Ride Di Riddim!
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”
― Victor hugo
As Bob Marley famously stated, "One goood thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain". This is ndeed true, especially where Jamaican folk songs are concerned. Not only are these songs pleasant to listen to but they also sometimes come with a story or moral from which much can be gleaned. Wheter a warning, a funny tale or show how society is, these songs should seep into our hearts and our minds.
"Linstead Market"-
Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett-Coverly
A jamaican folk song of the mento type, 'Linstead Market' tells the story of a mother who gos to the popular Linstead Market in Jamaica to sell ackee, the Jamaican National Fruit but fails to do so. In the song the mother becomes anger as passerby stop by her stall not to buy but to touch and sample the ackee, effectively making them unappealing to other passerby. The mother then wonders how she will feed her hungry children on home, exclaiming that the Saturady night is somewhat cursed.
"Hol' Him Joe"
More mento for the soul, 'Hol Him Joe' is a folk song in which a man struggles to control the donkey he is riding. It can be presumed that ths spectacle occurs infron tof a crowd in which pople chant 'Hol Him Joe, Dohnt Let Him Go!' regardless of whatever the dokey wants be it water or whiskey. This song can often be sung at Nine Night celebrations where older men will sing and dance to the music, twisting and turning their bodies as is customary for mento dances.
"Dis Long Time Gyal Mi Nuh See Yuh"- Lousie Bennett-Coverly
In this folk song, Miss Lou is telling the story of when she meets a dear friend who she hasnt seen for a long while. When they reunite she talks of all the things she wants them to do. Often sung by young children as they skip or play Ring- A Rosie, almost every generation knows this iconic song.
"Mango Time"
This folk song immortalises what almost every Jamaican household does during peak season for mangoes and other fruits. Many Jamaicans when fruit trees are ladened with succulent, sun ripended fruits follow the lyrics of this song by focusing primarily on eating bountiful crops of these fruits. If you ever visit Jmaica during fruit peaking season, then you will see exactly what the song talks about.
"Go Down A Emmanuel Road"- Louise Bennett-Coverly
Usually sung by small children during ring games. The lyrics to the song refers to the work done by men who extract stones from quarries. In traditional Jamaican society for this ring game the children will stoop and form a circle; and as they sing, each child will take up selected stones at his left and place them on the ground at his right, to be picked up by the person beside him.
"Sammy Dead Oh"- Eric Monty Morris
"Sammy Dead Oh" is a folfk song that describes the fate of Sammy, a farmer who plants corn is killed by his neighbours and people around him once they see how bountiful his corn crop is. Sammy is a victim of 'grudgefullness' or envy where the potential wealth he could garner from the sale of his corn indirectly leads to him losing his life. This song can perhaps be used as a means to warn people about the dangers of envy.
"Banana Boat Song"- Harry Belafonte
A traditional Jamaican folk song with strong mento ifluences, this is a work song that describes the plight of workers working the night shift to load bananas onto a ship. In the song the workers pray for daylight to come for their shift to be over so that their hours can be counted and billed and they can go home.
"I Pledge My Heart Forever"-
Unlike the other songs that grace this page, this is not a folk song. Referred to as the National song of Jamaica, "I pledge My Heart Forever" is sung to the tune of 'I vow to thee my country' and can usually be heard after the National Anthem is sung at school assemblies as the National Flag is raised.