Banana Boat Song
Cedella Marley-Booker Lyrics
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Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Work all night till de mornin' come
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Six and seven and eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Six and seven and eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Say me day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
I sing, day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
A beautiful bunch o' ripe banana
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Say in der hide the deadly black tarantula
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Six and seven and eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Six and seven and eight foot bunch
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Beautiful bunch o' ripe banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Me say der in hide the deadly black tarantula
Daylight come and me wanna go home
Me say day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day-o, day-o
"The Banana Boat Song" by Cedella Marley Booker and Taj Mahal is a traditional Jamaican folk song that originated in the 19th century. The song is about Jamaican dock workers who work all night to stack bananas on ships to be exported to various countries. They sing the song to keep their spirits high during the strenuous work. Day-o is a call to bring more bananas to the dock, and the workers sing "daylight come and me wan' go home" to indicate their desire to leave and rest after a long night of work.
The lyrics also mention the Tally Man, who is in charge of counting and recording the number of bananas each worker stacks. This job was important to ensure that the workers were paid correctly. The song adds a bit of humor by mentioning the deadly black tarantula, which is not found in banana plantations but adds a thrilling element to the lyrics.
"The Banana Boat Song" has become a popular song in various cultures, and many musicians have covered it. It is a symbol of Jamaican culture and has been used to promote the country's tourism industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Day-o, me say day-o
I am singing about the daybreak, and repeating the phrase 'day-o'.
Daylight come and me wan' go home
I have been working all night and I want to go home when the sun rises.
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
I continue to sing about the daybreak and repeat the phrase 'day' multiple times.
Me say day, me say day-o
I am still singing about the daybreak and repeating the phrase 'day-o'.
Work all night till de mornin' come
I have been working all night until the morning arrives.
Stack banana till de mornin' come
I am stacking bananas all night long.
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
I am beckoning the tally man to count the bananas I have stacked.
Six and seven and eight foot bunch
I have grouped bananas into bunches of different sizes and am singing about bunches that are six, seven, and eight feet tall.
Say me day-o, day-o
I repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o' once again.
I sing, day-o, day-o
I am still singing about the daybreak and repeating the phrase 'day-o, day-o'.
A beautiful bunch o' ripe banana
I am admiring a bunch of bananas that are ripe and ready to be harvested.
Say in der hide the deadly black tarantula
I warn others that there may be a dangerous black tarantula hiding among the bananas.
Day-o, day-o
I sing about the daybreak and repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o'.
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally the banana
I am once again asking the tally man to count my bananas.
Day-o, me say day-o
I am still singing about the daybreak and repeating the phrase 'day-o'.
Beautiful bunch o' ripe banana
I continue to admire the bunch of ripe bananas.
Me say der in hide the deadly black tarantula
I am once again warning of the danger of a black tarantula hiding among the bananas.
Day-o, day-o
I continue to sing about the daybreak and repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o'.
Day-o, day-o
I repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o' once again.
Day-o, day-o
I continue to sing about the daybreak and repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o'.
Day-o, day-o
I repeat the phrase 'day-o, day-o' one more time.
Lyrics © Tratore, BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Irving Burgie, William Attaway
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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