Frats Quintet
Magic Composer (a.k.a.: Barji or Bargie) traditional Lord Flea
Maintenance Joseph Clemendore (?) Lord Lebby
Mango Time Count Lasher Count Lasher
Mango Walk traditional Lord Messam
Mango Walk traditional Tony Johnson
Mary Ann  traditional Lord Lebby
Mary Ann  traditional The Charmer
Matilda traditional Lord Lebby
Mattie No Drownded traditional The Frats Quintet
Millie unknown Tower Islanders
Mr. Parney traditional The Frats Quintet
Muma Me Wan' Fe Work traditional The Frats Quintet
Nobody's Business traditional Sam West
Not Me (aka: Man Smart, Woman Smarter) traditional(?) Tower Islanders
Parakeet In The Garden traditional The Frats Quintet
Penny Wheel [Penny Reel] traditional The Frats Quintet
Red Head  Lord Lebby (?) Lord Lebby
Reincarnation (a.k.a. Bed Bug) (?) Lloyd "Prince" Thomas
Reincarnation (a.k.a. Bed Bug) (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
River Come Down (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Robusta Banana Count Lasher Count Lasher
Rocky Road traditional The Frats Quintet
Rock Your Body In Time (Shake Senora) (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Rum and Cocoanut Water a calypso hit Tower Islanders
Salt Lane Gal (a.k.a. Swine Lane Gal) traditional Lord Fly
Sam Fi Man Count Lasher Count Lasher
Sammy Dead traditional Sam West
Shaw Park Blues Robin Plunket Robin Plunket & Shaw Park Calypso 
Solas Market traditional unknown
Sly Mongoose [Run Mongoose] traditional The Frats Quintet
Sweet Jamaica Lord Lebby Lord Lebby
Take Her To Jamaica traditional Lord Lebby
Teacher Lick De Gal traditional Cudjoe Minstrels
Ten Penny Nail traditional Tower Islanders
(Don't Touch My) Tomato traditional Lord Lebby
Too Late Kitch  Lord Kitchner Lord Lebby
Under The Coconut Tree traditional Sam West
The Weed (aka Man Pyabba)  traditional Count Lasher
Weekly Lover  Everard Williams Chin's Calypso Sextet
Wrong Man (?) Silver Seas Calypso Band
Yellow Bird  traditional Lloyd Wilks

Also see:

 

 

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