https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=553B_CnxFo4
When I was a lad of three-foot-three
Certain questions occurred to me,
So I asked me father quite seriously
To tell me the story 'bout the bird and bee.
He stammered and he stuttered pathetically
And this is what he said to me.
He said, "The woman piaba and the man piaba
and the Ton Ton pull baka lemon grass,
The lily root, gully root, belly root, uhmm,
And the famous granny scratch scratch."
It was clear as mud but it covered the ground
And the confusion made the brain go 'round.
I went and ask a good friend of mine,
Known to the world as Albert Einstein.
He said, "Son,
From the beginning of time and creativity
There existed the force of relativity
Pi R square and a minus ten means a routine only when
The solar system in one light year
Make the Hayden planetarium disappear
So if Mount Everest doesn't move
I am positive that it will prove:
That the woman piaba and the man piaba
And the Ton Ton pull baka lemon grass,
The lily root, gully root, belly root, uhmm,
And the famous granny scratch scratch."
It was clear as mud but it covered the ground
And the confusion made the brain go 'round.
I grabbed a boat and went abroad
In Baden Baden I asked Sigmund Freud
He said, "Son,
From your sad face remove the grouch
Put the body down upon the couch
I can see from your frustration a neurotic sublimation
Hey love and hate is psychosomatic
Your Rorschach shows that you're a peripatetic
It all started with a broken sibling,
In the words of the famous Rudyard Kipling:
That the woman piaba and the man piaba
And the Ton Ton pull baka lemon grass,
The lily root, gully root, belly root, uhmm,
And the famous granny scratch scratch.
Well I traveled far and I traveled wide
And I don't even have me self a bride
All the great men upon this earth
Have confused me since my birth.
I've been over land and been over sea
Trying to find the answer 'bout the bird and bee
But now that I am ninety three
I don't give a damn you see:
If the woman piaba and the man piaba
And the Ton Ton pull baka lemon grass,
The lily root, gully root, belly root, uhmm,
And the famous granny scratch scratch!
That was amazing. I really enjoyed reading it! Thanks so much for the smile.
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that that piaba plants are medicinal plants in Jamaica where Harry Bellafonte grew up. He was around at the same time as my folks and herbal medicine was more widely used than today. The woman piaba plant is known to help alleviate menstrual issues and other female hormonal issues. My dad always kept a bit of man piaba in rum for stomach upsets and nausea. Harry clearly crafted himself a cunning song to confuse everyone. "Pull baka lemon grass" means essentially "go get it behind the lemon grass. Pull (pick it) there". Jamaican patois will confuse anyone not versed
ReplyDeleteI've loved this song over a good part of my 78 years. Now that I've been made privy to the background associated with the lyrics, I can say that the confusion has lessened, but is not totally gone. The simple presentattion of the song by Mr. Belafonte is enough to satisfy me.
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