In 2004 Joseph was selected by renaissance one, Decibel and the Arts Council of England as one of fifty Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature, appearing in the historic Great Day photo. In 2005 he was selected as the British Councilโs first Poet in residence at California State University, Los Angeles.
Joseph lectures in creative writing at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a AHRC scholar and doctoral candidate at Goldsmiths College.
As a musician he has released three critically acclaimed albums with his band the Spasm band; all released to coincide with book publications. His debut album with the band, Leggo de Lion was released in 2007, and featured lyrics taken from his novel The African Origins of UFOs. Bird Head Son followed in 2009, with lyrics from the Bird Head Son collection. The bandโs third album Rubber Orchestras was released in 2011, alongside a new collection of poems with the same title.
Joseph has also collaborated with several artists including Archie Shepp, Joseph Bowie, Laurent Garnier, Othello Molineaux, Malcolm Catto, Mop Mop, Robert Aaron, Roger Raspail, Keziah Jones and Jerry Dammers of the Specials as part of the Spatial AKA Orchestra.
DIG OUT YOUR EYE
Anthony Joseph Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the backlight bust an' the axle bend
I knew they would wound me with price
Knew I shoulda gone down in the bamboo
But Diane say "No boy
How you could go down in the bamboo
cnd interfere with the people motor car, you crazy?"
So we drove it into the yard, just so
cnd the lil' winer girl just wine round the car twice
cnd say, "It good"
She never even see the light!
cnd we run down the Western Main Road
Saying how Trini nice
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Love you bad... Take all you got
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
In town, rain was coming down hard
Streets were busting with the budget
cnd we could hear the numbers
Seeping out from shop front radios
cs we ate creole Chinese and shopped for souvenirs
Monday midday in Port of Spain
cnd those same faces still there
The same broko foot ras who does sell beads and oils
Under Kirpsons on Frederick Street
However since 1985 he been begging me to buy
But I never buy
He still there, calling me "Redman"
Like I never left
Trinidad!
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
We love you bad but we take all you got, take all you have
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig it out, dig out your eye
Come the tall black dread on Charlotte Street
Come with his liberation papers and colours and rolling papers
cnd his wool belts in green and gold, his lighters and pipes and such
Come with the same style, same still around these men
Still hustling like they always will
cnd from how the dread head gone fade
cround the rim, I now realise that he was my age
cll along them times
When he could pull big Friday bills from my palm
With the slickness of his implore.
cnd even once he sold me some crepe soled shoes
That were two sizes too small
He say the doc give him two weeks to live
Yet every year the man still there, the man still
Set up under the people shop
Trinidad!
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
We love you bad but we take all you got, take all you have
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig it out, dig out your eye
Had a brother name Nurse
Same Nurse who used to goal keep
Same long neck knock knee nurse
Who brother Loaf was a big gangster
Get shoot down South
Nurse from Febeau village
Who just so one day turn thief to prowl
cnd problem and rob? cnd I am crossing
Independence Square by South Quay
Down in front Royal Bank where the old drag mall used to be
cnd see him staggering through the city, drunk and high
On rum red and red beard collie, poor and humble in his vagrancy
With the sweet drink bottle in his hand
cnd a straw in the neck of it
Like a swam
cgainst gravity
Next thing is layers of skin peeling in mud
Corpse-like to fester-like in some ravine
That clay brown skin to shed, the epidermis, goblin
Vinegar
Of the bitter tongue
Darting out the mouth
The eyes bulging in the time of the street
Bare feet and back and running
From doorway to doorway, from doorway to doorway
In the broken heart of the city
Trinidad!
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
We love you bad but we take all you got, take all you have
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig it out, dig out your eye
The lyrics to Anthony Joseph's song "Dig Out Your Eye" paint a vivid picture of life in Trinidad, specifically in Port of Spain. The song begins with the singer returning a rented car to Econo, but encountering difficulties with the car's malfunctioning parts. Despite knowing that he should have gone to the bamboo to get it fixed, his companion, Diane, insists on driving it to their yard. The lyrics then describe a scene of a young girl dancing around the car, oblivious to its problems.
The song then shifts to a rainy day in town, where the streets are crowded with people and the sound of the budget numbers can be heard from shopfront radios. The singer and Diane explore the city, eating creole Chinese food and shopping for souvenirs. The lyrics mention encountering a familiar face, a homeless man who continues to beg the singer to buy his goods, despite years of refusal. The singer reflects on the passing of time and realizes that this man was his age during their past encounters.
A tall black dread character is introduced on Charlotte Street, selling various items associated with Rastafarian culture. The lyrics highlight the persistence and resilience of people like him, who continue to hustle and make a living despite life's challenges. The dread's appearance also reminds the singer of their shared history and interactions from their younger days. The song ends with a poignant description of a man named Nurse, who was once a talented goalkeeper but has fallen into a life of crime and substance abuse, eventually succumbing to a tragic fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Taking the rented car back to Econo
Returning the car that was rented from Econo
But the backlight bust an' the axle bend
The backlight of the car broke and the axle got damaged
I knew they would wound me with price
I was aware that they would charge me a high price
Knew I shoulda gone down in the bamboo
I knew I should have gone to the bamboo and tried to fix it
cn' try to get that fix
And try to get it fixed
But Diane say 'No boy
But Diane said 'No, boy
How you could go down in the bamboo
How could you go to the bamboo
cnd interfere with the people motor car, you crazy?'
And interfere with people's motor car, are you crazy?'
So we drove it into the yard, just so
So we drove it into the yard, just like that
cnd the lil' winer girl just wine round the car twice
And the little girl who dances provocatively just danced around the car twice
cnd say, 'It good'
And said, 'It's good'
She never even see the light!
She didn't even notice the backlight was broken!
cnd we run down the Western Main Road
And we drove down the Western Main Road
Saying how Trini nice
Talking about how nice Trinidad is
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Expose the truth, uncover the reality
Love you bad... Take all you got
Love you deeply... Take everything you have
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Expose the truth, uncover the reality
In town, rain was coming down hard
In the town, it was heavily raining
Streets were busting with the budget
Streets were crowded with people spending money
cnd we could hear the numbers
And we could hear the sounds of numbers
Seeping out from shop front radios
Coming out softly from the radios in the shops
cs we ate creole Chinese and shopped for souvenirs
As we ate creole Chinese food and bought souvenirs
Monday midday in Port of Spain
During midday on a Monday in Port of Spain
cnd those same faces still there
And those same faces are still there
The same broko foot ras who does sell beads and oils
The same poor-footed rasta who sells beads and oils
Under Kirpsons on Frederick Street
Underneath Kirpsons on Frederick Street
However since 1985 he been begging me to buy
But since 1985, he has been begging me to buy
But I never buy
But I never bought anything
He still there, calling me 'Redman'
He is still there, calling me 'Redman'
Like I never left
As if I never left
Come the tall black dread on Charlotte Street
Here comes the tall black Rastafarian on Charlotte Street
Come with his liberation papers and colours and rolling papers
Arrives with his liberation papers, colorful clothes, and rolling papers
cnd his wool belts in green and gold, his lighters and pipes and such
And his wool belts in green and gold, his lighters, pipes, and other items
Come with the same style, same still around these men
Comes with the same style, still present among these men
Still hustling like they always will
Still working hard like they always do
cnd from how the dread head gone fade
And from how the Rastafarian's head has gone bald
cround the rim, I now realise that he was my age
Around the rim of his hat, I now realize that he was the same age as me
cll along them times
All throughout those times
When he could pull big Friday bills from my palm
When he could take large bills from my hand on Fridays
With the slickness of his implore.
With the smoothness of his request
cnd even once he sold me some crepe soled shoes
And even once he sold me some shoes with crepe soles
That were two sizes too small
That were two sizes too small
He say the doc give him two weeks to live
He said the doctor gave him two weeks to live
Yet every year the man still there, the man still
Yet every year, the man is still there, he still exists
Set up under the people shop
Situated near the people's shop
Had a brother name Nurse
Had a brother named Nurse
Same Nurse who used to goal keep
The same Nurse who used to play as a goalkeeper
Same long neck knock knee nurse
The same nurse with a long neck and knock knees
Who brother Loaf was a big gangster
Whose brother, Loaf, was a big gangster
Get shoot down South
Got shot down in the South
Nurse from Febeau village
Nurse from Febeau village
Who just so one day turn thief to prowl
Who one day became a thief and started prowling
cnd problem and rob? cnd I am crossing
And causing trouble and stealing? When I am crossing
Independence Square by South Quay
Independence Square near South Quay
Down in front Royal Bank where the old drag mall used to be
Down in front of the Royal Bank where the old drag mall used to be
cnd see him staggering through the city, drunk and high
And see him stumbling through the city, intoxicated
On rum red and red beard collie, poor and humble in his vagrancy
Drinking red rum and Red Beard Collie, poor and humble in his state of homelessness
With the sweet drink bottle in his hand
With the bottle of sweet drink in his hand
cnd a straw in the neck of it
And a straw in the bottle's neck
Like a swam
Like a swan
cgainst gravity
Against gravity
Next thing is layers of skin peeling in mud
The next thing is layers of skin peeling and getting dirty
Corpse-like to fester-like in some ravine
Similar to a decaying corpse in a ravine
That clay brown skin to shed, the epidermis, goblin
That clay-brown skin shedding, revealing the goblin-like epidermis
Vinegar
Vinegar
Of the bitter tongue
Of the bitter tongue
Darting out the mouth
Quickly coming out of the mouth
The eyes bulging in the time of the street
The eyes bulging in the middle of the street
Bare feet and back and running
Running barefoot and backwards
From doorway to doorway, from doorway to doorway
Moving from one doorway to another, repeatedly
In the broken heart of the city
In the heart of the city that is in ruins
Trinidad!
Trinidad!
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
We reveal the truth, uncover the reality
Dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig out your eye
Expose the truth, uncover the reality
We love you bad but we take all you got, take all you have
We love you deeply, but we take everything you possess
We dig out your eye, dig out your eye, dig it out, dig out your eye
We reveal the truth, uncover the reality
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jason Yarde
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gavinco Music
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