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.
The Ballad Of Hulsie X
David Rudder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a gyal call the suger belt queen
If yuh breathe too hard in the central yard
She bound to be on the scene
And so the people get mean
And they went to the queen
And they beg she to intervene
They say oh queen there's a scorrage in the land
And so she rant and she rage and she misbehave
This gyal called Hulsie X
So they greyed hair man called Wayde and Ram
And asked them Boys Whats next
They say listen manDay she breaking way
This gyal called Hulsie X
They say she do ah dollar wine on we party line
Well that get
the people vexed
David Rudder's song The Ballad of Hulsie X tells the story of a girl called the Sugar Belt Queen, who is always present in the central yard, and the people there do not seem to like her much. The people are agitated and upset, and they ask the queen to intervene because there is an African zeg machine that is causing mischief in the land. The Sugar Belt Queen rants, rages and misbehaves and is a nuisance according to the people. The grey-haired men, Wayde and Ram, are then sought out and called upon to handle the situation. They inform the people that Hulsie X is breaking away and doing a dollar wine on the party line, causing more frustration among the people.
The lyrics of the song by David Rudder carry a clear narrative, but the meaning behind it is not as transparent. It could symbolize the tension and frustration that occurs when people feel that someone is disrupting their peace and causing a disturbance. It could also refer to how people call upon authority figures to solve their problems instead of tackling the situation themselves. Moreover, the song could represent how people need to learn to deal with unruly individuals in their community instead of shirking the responsibility and passing it on to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Well this is the tale, oh such ah tale
This is a story that is worth telling and has a lot of events.
Of a gyal call the suger belt queen
There was a woman known as the queen of the sugar belt.
If yuh breathe too hard in the central yard
If you so much as make a noise in the central yard, she will hear it.
She bound to be on the scene
She is always the first to arrive.
And so the people get mean
People start to get angry.
And they went to the queen
They went to the queen for help.
And they beg she to intervene
They pleaded with her to get involved.
They say oh queen there's a scorrage in the land
They told the queen that there was a problem in the country.
It was a african zeg machine
It was a machine that caused a lot of trouble.
And so she rant and she rage and she misbehave
She got angry and started to act up.
This gyal called Hulsie X
The woman causing the problems was named Hulsie X.
So they greyed hair man called Wayde and Ram
Two older men named Wayde and Ram got involved.
And asked them Boys Whats next
They asked them what they should do next.
They say listen manDay she breaking way
They say that Hulsie X is misbehaving again.
This gyal called Hulsie X
They mentioned Hulsie X again.
They say she do ah dollar wine on we party line
They say she is dancing suggestively on their party line.
Well that get
The story ends abruptly.
Writer(s): david michael rudder
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@muslimchand
Get dem out x 2
Hey !
Well this is the tale ,
Oh such a tale of a gyal
Called the sugar belt queen
If you breathe too hard
In she central yard
She bound to be on the scene
And so the people get mean
And went to their Queen
And the beg she to intervene
They say oh Queen
There's a scourge in the land
It was an African Sex machine
And so she rant and she rave
And she misbehave
This girl called Hulsie x
So the grey haired man
Phoned Wade and Ram
And asked them
' Boys what's next? '
They say ,
Listen ManDey
She breaking way
This gyal called Hulsie x
They say she do a dollar wine
On the party line
And that get ManDey vex
We used to be a ragamuffin monarchy
But now we are a parasite oligarchy
We used to be a ragamuffin monarchy
But now its only parasite in the party
Hey
Get them out x 2
@aaronknights3341
Listening in January, 2024.
@aartibenny
2023 and stull a big hit I not moving
@annarobins5302
Hulsie is my Aunt and this song came out in the 90's. I've been looking for this song for years so my kids could know their roots. Thank you for putting it on Youtube. I luv it. Thank you Mr Rudder for the great music.
@indirarampersad2085
We could sure use someone like Hulsie in today's political system. Kudos to your aunt for standing up!
@n83able
Yes it came out in the 1990s
@chineyblack9527
1997 to be exact
@jasonpascale8519
Yes your epitomizes what it is to be a politician.Could you imagine if she was a government minister in the Government of 1995-2001 how much good she would of done for both her constituents and country. .
@hollowman5830
@@chineyblack9527 no it came out in 1995 and he performed it live on television.
@trini13archer
We real missing this kind of social commentary in our current times.
@davidtsmith33
True dat.