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Born in Kingston, Jamaica as Ripton Hylton, Eek-a-Mouse began his foray into reggae music when he was in college, but did not begin to garner a substantial audience until 1979 with his hit "Once a Virgin". This same year, he changed his singing name to "Eek-a-Mouse", the name of the racehorse he always bet on. In 1981, he cheered up the Reggae Sunsplash Festival, which was still mourning over the death of reggae icon Bob Marley. After this, his fame continued increasing through the year 1982 until 1988, when he released "Eek-A-Nomics", his last full-length CD until 1996.
Eek-a-Mouse is a regular at the Jamaican music festival Reggae Sunsplash and often teams up with reggae duo Michigan and Smiley. He has also been featured on Christian rock group P.O.D.'s (Payable on Death) album Satellite, lending his vocals to the rock-reggae track "Ridiculous".
The Mouse & The Man
Eek-a-Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way de gon
We me ni me-en we ne me-en, wee de deng, hey!
Sweet tooth an' jay walking
We were there talking way de den, way de den
The cop wasn't looking
The cop wasn't looking
Some of them may call you a turkey
May de den, may de den
Hey hey some look on you and say you flakey
Dey de den, dey de den
Girls around Don musician
You call them groupie
I saw some in New York
I saw some in San Francisco
I saw some in Chicago
I saw some in San Salito
She say take my hand
And carry mi to Disneyland
There I met Mickey Mouse an'
We both shake hand
He was the mouse, I am the man
We went fantasy land
Also Pirates of the Caribbean
It's a small-small world for all
Lil' boys an' girl
Oh oh, Disneyland, oh oh, Disneyland
Oh oh, Disneyland, oh oh, Disneyland
Disney, Disneyland, Disney, Disneyland
Disney, Disneyland
She say she want to go to New York
She said she want to go to San Francisco
She say take my hand, carry mi to Chicago
How can I carry you now
I couldn't carry you in the snow?
I ain't got no fancy car too
I not got no window
Oh no, oh oh no, I must be so poor
Deni deni deni de go oi, ani ne beng gue eng
Mey gue meng
Sweet tooth an' jay walking, Jah know
We were there talkin'
The cop wasn't looking, the cop
The cop wasn't looking
The cop wasn't looking
The cop wasn't looking
Dey de gon, dey de gon
The cop wasn't looking
The cop wasn't looking
Ney de den, ney de deng
Ne ney ne no oi, ne ne ni me
Eng, ney de gon, ney de gon, nen
Ne ney ne go oin, ne nei
Ne ney go oin, ne-ever, ne-ever
Hey hey hey they call some girl groupie
Hey hey hey they call some of them turkey
Ney ne gon, ney de gon, e do oing
Be ne ni go oing
The lyrics of "The Mouse & The Man" by Eek-a-Mouse describe a musical journey that started with two people, the singer and a woman talking about Disneyland, New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The singer admits he had no money, not even a car to take this woman to these places. The chorus of the song establishes a musical pattern with the repetition of "way de gon" and "may de den" sounds, and then picks up again for the next verse where the singer tells a story about jaywalking and chatting up girls.
The most distinctive part of the song is perhaps the line "I saw some in New York, I saw some in San Francisco, I saw some in Chicago". It is a romantic idea to imagine a musical friend traveling across the country and seeing people singing and dancing everywhere, but it also highlights the fact that music brings people together. The lines "He was the mouse, I am the man, we went fantasy land, also Pirates of the Caribbean, it's a small-small world for all the little boys and girls" evoke the magic of Disneyland. Overall, the song is about the power of music and its ability to unite people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Line by Line Meaning
Weh do-oing be-meni me-en, way de gon
What are you doing woman, where are you going
Way de gon
Where are you headed
We me ni me-en we ne me-en, wee de deng, hey!
You and me, woman or mistress, let's do this
Sweet tooth an' jay walking
Indulgence and dangerous walking habits
We were there talking way de den, way de den
We were there gossiping and having a good time
The cop wasn't looking
We thought we could get away with it
May de den, may de den
Let's keep this going
Some of them may call you a turkey
Some people may say you're foolish
Hey hey some look on you and say you flakey
Some people view you as unreliable
Dey de den, dey de den
Keep the fun and excitement going
Girls around Don musician
Women who surround Don the musician
You call them groupie
You might label them as groupies
I saw some in New York
I saw some in New York City
I saw some in San Francisco
I saw some in San Francisco city
I saw some in Chicago
I saw some in Chicago city
I saw some in San Salito
I saw some in Sausalito city
She say take my hand
She asked me to hold her hand
And carry mi to Disneyland
And take me to Disneyland
There I met Mickey Mouse an'
I met Mickey Mouse there
We both shake hand
We shook hands
He was the mouse, I am the man
He was the character, I am the person
We went fantasy land
We visited the space of imagination and wonder
Also Pirates of the Caribbean
We were also at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
It's a small-small world for all
It's a small world ride is available for everyone
Lil' boys an' girl
Little boys and girls
Oh oh, Disneyland, oh oh, Disneyland
Oh Disneyland, the wondrous world
Disney, Disneyland, Disney, Disneyland
Disney and Disneyland, the magic combination
She say she want to go to New York
She said she wants to go to New York City
She said she want to go to San Francisco
She said she wants to go to San Francisco City
She say take my hand, carry mi to Chicago
She asked me to take her to Chicago, holding her hand
How can I carry you now
How can I carry you right now
I couldn't carry you in the snow?
I wouldn't be able to carry you amidst the snow cover
I ain't got no fancy car too
I don't have a luxury car as well
I not got no window
I don't even have a window in my car
Oh no, oh oh no, I must be so poor
Oh, I am too poor to afford fancy cars
Deni deni deni de go oi, ani ne beng gue eng
Helpless and unable to carry her
Mey gue meng
Oh, my goodness
Jah know
God knows
The cop wasn't looking, the cop
We thought we could get away from the authorities
Ney de den, ney de deng
Keep the good times rolling
Ne ney ne no oi, ne ne ni me
Just enjoying ourselves
Eng, ney de gon, ney de gon, nen
Intoxicated and giddy
Ne ney ne go oin, ne nei
Just here hanging out
Ne ney go oin, ne-ever, ne-ever
Just enjoying ourselves, forever and ever
Dey de gon, dey de gon, e do oing
Just having a good time, let's do this
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Annette Guerrero
on There's A Girl In My Life
I think it says
Or the riches I ain't got.
Annette Guerrero
on There's A Girl In My Life
I don't care
If I don't go inside
All I know
I'm gonna get you tonight
Gina AllenAnnette Guerrero
on There's A Girl In My Life
And I dont know why
Maybe it the color of my skin
All the riches I am bound ?