David became an apprentice to the late Ken Morris, a master craftsman known for his copper work and carnival designs. He still paints today and in fact he sees himself more as an artist rather than an entertainer.
David, along with Charlie's Roots, produces and performs for the Carnival productions of, what is arguably, the most innovative and controversial Carnival artist ever - Peter Minshall. Minshall's designs have been used in many major events, the most notable being the Barcelona Olympics of 1990 and most recently The Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Over the years Rudder's music has become intertwined with the yearly Minshall's theatric bands.
Madness
David Rudder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stand up dey in the people′s fete meh eye open wide
Everybody inside there like they, they fetin' hard
But when ah watch at they faces mamayo - like they going mad
It must be the budget that the man from Whitehall did read
'Cause all of them inside of there like they suck a crazy seed
That kind ah head couldn′t come from weed
This is not the kind of jam where you
Stand up like a chupidee begging for mercy
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
If you see the glasses ting the one who does lime with Brown
The same one who used to walk the road like she cyah touch the ground
Since she lost she Texaco wuk, if you see the chile
Gettin on kind of wild and wassy like wassy going out of style
Brown hold down he head and bawl how he feelin' shame
How she have about 12 GCE and she went to Holy Name
Same time a ex-dewd man pass and gone with the dame
Cause
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is not the kind of jam where you
Stand up like a moomoo - the rhythm go jam you
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going dey
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
It have a big French Creole one, they does call him Pierre
He wet he hot dog down with somebody half a beer
Then he snatch up the pepper sauce mama, he drinking that
Start to cuss up the barman saying, how the beer so flat
It was Wednesday morning gone the man business place close down
So when you check out the fella position, you cyah give him wrong
He and an ex-Union man hug up singing the song
Hear them
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is not the kind of jam where you
Stand up like a moomoo the rhythm go jam you
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann′s)
(St Ann's)
It was half past four in the morning, the promoter at a loss
He partner tell him, ′Boy, don't dig nothin, call in the police force′
A strange woman named Gas Station Jean, no mamaguy, she shout out
If they feel there we bloody over well tell them we say they lie
It was six o'clock in the morning, sun done start to shine
The short Union man turn and tell the tactical
′Shoot we while we wine
But comrade, we not leaving here until half past nine'
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is just the kind of jam where you
Go be in trouble if you not a rebel
This is not a fete in here this is madness yeah
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We bad we bad we mad we bad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Oh lord
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad) O lord (we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Even Crazy in the band
(St Ann′s)
Ayyyy ay aye
Corn cob Mary with she man
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad) mhmm
(St Ann's)
Even Mahal in the band
(St Ann's)
Mahal, how you get in this man hmmm
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann′s)
I forget forget you is a madman
(St Ann′s)
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad
Raise yuh hand if you feel you bad
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad
Throw up yuh hand if you feel you mad
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad lord
The song "Madness" by David Rudder talks about the chaos and madness that ensues during a fete, a Trinidadian party. In the song, the singer jumps over a wall at midnight and enters the party. Everyone inside is partying hard, but the singer observes that they all look crazy. He suggests that the cause of their madness could be the budget that the man from Whitehall read, implying that it may be the aftermath of political decisions. The song describes the different people at the party and how they are all acting crazily, including one man who snatches up pepper sauce and starts yelling at the barman. The song finishes with the singer suggesting that the partygoers are not just having fun but are legitimately mad.
Line by Line Meaning
I jump the wall 'bout 12 o'clock and I, I gone inside
I illegally entered the venue at midnight
Stand up dey in the people's fete meh eye open wide
I stood in the crowd at the party with eyes wide open
Everybody inside there like they, they fetin' hard
Everyone inside the party was having a blast
But when ah watch at they faces mamayo - like they going mad
But when I observed their faces, they seemed insane
It must be the budget that the man from Whitehall did read
The extravagant party must have been funded by the man from Whitehall
'Cause all of them inside of there like they suck a crazy seed
All of them inside seemed to be under the influence of something strong
That kind ah head couldn't come from weed
Such intense craziness couldn't be caused by smoking weed
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This party is not just a regular fete, it's pure madness
This is not the kind of jam where you
This is not the type of party where you
Stand up like a chupidee begging for mercy
Stand around like a helpless person pleading for mercy
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
N/A
Everybody mad
Everyone is going crazy
Heh
N/A
Where we going
Where are we headed?
(St Ann's)
The destination is St. Ann's
Why we going there
What's the reason for going there?
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
We are crazy about going there
If you see the glasses ting the one who does lime with Brown
If you notice the woman who hangs out with Brown and wears glasses
The same one who used to walk the road like she cyah touch the ground
The same woman who used to walk down the street gracefully
Since she lost she Texaco wuk, if you see the chile
Ever since she lost her job at Texaco, if you observe her child
Gettin on kind of wild and wassy like wassy going out of style
Behaving crazily like it's going out of fashion
Brown hold down he head and bawl how he feelin' shame
Brown held down his head and cried out of embarrassment
How she have about 12 GCE and she went to Holy Name
She has many academic qualifications and attended Holy Name school
Same time a ex-dewd man pass and gone with the dame
At the same time, an ex-boyfriend showed up and took her away
Cause
N/A
Stand up like a moomoo - the rhythm go jam you
Act crazy like a moomoo - the music will make you go wild
Why we going dey
Why are we going there?
It have a big French Creole one, they does call him Pierre
There's a big man of French Creole heritage who goes by the name Pierre
He wet he hot dog down with somebody half a beer
He soaked his hot dog in someone's half-empty beer
Then he snatch up the pepper sauce mama, he drinking that
Then he grabbed some pepper sauce and drank it
Start to cuss up the barman saying, how the beer so flat
Started to curse the bartender, complaining about the flat beer
It was Wednesday morning gone the man business place close down
By Wednesday morning, the man's business had closed down
So when you check out the fella position, you cyah give him wrong
If you take a look at the man's situation, you can't blame him
He and an ex-Union man hug up singing the song
He and an ex-Union man hugged each other while singing the song
Hear them
Listen to them
It was half past four in the morning, the promoter at a loss
It was 4:30 in the morning and the promoter was at a loss
He partner tell him, 'Boy, don't dig nothin, call in the police force'
His partner advised him to not take any action and call in the police
A strange woman named Gas Station Jean, no mamaguy, she shout out
A strange woman named Gas Station Jean spoke up firmly and untruthfully
If they feel there we bloody over well tell them we say they lie
If the police feel that there's trouble, we'll deny and say they're lying
It was six o'clock in the morning, sun done start to shine
It was 6 AM and the sun had already risen
The short Union man turn and tell the tactical
The short man from the Union turned and spoke to his friend
'Shoot we while we wine
Shoot us while we dance
But comrade, we not leaving here until half past nine'
But friend, we're not leaving until 9:30 AM
Even Crazy in the band
Even the singer Crazy is part of the band
Corn cob Mary with she man
Corn on the cob Mary is with her partner
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
We're going absolutely crazy
Even Mahal in the band
Even Mahal is part of the band
Mahal, how you get in this man hmmm
Mahal, how did you get involved in this, man?
I forget forget you is a madman
I almost forgot that you're a crazy person
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad
Raise your hand if you feel crazy
Raise yuh hand if you feel you bad
Raise your hand if you feel bad
Throw up yuh hand if you feel you mad
Throw your hands up if you feel crazy
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad lord
Raise your hand if you feel crazy, lord
Writer(s): David Rudder
Contributed by Jonathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nitecrawler26
I jump the wall ′bout 12 o'clock and I, I gone inside
Stand up dey in the people′s fete meh eye open wide
Everybody inside there like they, they fetin' hard
But when ah watch at they faces mamayo - like they going mad
It must be the budget that the man from Whitehall did read
'Cause all of them inside of there like they suck a crazy seed
That kind ah head couldn′t come from weed
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is not the kind of jam where you Stand up like a chupidee begging for mercy
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
If you see the glasses ting the one who does lime with Brown
The same one who used to walk the road like she cyah touch the ground
Since she lost she Texaco wuk, if you see the chile
Gettin on kind of wild and wassy like wassy going out of style
Brown hold down he head and bawl how he feelin' shame
How she have about 12 GCE and she went to Holy Name
Same time a ex-dewd man pass and gone with the dame
Cause
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is not the kind of jam where you
Stand up like a moomoo - the rhythm go jam you
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going dey
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
It have a big French Creole one, they does call him Pierre
He wet he hot dog down with somebody half a beer
Then he snatch up the pepper sauce mama, he drinking that
Start to cuss up the barman saying, how the beer so flat
It was Wednesday morning gone the man business place close down
So when you check out the fella position, you cyah give him wrong
He and an ex-Union man hug up singing the song
Hear them
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is not the kind of jam where you
Stand up like a moomoo the rhythm go jam you
This is not a fete in here this is madness
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann′s)
(St Ann's)
It was half past four in the morning, the promoter at a loss
He partner tell him, ′Boy, don't dig nothin, call in the police force′
A strange woman named Gas Station Jean, no mamaguy, she shout out
If they feel there we bloody over well tell them we say they lie
It was six o'clock in the morning, sun done start to shine
The short Union man turn and tell the tactical
′Shoot we while we wine
But comrade, we not leaving here until half past nine'
This is not a fete in here this is madness
This is just the kind of jam where you
Go be in trouble if you not a rebel
This is not a fete in here this is madness yeah
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Everybody mad
Ayay ay ayay aye ayayayayaya yeh
Heh
Where we going
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We bad we bad we mad we bad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Oh lord
(St Ann's)
Where we going
(St Ann′s)
Why we going there
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad) O lord (we more than mad)
(St Ann's)
Even Crazy in the band
(St Ann′s)
Ayyyy ay aye
Corn cob Mary with she man
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad) mhmm
(St Ann's)
Even Mahal in the band
(St Ann's)
Mahal, how you get in this man hmmm
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
(St Ann′s)
I forget forget you is a madman
(St Ann′s)
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad
Raise yuh hand if you feel you bad
(St Ann's)
(St Ann′s)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad
Throw up yuh hand if you feel you mad
(We mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we mad we more than mad)
Raise yuh hand if you feel you mad lord
@josweetlove1537
Classic soca from King David. Still listening in 2021 !! Love the brass and the iron.
@dohstudyitnah
This is one of the better calypsoes that discusses serious social issues and is a party song, ah only if Modern soca artistes had the talent like this.
@SuperSnk1
Takes a true genius to compose such a Classic .
@MusicLikeRegin
"Da kinda head couldn't come from weed" David de shepherd never told a lie. Soca hall of fame and just knight him yes. Call him Sir David Rudder. Great song!!!
@norahherbie9144
i love this man s poetry and music to de bone..thank you David ..class act
@ronaldlewis7580
Well David even today it's still madness. Well composed sir.....
@kerwynalridge8390
i love this song and im only 18..............DAVID RUDDER a true legend
@sharlenebarrington5705
You sir, you know good music!!!
@AndersonMil7
Dize wah Trinbagonian know for endless excitement and festive chunes
@kobysadmar6069
'he n a next Indian man hug up singin dis song"......lmao😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂my sweet Trinidad. ..only here yuh cud find so much lyrics we....ah love it.....tune wit sense n vibe....only in Trinidad. ...❤🔴⚪⚫❤