Named after the American general Douglas MacArthur, Rose's earliest years were a crowded environment - 19 people in a one-bedroom house. When she was 9, she moved to live with an uncle in Barataria
She began writing songs at the age of 15, and has written over 800 songs. In 1966 she wrote the song Fire in Me Wire, which has since become a calypso anthem. Rose was the first female to win the Trinidad Road March Competition, in 1977 with her song Tempo. She won the Calypso Queen title five years running. She has also won both the Trinidad Calypso Crown and Road March competitions in 1978, the Sunshine Award in 1989 and the Trinidad and Tobago Hummingbird Medal in 2000.
Calypso Blues
Calypso Rose Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
Wa-oh, wa-oh
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
Sittin' by di ocean
Di wave, she feel so sad
Sittin' by di ocean
Di wave, she feel so sad
You ain't got di money
To take she back to Trinidad
Fine calypso woman
She cookin' shrimp and rice
Fine calypso woman
She cookin' shrimp and rice
Those jockey hot dogs
Don't treat 'he stomach very nice
In Trinidad, a dollar buy
Papaya juice, banana pie
Six coconut, a female goat
An' plenty fish to full di boat
A bushel bread, a bottle of wine
An' all in town, she come to dine
But there is bad, a dollar buy
A cup of coffee, ham on rye
Me thought she sip from nectar
Me feed di heard some juice
His pocket full of empty
He's got Calypso blues
Dese jockey girls give him a scare
Is black de root, and blonde de hair
Her eyelash false, her face is pink
And perhaps not the girl she ain't
She jitterbug when she should waltz
I even think her name was false
But calypso girl is good a lot
Is what you see, is what you got
So sittin' at di ocean
Your heart it feel so sad
You ain't got di money
To take she back to Trinidad
So sittin' at di ocean
Your heart she feel so sad
Because you ain't got no money
To take she back to Trinidad
Wa-oh, wa-oh
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
Wa-oh, wa-oh
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
Wa-oh, wa-oh
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
Wa-oh, wa-oh
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
"Calypso Blues" by Calypso Rose is a song about a man who can no longer afford to take his Calypso woman back to Trinidad, where she longs to be. He describes her as a fine calypso woman who cooks shrimp and rice, and compares her to the jockey girls who don't treat his stomach very nice. He reminisces about the prices of things in Trinidad, where a dollar could buy papaya juice, banana pie, six coconuts, a female goat, and plenty of fish to fill the boat. He also laments the fact that in other places, a dollar only gets you a cup of coffee and ham on rye.
The singer of the song also talks about the Calypso woman's dance skills, how she is a great partner, and that he only has the blues because he cannot afford to take her back to Trinidad. The final lines of the song repeat the chorus that expresses the sadness the two feel because of their lack of financial means to go back to where they belong.
Line by Line Meaning
Wa-oh, wa-oh
The song's chorus with repeated 'wa-ohs'.
Sittin' by di ocean
The singer is sitting by the ocean.
Di wave, she feel so sad
The waves remind the singer of something sad.
You ain't got di money
The singer doesn't have enough money.
To take she back to Trinidad
To go back to Trinidad.
Fine calypso woman
A beautiful Trinidadian woman.
She cookin' shrimp and rice
She's making shrimp and rice.
Those jockey hot dogs
Hot dogs from a fast food place called Jockey.
Don't treat 'he stomach very nice
The hot dogs upset her stomach.
In Trinidad, a dollar buy
What one dollar can buy in Trinidad.
Papaya juice, banana pie
Juice made from papaya and pie made from banana.
Six coconut, a female goat
Six coconuts and a female goat.
An' plenty fish to full di boat
There are plenty of fish to fill the boat.
A bushel bread, a bottle of wine
A basket of bread and a bottle of wine.
An' all in town, she come to dine
She goes to dine wherever people gather.
But there is bad, a dollar buy
What one dollar can't buy in Trinidad.
A cup of coffee, ham on rye
A cup of coffee and ham sandwich on rye bread.
Me thought she sip from nectar
The singer thought she was drinking something fancy.
Me feed di heard some juice
She shared the juice with her friends.
His pocket full of empty
He is broke.
He's got Calypso blues
The singer is sad, as reflected in this blues song.
Dese jockey girls give him a scare
The fast food place's women scare him.
Is black de root, and blonde de hair
The women have different hair colors and backgrounds.
Her eyelash false, her face is pink
The singer believes the woman's eyelashes are fake and she wears too much makeup.
And perhaps not the girl she ain't
The woman may not necessarily be what she seems.
She jitterbug when she should waltz
She's not dancing the way she should be.
I even think her name was false
The singer thinks the woman may not be truthful about her name either.
But calypso girl is good a lot
The girl from Trinidad is genuine and good in the singer's opinion.
Is what you see, is what you got
The Trinidadian woman's actions and words are authentic.
So sittin' at di ocean
The singer is still sitting by the ocean.
Your heart it feel so sad
The singer feels sad in her heart.
Because you ain't got no money
The reason why the singer is sad is that she doesn't have enough money.
To take she back to Trinidad
The singer can't go back to Trinidad due to financial constraints.
Wa-oh, wa-oh
The song's chorus with repeated 'wa-ohs'.
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
The song's chorus with repeated 'wa-ohs'.
Wa-oh, wa-oh
The song's chorus with repeated 'wa-ohs'.
Wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh wa-oh
The song's chorus with repeated 'wa-ohs'.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Nat King Cole, Don George
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
O
on Give Me More Tempo
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