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.
Graf Zeppelin
Atilla the Hun Lyrics
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A rumbling and a tumbling in the atmosphere
One Sunday morning I chanced to hear
A rumbling and a tumbling in the atmosphere
I ran to stare, people were flocking everywhere
Gesticulating and gazing and pointing in the air
It was the Graf Zeppelin which had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
And marvelled at man's ingenuity
The whirring of the engines was all I heard
As it floated in the air like some giant bird
And in between as the mighty airship gleamed
The pilot and the sailors and the passengers were seen
They were waving little flags which they had heralding their visit to Trinidad
I gazed and the knowledge came back to me
How wonderful the work of man can be
To see that huge object in the air
Maintaining perfect equilibrium in the atmosphere
Wonderfully, beautifully, gloriously
Decidedly defying all the laws of gravity
Was the Graf Zeppelin which had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
As I gazed at the Zeppelin something touched my hand
I turned and saw an old, decrepit coolie man
He said to me pointing at the Zeppelin
"Massa, can you tell am what is that thing?
Me feel to bawl, for me can't understand at all
He have nothing hold him up dey and still he never fall"
He was speaking of the Zeppelin that had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
The song "Graf Zeppelin" by Atilla the Hun relays his experience of seeing the airship, Graf Zeppelin, in Trinidad. Atilla starts off by explaining how he heard a rumbling noise coming from the sky and how he ran to see what all the fuss was about. People were gathered around pointing and staring at the airship as it paid its visit to Trinidad. Atilla marvels at the feat of human ingenuity that allows a massive object like the Graf Zeppelin to float in the air, defying all the laws of gravity.
As Atilla gazes at the airship, an old coolie man approaches him and asks what it is. The coolie man is amazed that the airship remains afloat without falling despite having nothing to hold it up. This highlights the wonder that the Graf Zeppelin created in people at the time, as it represented a new era in transportation technology.
Overall, the song is a celebration of human achievement and technological advancement, with the Graf Zeppelin serving as the prime example of what people can do when they put their minds to it.
Line by Line Meaning
One Sunday morning I chanced to hear
I happened to hear one Sunday morning
A rumbling and a tumbling in the atmosphere
There was a noise in the air like a rumble and a tumble
I ran to stare, people were flocking everywhere
I went over to look and saw that many people were gathering around
Gesticulating and gazing and pointing in the air
They were making gestures and looking upwards and pointing
It was the Graf Zeppelin which had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
The aircraft was the Graf Zeppelin which had come for a visit to Trinidad
I gazed at the Zeppelin contemplatively
I looked at the Zeppelin thoughtfully
And marvelled at man's ingenuity
And felt amazed by the cleverness of humanity
The whirring of the engines was all I heard
I could only hear the sound of the engines whirring
As it floated in the air like some giant bird
As it hovered in the sky, resembling a huge bird
And in between as the mighty airship gleamed
And every so often, as the huge aircraft shone
The pilot and the sailors and the passengers were seen
You could see the pilot, sailors and passengers
They were waving little flags which they had heralding their visit to Trinidad
They were using small flags to announce their arrival in Trinidad
I gazed and the knowledge came back to me
As I looked, I recalled some knowledge I had
How wonderful the work of man can be
About the incredible things that people can create
To see that huge object in the air
To witness such a large aircraft hovering above
Maintaining perfect equilibrium in the atmosphere
Staying perfectly balanced in the air
Wonderfully, beautifully, gloriously
In a magnificent, beautiful way
Decidedly defying all the laws of gravity
Clearly going against the normal rules of gravity
Was the Graf Zeppelin which had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
Which was the reason for the visit of the Graf Zeppelin to Trinidad
As I gazed at the Zeppelin something touched my hand
When I was looking at the aircraft, something touched my hand
I turned and saw an old, decrepit coolie man
I saw an elderly and frail man
He said to me pointing at the Zeppelin
He then pointed at the aircraft and spoke to me
"Massa, can you tell am what is that thing?
"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me what that is?
Me feel to bawl, for me can't understand at all
I feel like crying, because I cannot comprehend
He have nothing hold him up dey and still he never fall"
How can it stay in the air without anything holding it up?"
He was speaking of the Zeppelin that had come to pay a visit to Trinidad
He was referring to the Graf Zeppelin that had come for a visit to Trinidad
Contributed by Alexandra T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edmund Nankivell
on Treasury Scandal
Essential history in these splendid calypsos - they must stay for ever on the internet