Tag Archives: Jamaican Culture

The secret to Usain’s success? I don’t think so…

An article on today’s BBC.co.uk website claims to be able to explain track star Usain Bolt’s speed using a mathematical model. BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

Scientists, writing in the European Journal of Physics talk about body mass, air temperature, drag coefficients, and the aerodynamic shape of his body. It’s a nice little effort. (You can check out their findings here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23462815) And while it may explain WHAT is happening when Usain runs, it does little to explain WHY it happens. It does not explain why Jamaica produces so many world champions in track and field. For that, you’ll have to ask different questions unhampered by the linear-minded constraints most (but not all) scientists labor with.

Fortunately, you have the good fortune to be on my mailing list, and so I will steer you in the right direction.

Several months ago, when I was in Beijing, I was contacted by Dr. Rachel Irving, co-author of Jamaican Gold who asked me to review her book. Within the pages of this fascinating book (read my review here: https://www.jamaicaninchina.com/jamaican-gold/), is the secret that the UK scientists have overlooked; something they’d likely never consider; something that perhaps only Jamaican scholars would know to include as a critical factor….curious?….

Find it on Amazon!

 

Jamaican in China weighs in on Volkswagen commercial, Jamaican accents, boycott

Volkswagen superbowl ad jamaican opinion

[We now join Walt’s special press conference already in progress]

WALT: …and so, in the spirit of social justice through activism, I hereby call upon the United Nations to impose sanctions!!!! And I encourage the unequivocal and unconditional boycott of Volkswagen, German beer, German pretzels, Lederhosen. Heidi Klum, Beethoven, and Milli Vanilli! And, furthermore…um, wazzat? excuse me…
[Covers mike while assistant leans in to whisper and show Walt controversial ad on smart phone]

WALT: [overheard whispering] –you gotta be kidding me..Is that it???? Is that all????

WALT: Get a life, people….and turn dat frown de odda way around!!

Volkswagen superbowl ad turn that frown…

People Google the Darndest things: Worldview of Jamaican Culture

Once again, people’s interest in things Jamaican is ongoing, and provides us all with teachable moments upon which to expand our knowledge.Just a few days ago (according to my tracker stats), someone in Maryland, USA, found my blog by googling “worldview of Jamaican culture” most likely to learn more about this endlessly fascinating topic.

So, I did what any self-respecting Jamaican would do when presented with such curiosity: I first chuckle at his/her ignorance, and then condescendingly proceed to explain our worldview. I thought a graphical representation would be the most illustrative, and in searching on Google for maps of the world, I came across a quite unique one at
https://crzisme.deviantart.com/art/World-Map-Typography-262638545.

It shows each country’s name written in text at a font size equivalent to that country’s shape and land mass on the planet. However, the creator of this image, quite like our dear Maryland information-seeker, is forgivably unaware of the need for a slight adjustment to his map. Therefore, I’ve made said adjustment and present to you, and the world a “to scale” graphical representation of the Jamaican worldview. This is how Jamaicans see ourselves in relation to the rest of the world. Thank me later.

click to see larger image.

People Google the darndest things: Why don’t Jamaicans name their pets?

Okay. When I came across this one while checking the tracker stats for my blog, I felt it was my civic and cultural duty to stop working on my latest project and offer my perspective, analysis and actual life experience as it relates to this oft-misunderstood aspect of Jamaican life.

The internet seeker (from the UK) asks, “Why don’t Jamaicans name their pets?”

Now, you might think, based on my previous response to “Why don’t Jamaican’s like frogs?”, that we Jamaicans, as a people, have an utter disregard, disrespect, and disdain for forms of life we perceive as beneath us–both animal as well as certain humans.

You would be forgiven for extrapolating that we Jamaicans would see it as the height of folly and foolery to confer a humanizing name to animals we consider as merely security investments (intruder-barking dogs), housekeeping implements (rodent-catching cats), and household decorations (beautifying fish).

Ahhh, but you would be mistaken. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, particularly when it comes to dogs, we have not one, mind you, but SEVERAL names for these household purch–, I mean, um, pets. Let me give a few examples.

Had you the honor and privilege of actually residing with a Jamaican family on the island of Jamaica, you would, at any given moment, hear the head of the household confer one or more of the following terms of endearment on the dog(s) of the house:

“Dutty Mongrel!”–as in, “get dat dutty mongrel offa mi settee!” (Actually, this name would rarely be used in this context as all Jamaican dogs know–by training and instinct–the boundaries and limits of their cohabitation agreements with Jamaicans. Rare is the dog, indeed, that would make it far enough inside the house to actually end up on the settee. Rarer still would be the dog who survived such a transgression.

“Tiefin’ Ginal!”–as in, “Dat tiefin ginal wait til mi tun mi back and grab di piece a meat offa di table!”. [See “dutty mongrel” for information on transgressions of the human/dog domicile boundary.]

“Di Dog Dem!”— as in, “Lawd gad, mi couldn’ sleep, di dog dem just a bark all night!” As mentioned in another post, “di dog dem” is the pluralized form of dog. (“Dem” can also be used to pluralize just about anything living. eg. The cat dem, the people dem, etc.)

“Lazy Brute”–As in “You lazy brute, go look wuk!” (go look (for) work) This was a favorite term my grandfather would use whenever he would exit the house to find “di dog dem” sleeping on the steps or staring expectantly into his face or hands for any signs of food.

“Mangy Ras”–as in, “Listen mi. If you no keep dat likkle mangy ras dog offa mi grass, me an’ you a go war today!” Translation: “Please curb your dog, or I’ll be very upset.”

So, you see, unlike you Brits and Americans, we Jamaicans do not limit ourselves to expressing our affection for our dogs and household pets to merely one name. We believe that a dog’s name should be malleable! Why name a dog once, when you can give your pet the true gift of love with a name that changes to match the mood of the moment!

Glad I could help clear this up!

Jamaican Gold!


jamaican gold winners beijing

Winners

Everywhere I go in China, the first question people ask me is “Where are you from?”

I reply in Mandarin “牙买加,” [pinying: Yámǎijiā; pronounced Yah-My-JAH; in other
words JAMAICA!], and then I ask, “Do you know it?”

With few exceptions–everywhere from Beijing to Xishuangbanna–everyone says,
“Yes!”
As the language barrier sometimes prevents really sophisticated communication, one shopkeeper in Suzhou started running in place to show he knew exactly where I was from: the land of fast runners!

I know I have Usain Bolt and a pantheon of Jamaican gold silver and bronze medal winners specifically in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as those throughout Olympics history to thank for this!

So, when Author Rachel Irving found me through Jamaicans.com and sent me an advanced copy of the book, Jamaican Gold: Jamaican Sprinters! , I was ecstatic and eager to learn more about it and review it for everyone here in China and the rest of the world!

Sprint Version

So, the sprint version of my review is, ahem: FAAAAAAANTASTIC!

Long-distance version

But, of course, I’m not one for short versions of anything I do (read that anyway you choose),
so I’ll say this:

“There are two types of people who should own a copy (or two) of this book:

(1) Jamaicans and

(2) the people who, while not blessed to share the honor of being Jamaican, nonetheless, have the
equally enviable position of being able to WATCH Jamaicans conquer the world!”

I love to share information, but if I were to share every fascinating tidbit of information I wanted to, I’d essentially end up reproducing the book in its entirety in this post! I’ll simply say that the list of “firsts” and “onlys”–when compiled and viewed in one place–is staggering.


arthur wint jamaica's first olympic gold
ARTHUR WINT created history by winning Jamaica’s first gold in the men’s 400 metres in the 1948 Olympic Games in London. This win began a tradition of excellence by Jamaican sprinters.
(National Library of Jamaica photograph.)

Okay, okay, just a few:
“Merlene Ottey holds the record for the female athlete who has won the most medals in the Olympic Games.”

“Jamaica became, and remains, the only country apart from the United States to hold the world records in both male Olympic relay events.”

“Fittingly, sitting in the centre of the picture beside Aleen Bailey is a member of that other historic relay team, the oldest man in the picture, eighty-one-year-old Leslie Laing, who was also the first non-US athlete to make it to two Olympic 200-metre finals. Along with Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley and George Rhoden, a full-strength US team was beaten in this event in head- to-head competition as Jamaica became, and still remains to date, the only non-US team in the history of the Games to set a world record in this event.”

That quote refers to a historic photograph in the book that depicts “…all seven decades of Jamaica’s Olympic competition, from 1948 to 2004, with team members from fourteen of the fifteen Games in
which Jamaica has participated.” That photo and the documented accomplishments of each person in it is an amazing chapter and a book unto itself!


Veronica Campbell-Brown Jamaican athlete
The most decorated track and field athlete in Jamaica and possibly in the world is VERONICA CAMPBELL-BROWN. Veronica has won medals at every level of international competition, from junior to senior. In fact, she could be considered the world’s most decorated female athlete. To date, she is a five-time Olympic medallist (three gold, one silver, one bronze); six-time World Championship medallist (one gold, five silver); 60-metre World Champion in 2010; and second female athlete in history to win the 200 metres back-to-back at the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008).

Scientific evidence

Those of us who are Jamaican simply accept the phenomenon for what it is: We likkle but we talawah! The rest of the world, however, wants a scientific explanation. So, the editors offer some very scientific evidence, as well as educated insights–backed up by a ton of research–into why Jamaicans dominate the track and field events, specifically sprinting. Is it genetics? Is it environment? Perhaps something entirely unexpected is the cause. I won’t reveal the secrets in this review, but you won’t be disappointed.

Personal profiles

My favorite parts of the book are the personal profiles. Here’s where you really get to know the people behind the accomplishments.

“Winning in those early years meant little to Cynthia, as running and winning for her was done only for fun. There was just no pressure, she said. No real emphasis was put on winning. All she can remember was the great fun she had, but perhaps more important to her was the socializing and the camaraderie with her training partners, teammates and coaches over the years.”
[about Dr. Cynthia Thompson, Jamaica’s first sprint queen; 1948 Olympics]

“Dr Paul Auden, one of his early mentors, said that young Bolt had an in-built mechanism that would prompt him as to what time he was doing over a particular distance. From an early age, Usain was his own
stopwatch.”
[about Usain Bolt, the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and
(along with his teammates) the 4 x 100 metres relay. He is the reigning World and Olympic champion in these three events.]


ASAFA POWELL, NESTER CARTER, USAIN BOLTand MICHAEL FRATER
The 4 × 100-metre men’s relay team set a world and Olympic record of 37.10 seconds at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. From left are ASAFA POWELL, NESTER CARTER, USAIN BOLTand MICHAEL FRATER posing after their victory.
(Jamaica Observer photograph.)

And, trust me, as lengthy as you think this review is, I have barely scratched the surface of what you’ll discover, learn and be reminded of when it comes to Jamaican Gold! You’ll also get beautiful snapshots, historic documentation and photos, insights into Jamaican history, lifestyle, culture, our educational system, belief system and the effects of all of these on creating world-class athletes and citizens, and A WHOLE LOT MORE!


Contributors

Finally, there are a host of contributors to thank for this amazing work. However, I’ll mention the two credited on the cover.

Rachael Irving, PhD, is a research fellow in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She is a member of the International Centre for East African Running Science (ICEARS), and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Vilma Charlton, OD, BSc, MSc, is a lecturer at the Institute of Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She is a physical education specialist, an Olympian, president of the Olympians Association of Jamaica, third vice-president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association and a member of the American Association of Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance.

Download Nobody Canna (“Cannot”) Cross it Remix video + lyrics

download nobody cannot cross it
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN DOWNLOAD

Email me if you have any trouble with this link or the download process

As a much-needed public service, for those who cannot, or don’t know to download videos from Youtube, and as an addendum to the original post in which I offered the lyrics, translation and study guide for Nobody Canna (Cannot) Cross it, I hereby offer the full-length 2:36, mp4 video for Nobody Canna (“Cannot”) Cross it.

 

Directions:

1. Click the download link

Once you get to the download page,

2A. If you are using a Windows-based PC, “right click” on the link and select “Download File As” to begin the download and save the video to your computer’s hard drive for unlimited enjoyment.

2B. If you are using a Mac, “ctrl click” on the link and select “Download Linked File As” to begin the download and save the video to your computer’s hard drive for unlimited enjoyment.

READY?
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN DOWNLOAD

MORE:

What do Jamaica, Mauritania and Libya have in common?

Okay, so here’s the story. Did you know that the Jamaican flag is the ONLY  flag of the 196 or so world flags that DOES NOT have red, blue or white in it? In other words, every other flag of every other country shares the common trait of having a spot of red, a dash of blue or a smidgen of white somewhere in the design!

Well, that’s what I proudly boasted to a friend of mine recently. However, I admitted to him that I got that bit of Jamaican trivia straight from an internet email that was making the rounds, so I qualified my boast by promising to verify it on my own. And this I have done.

With a multitude of official world flag sites to choose from, I chose  https://www.markfennell.com/flags/  to conduct my research. Turns out that internet email was 98.9% correct. (See for yourself!)


Jamaica’s flag is black, green and gold, and things seemed to be going quite well, until I got to Mauritania!

 


Mauritania’s is  green and yellow. [According to wikipedia: The colors of green and gold are considered Pan-African colors.[3] Green is also used to symbolize Islam, and the gold for the sands of the Sahara desert. The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is the major religion in the nation. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolizes a bright future, and growth.]


And then, there’s Libya! [According to wikipedia: The Libya Flag was officially adopted on November 11, 1977. It is the only flag in the whole world with just one single color. There are no designs, insignia or other details on the flag of Libya . The green color is the symbol for Islam which emphasizes the long devotion and respect of people to their religion. Green is also the national color of the country. The first national flag of modern Libya was adopted in 1951, when the country gained independence. The symbols and colors on the Libyan flag have constantly been changing until 1977 when the current one was adopted. The green color also stands for Gaddafi’s “Green Revolution.”

 

But there are two caveats!

As a result of the 2011 Libyan civil war, there are currently two entities claiming to be the government of Libya. They are the (1) Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya led by Muammar al-Gaddafi (all green flag above), and

(2) the Libyan Republic led by a National Transitional Council.

 

So, if you support the Libyan Republic claim of power, then their version of the Libyan flag does have red and white in it. Which would make Jamaica and Mauritania the only countries that do NOT share red, white or blue with every other country!

 

Patois public service: the Jamaican word cyah

Quite a few people have recently stumbled upon my blog in search of the definition of the Jamaican patois word “cyah.” So, as a public service (and as a way of getting more visitors), I’ll do my part to help with the development of the Jamaican patois lexicon. The word cyah (pronounced key-ah, but not as two syllables) is the Jamaican pronunciation of can’t. As in, “Dem cyah find Osama bin Laden,” which, translated, would be “They cannot find Osama bin Laden.”

As a further public service, I’ve included an audio clip of how a Jamaican would say the above sentence. Don’t thank me, just send money.



Click here for mp3 audio of cyah

Friends in High Places…skewing the distribution

URGENT MEMO TO ALL AFFECTED PARTIES:

 Somewhere in the western Pacific there exists a little island of 46.5 square miles in total size. A mere thirteen miles long by an average of 5 miles wide, Saipan, CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) is home to an indigenous population of Chamorros and Carolinians, as well as Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Australians, Americans, Russians, Canadians, Yapese, Chukese, Palauans, and other Pacific islanders. The total population of Saipan is approximately 40,000–but varies depending on whom you talk with.

 8,794.6 miles away in the Caribbean Sea, exists another island of 4,411 square miles. 146 miles long by 51 miles wide, Jamaica is home to an indigenous population of Arawaks, as well as displaced Africans, Maroons, South Asian Indians, Chinese Americans and Brits who all proudly call themselves “Jamaican.” The total population of Jamaica is approximately 2.5 million.

 Jamaicans can be found in every corner of the planet. This is by design. It is our job to integrate the global community to make everyone aware of our greatness. In fact, the JPDPD (Jamaican Person Dispersal Prime Directive) requires an even distribution of Jamaicans across all latitudes and longitudes and on all continents. We’ve been given the task of holding key positions in politics (Colin Powell), music (Bob Marley), sports (Patrick Ewing), revolutionary thought (Marcus Garvey), etc., and of occupying the full range of professions and industries. So it should come as no surprise that there is at least one Jamaican on the tiny, remote island of Saipan. The plan demands it.

 According to said plan–the details of which remain closely guarded on a “need to know” basis– there should be at least 1 JPPM (Jamaican Person Per Million) people in every population.

 However, it appears that somewhere in the Jamaican Person Dispersal Prime Directive Personnel Department [that would be the JPDPDPD], there was a miscommunication, a misdirected memo, or some type of clerical error. For on April 9, 2011, on the tiny, remote island of Saipan, CNMI, with its population of only 40,000 people, there were not the minimum requirement of one, not two, but THREE Jamaicans, all clustered in the same room!!! Furthermore, if that weren’t bad enough, TWO of them held the coveted position of airline pilot! TWO!! (We’re not quite sure about the occupation of the third one, but our investigation is continuing).

 This is not an “even distribution,” people!!

 Somewhere on the planet, there’s a population missing a Jamaican!! I don’t need to remind you about the ramifications of this! I want a full report on my desk by 5:00pm!

 Heads will roll!


Winston Delroy Trevor Courtney Bogle, III
Policy Director, Jamaican Person Dispersal Prime Directive Personnel Department
[That would be the PD of the JPDPDPD]

(click on image to enlarge)
Friends in High Places. Ben, Ron McFarlane, Walt, Cardiff and Chris. Japanese, Jamaican, Jamaican, Jamaican, Japane–Waitaminit! What the—???? Quick, get me a camera! Better yet, get me the PD of the JPDPDPD! There are more Jamaicans per capita on Saipan than, well, even in Jamaica!!

A Patois Primer

How to speak Jamaican Patois PrimerFor those who have asked: Jamaica’s language is English. As a former British colony, the Jamaican political and educational system culture, habits, worldview, and social norms are influenced by British culture. (I believe my aunt in Kingston still has her 4pm cup of tea every day)

If you’ve visited Jamaica you might think otherwise, but trust me the local “patois” spoken in Jamaica is English, but it also has elements of European (British, Spanish, Portugese) African (Ghanaian, Ethiopian), and Asian (Chinese, Indian) languages thrown in because of the range of influences–colonial, captive and immigrant–that have passed through Jamaica, its people and history.

Patois is not a full-fledged language, per se, but shares many elements of a distinct language.

In much the same way that two speakers of a shared language can cloak themselves in a bubble of privacy in a foreign land, (while it may be considered a bit impolite to do so), two Jamaicans in the middle of a group of people who also speak English can do the same. If you, as a native English speaker are trying your best to eavesdrop on a conversation in patois, you will have an increasingly difficult time to follow because once the Jamaicans are aware you are listening in, they can dive deeper, speak faster, even use non verbal sounds (Jamaicans: think “kiss teet” ; others: stay tuned for audio and video) and other slang to avoid detection. The speed of delivery of patois, the choice of contractions, as well as the intention behind its use all affect how decipherable it is to non-native patois speakers.

Patois is associated with the average man, the common folk. Therefore, when someone of more elevated status in Jamaican society uses it, he or she is going back to basics, forging a bond with his audience based on the essence of Jamaicanness that unites all Jamaicans regardless of their individual social status.

When a person speaks in patois, she wants to let the listener know that this is something heartfelt. This is something serious stripped of the pretense, pomp and parade (and even duplicity) often associated with the Queen’s English. (mek mi tell yu someting weh come fram mi ‘art)

However, because patois IS essentially English, everyone in Jamaica understands it, and everyone in Jamaica speaks it to varying degrees of convincing authenticity. Jamaicans often joke that the unique thing about being a Jamaican educated in the Queen’s English, but speaking Jamaican patois is that “I can understand the English man, but ‘im cyah unnastan’ me!” (can’t understand me)

Those born and raised in Jamaica–or in Jamaican families abroad–understand both. It wouldn’t be unusual to hear a conversation between a common man and, say, a judge where the common man is speaking in full back-a-bush patois, while the judge is responding in the full parliamentary-style Queen’s English. Each understanding the other perfectly. And while practically everyone in Jamaica can understand and use patois, (although some of higher social circles may deny it and distance themselves from that fact), it isn’t considered “polite, hoity toity” language.

So, when you hear it in settings where the more standard English is called for, there is often an underlying humor associated with the choice to use patois. When I choose to use patois to make what should be a polite, sophisticated acceptance speech, for instance, there is a tongue-in-cheek aspect to it. It is not literally a “translation” into “Jamaican.” The underlying humor comes from the understanding–among Jamaicans–that I am also assuming a persona. And depending on my tone and inflections and choice of phraseology and syntax, I have “become” a common man, a country farmer, a market woman, a ganja herbsman, a Rasta Elder, grandma and grandpa, or the politically-opinionated man on the street who knows everything there is to know about Jamaican “politricks.”

So, with that said, there are elements of the humor of my acceptance speech which may elude your full grasp if you are not Jamaican. And for that I apologize as this is a blog for everyone. Learn the language, please. Keep up!


This is not a comprehensive treatise on Jamaican Patois. These are just a few thoughts I’ll probably amend at a later date. For more erudite essays on Jamaican culture and language, do a search for the works of Louise Bennet (Miss Lou in Jamaica), and also to hear the combination of Patois and English in recorded works, I’ll refer you to the works of “dub poets” Linton Kwesi Johnson, Mutabaruka and Oku Onuora.

Cool Ruler come an’ gone!

From: walt@jamaicaninchina.com
Subject: Jamaican in China!–Gregory Isaacs, The Cool Ruler, R.I.P.
Date: October 27, 2010 11:46:36 AM GMT+08:00

This is a brief, but important interlude from my adventures here in China, to let fans of Jamaican culture, and Reggae specifically know that noted Reggae singer, Gregory Isaacs, (aka “The Cool Ruler”) passed on Oct 25, 2010.

Gregory Isaacs’ astonishing collection of music (some say he recorded over 500 albums) was a staple of my playlist for the five years I was known as “Sir Walt” the Reggae DJ on New York’s WKC-FM radio station. Every Thursday night, from 11:30pm to 1:00am, I would play the music of an international array of Reggae artists with different styles, particularly Lovers Rock.

In case you’re not aware, within what the outside world simply knows as “Reggae,” there are, in fact, many different “styles” and sub genres.

The fast-tempoed, dance club oriented style popularized by artists such as Sean Paul, Shabba Ranks, et.al, is just one of these. A visit to a well-stocked Reggae shop or private collection, however, might have music arranged in the following categories:

  • Roots & Culture
  • Lovers Rock
  • Studio One (the famous recording studio that, because of its unique sound, is considered a genre unto itself!)
  • African/International
  • Dancehall, and
  • Slackness (a dancehall style that tends towards the risque, to put it mildly)

Within Lovers Rock, certain names reign supreme: Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, John Holt, Beres Hammond, Maxi Priest, June Lodge, Frankie Paul, Winston Reedy, Delroy Wilson, just to name a few, and, of course, Gregory Isaacs, who is credited with originating, popularizing and essentially, being the epitome of the Lovers Rock artist in lyrical content and his signature delivery in which he punctuated key verses of his songs with a seductive moan that only Gregory could pull off!His most popular song was the international hit “Night Nurse.”(Search for it on youtube)

 

NIGHT NURSE
Tell her try her best just to make it quick
Woman tend to the sick
‘Cause there must be something she can do
This heart is broken in two

Tell her it’s a case of emergency
There’s a patient by the name of Gregory
Night nurse
Only you alone can quench this yah thirst

My night nurse, oh gosh
Oh the pain is getting worse!

To add a variation on the  theme, he followed it up with “Private Secretary”

PRIVATE SECRETARY
She said she wants to be
my personal secretary

She’ll fix my desk, she’ll fix my chair
Yes, she told me she would take good care
You’re a middle-aged business man, (she said)
and I sure want to give a hand

My own top favorite Gregory albums are

 

– Extra Classic
– Red Rose for Gregory, and
– Out Deh (the cover for which the photo below was taken)

Even though Gregory was most popular as a Lover’s Rock artist, he had many songs which made revealing social commentary, and chronicled his own life’s journey. Out Deh, the title track, which means “Out There” was written by Gregory while he was incarcerated.

OUT DEH!
I was taken from my people, robbed of my liberty
I was tired of the jail house, but the jail house wasn’t tired of me
Every day you take a stock, [it’s] just war along the whole cell block
And all that I can hear the prisoners say, “a strictly out deh!”

Out Deh!
A so me hear dem say
Out Deh!
A so me hear dem pray. One day.

 

Photo of Dennis Brown, Freddie McGreggor, and Gregory the don in the white hat! (early 1980s, perhaps; from the Jamaicans.com forum)

FOR MORE PHOTOS, NEWS REPORTS AND A FORUM for FANS WHO ARE SHARING THEIR GREGORY ISAACS MEMORIES, visit the Gregory Isaacs tribute page at
https://www.jamaicans.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1181867&page=1