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Jamaican Christmas Carol – ‘Christmas a Come’
11/30/09
Jamaican Christmas Carol – ‘Christmas a Come’
What I love most about Christmas is the singing of carols. No matter how depressed you are feeling, Christmas carols always helps to lift your spirits. I particularly like Jamaican Christmas carols as they are generally livelier and easy to sing. Not being a singer myself I don’t have to worry about being melodiousJ.
Today I thought I would share a Jamaican Christmas carol with you. It’s called ‘Christmas a come”. It dates back to slavery days and is actually a Jonkunnu song. At Christmas time people wear masks of different characters and parade dancing through the streets. Some of the characters portrayed are horses, cows, the devil and a bride. In slavery days the procession of Jonkunnu merrymakers would collect money from the onlookers for their own Christmas celebrations. This song was sung to draw attention to their lack of finery. Now a days, we still have parades of Jonkunnu however its all for fun and no money is collected form the spectators.
Two words that you may not know from this Christmas carol are, ‘lama’ which means presents, and ‘deggeday’, which means finery. The last three lines are substituted for ‘not a shoe to me foot’. You can also add your own verses as you are led. Have fun.
Nuff Love
Christmas a Come
Christmas a come, me wan me lama,
Christmas a come, me wan me lama,
Christmas a come, me wan me deggeday,
Christmas a come, me wan me deggeday,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me lama,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me lama,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me deggeday,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me deggeday,
Not a shoe to me foot, me wan me lama,
Not a shoe to me foot, me wan me lama,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me deggeday,
Pretty, pretty gal, me wan me deggeday,
Not a frock to me back…….
Not a hat to me head……
Not a bangle to me han…..
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Reasons why I love my Jamaican Mom
1. My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait till we get home."
2. My Mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You going get a ass'n when we get home!"
3. My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE.
"What di backside yu thinkin'? Answer me when me talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"
4. My Mother taught me CONSEQUENCES.
"If yu run cross de road an' cyar lick yu dung, a goin' kill yu wid lick."
5. My Mother taught me THE VALUE OF EDUCATION.
"If yu no go a school, yu a go tun tief or walk an' pick up bottle."
6. My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If yu tun over yu eye lid an fly pitch pan it, it a go stay so fi evva."
7. My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD.
"Is not one time monkey goin' wan' wife"
8. My Mother taught me ESP.
"Yu tink a don't know what yu up to nuh?"
9. My Mother taught me HUMOR.
"If yu don' eat food, breeze goin' blow yu 'way."
10. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT.
"Come an' tek yu beatin' like man."
11. My Mother taught me about SEX.
"Yu tink say yu drop from sky?"
12. My Mother taught me about GENETICS.
"Yu jus' like yu faada."
13. My Mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Yu tink mi come from "Back A Wall?"
14. My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE.
"When yu get to be as ol' as me, yu wi understan'."
15. And my all time favorite... JUSTICE.
"One day wen yu have pickney, a hope dem treat yu same way."
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