Though Atilla composed calypsos on a wide range of topics, his specialty was politics, particularly the experience of working people in a colonial society. He was admired for both his eloquence and keen observation of detail. Among his many well-known songs are "Graf Zeppelin" (about the German dirigible's visit to Trinidad), "Roosevelt in Trinidad" (about the President's visit), "Treasury Scandal" (on missing funds) and "The Strike" (concerning labor protests). While continuing to perform as a calypsonian, Atilla was elected to the Port of Spain City Council in 1946 and later became the Deputy Mayor. In 1950 he was elected to Trinidad's Legislative Council. Atilla also helped to publish booklets of calypso lyrics. After his death, his writings on calypso were compiled in a book titled Atilla's Kaiso: A Short History of Trinidad Calypso (1983).
Bio nabbed from Calypso World.
Commission's Report
Atilla the Hun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The report of the Commission of inquiry has arrived in this colony
It touches health and sanitation, housing, wages and education
It states that the riots were terrible and declares but allow us responsible
Through the unrest that we had recently, a Commission was sent from the mother country
To investigate and probe carefully, the cause of the riots in this colony
They accumulated a bulk of evidence, I cannot speak of their competence
They criticise our ex-governor
The beloved Sir Murchison Fletcher
And Howard Nankiwell, they said that he
Had uttered speeches wrong to a marked degree
They castigated him severely
Our ex-Colonial Secretary
But all these things just appear to me
An example of English diplomacy
They said, through the evidence they had
That the riots started in Fyzabad
By the hooligan element under their leader
A fanatic Negro called Butler
Who uttered speeches inflammatory
And caused disorders in this colony
The only time they found the police was wrong
Was when they stay too long to shoot people down
A peculiar thing of this Commission
In that Ninety two lines of dissertation
Is there no talk of exploitation
Of the worker or his tragic condition
Read through the pages, there is no mention
Of capitalistic oppression
Which leads one to entertain a thought
And wonder if it's a one-sided report
The song "Commission's Report" by Atilla the Hun talks about the arrival of a commission sent to investigate the cause of riots that happened in a colony. The commission's report talks about various issues like health and sanitation, housing, wages, and education. It also points out that the riots were terrible, but the responsible ones should be allowed to own up to it. The song also mentions the criticism of ex-governor Sir Murchison Fletcher and ex-Colonial Secretary Howard Nankiwell. The commission states that the riots started in Fyzabad, led by a fanatic Negro called Butler, who gave inflammatory speeches and caused disorders.
The song reflects the political and social state of Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century, which was still under colonial rule. It also showcases the struggle of the working class people in the colony who were being exploited, but their condition was not mentioned in the commission's report. The lyrics suggest that the report might have been one-sided, favoring the colonizers and hiding the true exploitation that was happening in the colony. The language used is simple yet effective, and the repetitive chorus helps in reinforcing the message of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
The report of the Commission of inquiry has arrived in this colony
A recently concluded report by a Commission of inquiry has just arrived in this colony.
It touches health and sanitation, housing, wages and education
The report discusses health, sanitation, housing, wages, and education as the major topics of concern.
It states that the riots were terrible and declares but allow us responsible
The report acknowledges the terrible riots and holds us responsible for it but suggests a rethinking of our approach.
Through the unrest that we had recently, a Commission was sent from the mother country
A Commission was sent to investigate the recent unrest in this colony from the mother country.
To investigate and probe carefully, the cause of the riots in this colony
The Commission was tasked with investigating and carefully probing the cause of the riots in this colony.
They accumulated a bulk of evidence, I cannot speak of their competence
The Commission accumulated a lot of evidence, and I cannot question their competency.
But I can see and defend and declare the report was a revelation to me
However, I can see, defend, and declare that the report was an eye-opener for me.
They criticise our ex-governor
The Commission criticized our ex-governor.
The beloved Sir Murchison Fletcher
Namely, Sir Murchison Fletcher.
And Howard Nankiwell, they said that he
Also Howard Nankiwell, they alleged that he
Had uttered speeches wrong to a marked degree
Gave speeches that they considered improper to a marked degree.
They castigated him severely
They criticized him severely.
Our ex-Colonial Secretary
Also our ex-Colonial Secretary.
But all these things just appear to me
But all of these just seem a form of English diplomacy to me.
An example of English diplomacy
In other words, an instance of English diplomacy.
They said, through the evidence they had
The Commission reported that based on the evidence they had,
That the riots started in Fyzabad
The riots started in Fyzabad, according to them.
By the hooligan element under their leader
By the hooligan element under the leadership of Butler.
A fanatic Negro called Butler
Referencing a fanatic Negro named Butler.
Who uttered speeches inflammatory
Butler gave speeches that they considered inflammatory.
And caused disorders in this colony
They blamed Butler for causing disorders in this colony.
The only time they found the police was wrong
The only time the Commission found the police at fault was
Was when they stay too long to shoot people down
When they waited too long before using force to quell the riots.
A peculiar thing of this Commission
One strange thing about this Commission was
In that Ninety two lines of dissertation
In that, the dissertation of the report spanned ninety-two lines,
Is there no talk of exploitation
But there was no mention of exploitation,
Of the worker or his tragic condition
Of the worker or their tragic condition.
Read through the pages, there is no mention
A thorough reading of the report reveals no mention of it.
Of capitalistic oppression
No mention of capitalistic oppression was made.
Which leads one to entertain a thought
This fact leads one to consider the possibility
And wonder if it's a one-sided report
That the report may be one-sided and incomplete.
Contributed by Ella L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ashwins.9146
"A peculiar thing of this Commission
In that ninety-two lines of dissertation
Is there no talk of exploitation
Of the worker or his tragic condition
Read through the pages, there is no mention
Of capitalistic oppression
Which leads one to entertain a thought
And wonder if it's a one-sided report."
Relevant, even 90 years later. Attila's political commentary was always remarkably prophetic.
@ThePeaceableKingdom
Nice old tune. Great song. This was the first Atilla the Hun record I ever heard some years ago, and I still like it. Made me look up some history to find out who Butler was, etc...
@hrymr
@gamlahund of course there are people who are interested in the musical legacy. thank you so much for uploading this great tune!
@Underdogfore
listening this for revision for my exams soon, glad it was uploaded
@kelvyquayo
I blast this stuff in my car; to the confused looks of passers by. LOVE it. This song in particular I make people who are hip-hop fans listen to and compare the rapping style. So close to today yet so far.
@nobstanutts7650
I agree Kelv..I played this to a friend raised in the UK whose grandparents were from St.Kitts, and his only previous conception of Calypso was steel pan as background music in holiday programs..He was astounded.
@ashwins.9146
"A peculiar thing of this Commission
In that ninety-two lines of dissertation
Is there no talk of exploitation
Of the worker or his tragic condition
Read through the pages, there is no mention
Of capitalistic oppression
Which leads one to entertain a thought
And wonder if it's a one-sided report."
Relevant, even 90 years later. Attila's political commentary was always remarkably prophetic.
@AinoJar
"Which leaves one to entertain a thought, and wonder if it's a one-sided report" - Gotta love it!
@gamlahund
@ThePeaceableKingdom i'm glad you enjoyed it, sometimes i wonder if anyone is interested in the old time stuff.
@chrisks1065
anyone has daily mail report or million dollar jail by same artiste?
@ElderDrug
DANKE DANKE DANKE!!!