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Calypso Lyrics by Kamau Brathwaite

Hunter Caribbean Lit

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1
The stone had skidded arc'd and bloomed into islands:
Cuba and San Domingo
Jamaica and Puerto Rico
Grenada Guadeloupe Bonaire
curved stone hissed into reef
wave teeth fanged into clay
white splash flashed into spray
Bathsheba Montego Bay
bloom of the arcing summers...
2
The islands roared into green plantations
ruled by silver sugar cane
sweat and profit
cutlass profit
islands ruled by sugar cane
And of course it was a wonderful time
a profitable hospitable well-worth-you-time
when captains carried receipts for rices
letters spices wigs
opera glasses swaggering asses
debtors vices pigs
O it was a wonderful time
an elegant benevolent redolent time--
and young Mrs. P.'s quick irrelevant crine
at four o'clock in the morning...
3
But what of black Sam
with the big splayed toes
and the shoe black shiny skin?
He carries bucketfulls of water
'cause his Ma's just had another daughter.
And what of John with the European name
who went to school and dreamt of fame
his boss one day called him a fool
and the boss hadn't even been to school...
4
Steel drum steel drum
hit the hot calypso dancing
hot rum hot rum
who goin' stop this bacchanalling?
For we glance the banjoy
dance the limbo
grow our crops by maljo
have loose morals
gather corals
father out neighbour's quarrels
perhaps when they come
with their cameras and straw
hats: sacred pink tourists from the frozen Nawth
we should get down to those
white beaches
where if we don't wear breeches
it becomes an island dance
Some people doin' well
while others are catchin' hell
o the boss gave our Johnny the sack
though we beg him please
please to take 'im back
so now the boy nigratin' overseas...
Credits
Kamau Brathwaite

Kamau Brathwaite

About “Calypso” by Kamau Brathwaite

Read the complete lyrics to "Calypso" by Kamau Brathwaite from the album "Hunter Caribbean Lit". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Calypso" is performed by Kamau Brathwaite. from the album "Hunter Caribbean Lit" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Calypso", explore more songs by Kamau Brathwaite using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Calypso" is credited to Kamau Brathwaite. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Calypso" appears on "Hunter Caribbean Lit".

Visit the Kamau Brathwaite artist page at /artist/kamau-brathwaite for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.