Congo Man
Mighty Sparrow Lyrics
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Two white women traveling through Africa (Africa),
Find themselves in de hands of a cannibal headhunter (headhunter)
He cook up one and he eat one raw,
Dey taste so good he wanted more, more!
He want more!
Aye yi yah, I envy de Congo-man,
I wish I could'a go and shake he hand,
He eat until he stomach upset and I... I never eat ah white meat yet,
(Tribal sounds)
Peeping thru' de bushes to see what's takin' place (taking place),
There I saw de Congo going to take a taste (take a taste),
He open he eye - he start to grin rubbin' he belly mumbling,
(Tribal sounds)
I envy de Congo-man,
He better than me
I wish I could'a go and shake he hand,
If you know how much trouble I get until I sweat
but I never eat ah white meat yet,
He ties dem' up and he put dem' to lay down on de ground (on the ground),
Lit up de fire and he started dancing round and round (round and round),
One of de women started to beg - he bites on she chest he bites on she leg (tribal sounds)
He eats she raw!
Aye yi yah! I envy de Congo-man,
He better than me -I wish I could'a go shake he hand,
You know he eat until he stomach upset,
You know- you know me I never catch... catch
The next one started screamin' wit' all de voice got (voice she got),
He lifts she up and he puts she inside a big big pot (big big pot),
De water was warm she started to wiggle - de Congo started to laugh and giggle
(Tribal sounds)
Aye yi yah! I envy de Congo-man,
I wish I could'a go and shake he hand,
He eat until he stomach upset and I - I never catch ah white yet,
I never eat a white meat yetx9
I never eat a white beef yet!
Who lie who lie? Who're you callin' liar!
Congo-man
Mighty Sparrow.
The song "Congo Man" by Mighty Sparrow describes the story of two white women who were traveling through Africa and fell into the hands of a cannibal headhunter. The headhunter, who had a taste for human flesh, cooked one of them, and ate the other one raw. He enjoyed the taste of their flesh so much that he wanted more. While observing the scene, the singer admits that he envies the Congo man and wishes he could shake his hand. The singer confesses that he has never tasted white meat before, and thus, he never ate human flesh.
The lyrics of the song show how the singer idolizes the Congo man's ability to eat human flesh without feeling guilty or disgusted. The song reveals the common stereotype that people from Africa are cannibals, which has contributed to their historical discrimination and misrepresentation. The lyrics also depict the cannibal headhunter as having animal-like qualities, as he dances around the fire while cooking his victims.
The song "Congo Man" became a popular hit in the Caribbean and West Africa. It was also featured in the film "The Harder They Come" in 1972, which helped to increase its popularity. The lyrics of the song have been interpreted in various ways, with some people viewing it as a satire and others as an affirmation of stereotypes. Nevertheless, the song remains a classic in the calypso music genre, and it continues to be celebrated for its infectious beat and catchy melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Tribal sounds,
Introducing the setting of the song with sounds of Africa.
Two white women traveling through Africa (Africa),
Two white women are on a trip through Africa.
Find themselves in de hands of a cannibal headhunter (headhunter)
They are captured by a cannibal headhunter.
He cook up one and he eat one raw,
The headhunter cooks one woman and eats the other one raw.
Dey taste so good he wanted more, more!
The headhunter likes the taste of the white women and wants more.
He want more!
He wants to eat more white women.
Aye yi yah, I envy de Congo-man,
The singer admires the Congo man for his ability to eat white meat.
I wish I could'a go and shake he hand,
The artist wants to meet the Congo man.
He eat until he stomach upset and I... I never eat ah white meat yet,
The Congo man can eat so much white meat while the artist has never eaten any.
(Tribal sounds)
Background sounds of Africa continue.
Peeping thru' de bushes to see what's takin' place (taking place),
The singer is spying on the Congo man.
There I saw de Congo going to take a taste (take a taste),
The Congo man is about to eat another white woman.
He open he eye - he start to grin rubbin' he belly mumbling,
The Congo man is enjoying the thought of eating another white woman.
(Tribal sounds)
Background sounds of Africa continue.
I envy de Congo-man,
The singer admires the Congo man again.
He better than me
The Congo man is better than the artist when it comes to eating white meat.
If you know how much trouble I get until I sweat
The artist has trouble eating white meat.
but I never eat ah white meat yet,
The singer has never eaten white meat.
He ties dem' up and he put dem' to lay down on de ground (on the ground),
The Congo man captures and restrains the white women on the ground.
Lit up de fire and he started dancing round and round (round and round),
The Congo man starts a fire and dances around it.
One of de women started to beg - he bites on she chest he bites on she leg (tribal sounds)
One of the women begs for mercy but the Congo man still bites her chest and leg.
He eats she raw!
The Congo man eats the woman raw.
Aye yi yah! I envy de Congo-man,
The singer admires the Congo man again.
He better than me -I wish I could'a go shake he hand,
The artist still wants to meet the Congo man.
You know he eat until he stomach upset,
The Congo man eats so much that his stomach gets upset.
You know- you know me I never catch... catch
The singer has never even tried to catch any white meat.
The next one started screamin' wit' all de voice got (voice she got),
The second woman screams at the Congo man as loud as she can.
He lifts she up and he puts she inside a big big pot (big big pot),
The Congo man puts the second woman into a big pot.
De water was warm she started to wiggle - de Congo started to laugh and giggle
The water in the pot is warm and the woman wiggles while the Congo man laughs.
(Tribal sounds)
Background sounds of Africa continue.
I envy de Congo-man,
The singer admires the Congo man again.
I wish I could'a go and shake he hand,
The artist still wants to meet the Congo man.
He eat until he stomach upset and I - I never catch ah white yet,
The Congo man can eat so much white meat while the artist has never even caught any.
I never eat a white meat yetx9
The artist has never eaten any white meat.
Who lie who lie? Who're you callin' liar!
The singer challenges anyone who would call him a liar.
Contributed by Charlie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JohnTindale
I was in Guyana in 1992 packed into a microbus as a missionary, and this song came on the radio. Entire bus erupted in laughter.
@blueb4829
Minibus.
@tashaw32
I hope you had a good trip. 😄🇬🇾
@destinedtosucceed5907
But I don't understand a thing, is he actually talking about Cannibalism or just sex?
@blueb4829
@@destinedtosucceed5907 No, not at all. That's just a way of him saying he's never been with a white woman before. But he was really objectifying white women in that song, and he received a lot of criticism for it when the song was originally released in the 60s or 70s, can't remember. He did that with Indian and Hispanic women too. But he never meant any harm, that was just his style of saying he admire those women.
@destinedtosucceed5907
@@blueb4829 oh that was clever. I was indeed disturbed by the lyrics initially thinking he was actually singing about Canibalism. But the part where he said he would have had a hand shake with the man, that started getting me think perhaps he meant sex😄
@atavares90
My stepdad played sparrow ALL the time. This song reminds me of getting driven to school 😂
@jhevaughn
2024.....and these lyrcis only get more vivid with time 🤣
@mustygwansoh3217
2024 still my fav chunee❤️❤️❤️❤️
@CCobraProductions
One of my all time favourite songs. This song is like a movie, very vivid.