His stagename stemmed from his large ears, which led to the nickname Dumbo in his youth. "Ele" started out his musical career as a member of the Scare Dem Crew, later continuing as a solo artist. He was later characterized for several trademarks, such as his yellow-orange hair, his unique low-key voice, or his stage performance, which included excessive jumping and running, or even climbing on stage props and monitors. His acoustic trademark is marked by a light lisp.
The first international recognition came when Elephant Man and Puma settled a contract for using his single "All Out" for their Olympics commercial campaign in 2004.
Elephant Man has been widely criticised for his lyrics calling for violence against gay people. In 2003 British LBGT group OutRage! called for the arrest and prosecution of several dancehall stars including Elephant Man, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man for violation of hate crimes statutes [1]
Elephant Man also had a song called "Willie Bounce" that appeared on several Mixtapes in early 2006. It borrowed the first few bars from I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
Recently, the Jamaican star has been signed to New York-based label Bad Boy Entertainment.
Signal De Plane
Elephant Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(John, Bogle, Keeva, Stacy)
People smilee again
(Sadiki and the whole fraternity)
Do what yuh feel like, nuh fight it
Dancing nice-nice-nice
Dancing a Jamaica middle name
Immigration a call out yuh name
Nuh mek yuh friend get buss
Signal di plane
Signal di plane, mek wi signal di plane [repeat x2]
Nuh mek yuh friend get buss, signal di plane
From yuh know yuh inna yuh own suit
Labba Labba show dem di parachute
Parachute, parachute
Everybody fi a do di parachute
Yuh drop pon di ground dem yuh do yuh ting
Hey John show dem di chaplain
Chaplain, chaplain
Bogle gwaan give dem
Dancehall nice again
(John, Bogle, Keeva, Stacy)
People smilee again
(Sadiki and the whole fraternity)
Do what yuh feel like, nuh fight it
Dancing nice-nice-nice
Hot Monday, turn every dance a class room
John wid the ruler, Bogle wid the broom
Sweep them up fast, class a go start soon
John new dance mek mi eye dem a zoom
Dats why mi decide fi put it inna mi tune
Labba Labba do the parachute and jump from moon
Da one yah new everybody haffi catch it soon
February, March, April right back to June
People line off like them inna the platoon
A follow every instruction inna mi tune
Soupy a boil fish tea, dash weh him spoon
Turn over the hot soup, bun up chiney June
Keeva a parachute and a blow like balloon
Hotty hotty Cherry fresh like a flowers wah a bloom
Graduation time, 'sylum a di class room
Go learn fi do the dance yuh likkle goon
Dancehall nice again
(John, Bogle, Keeva, Stacy)
People smilee again
(Sadiki and the whole fraternity)
Do what yuh feel like, nuh fight it
Dancing nice-nice-nice
Me nuh like the segregation weh a gwaan
John and Bogle, a jungle di two a unuh born
United we stand but divided we gone
Carry news dancer, lowe we an gwaan
I guess we'll be dancing from dusk til dawn
John touch di floor, we nuh see weh them gone
Labba Labba deh inna di middle, everybody swarm
We naw weed and grab fi we hand full a corn
Labba Labba may old, but still deh pon form
Through di dance, bad mind nuh stop carry on
Dem hate Fire Links through him mek hype a gwaan
Who nuh waan come a Hot Monday, dem can gwaan
Da dance yah mek everybody a kick up a storm
Show Jack Sowah di brand weh yuh have on
If a Louis Votorni, Armani, Sean John
Enjoy yuh self, nuh mek nuh body keep yuh calm
Dancehall nice again
(John, Bogle, Keeva, Stacy)
People smilee again
(Sadiki and the whole fraternity)
Do what yuh feel like, nuh fight it
Dancing nice-nice-nice
The lyrics to Elephant Man's song "Signal De Plane" celebrate the fun and energy of dancehall music and dancing, urging people to do what they feel like without fighting and to signal the plane and catch the rhythm. The song references the Jamaican tradition of dancing and the desire to travel abroad that many Jamaicans have, but also warns against leaving friends behind or getting caught up in division instead of unity.
The repetition of "dancing nice-nice-nice" emphasizes the joy and fun of dancing and the importance of letting go and enjoying oneself. The references to different dancers, such as John and Bogle, and different dances, such as the parachute and chaplain, highlight the diversity and creativity within the dancehall scene. The song also critiques the segregation and rivalry within dancehall, urging dancers to unite rather than divide.
Line by Line Meaning
Dancehall nice again
The atmosphere in the dancehall is friendly again
People smilee again
People are happy and smiling again
Do what yuh feel like, nuh fight it
You should dance and enjoy yourself freely
Dancing nice-nice-nice
Dancing is enjoyable and pleasant
Dancing a Jamaica middle name
Dancing is an integral part of Jamaican culture
Visa fi go a England a strain
It is difficult to get a visa to go to England
Immigration a call out yuh name
Immigration authorities are calling out the names of those who can go to England
Nuh mek yuh friend get buss
Don't let your friend miss out
Signal di plane
Gesture with your hands to signal the plane
From yuh know yuh inna yuh own suit
If you know you're dressed well and confident, signal the plane
Labba Labba show dem di parachute
Labba Labba demonstrates the 'parachute' dance move
Parachute, parachute
Repeat call to do the 'parachute' dance move
Everybody fi a do di parachute
Everyone should dance the 'parachute' move
Yuh drop pon di ground dem yuh do yuh ting
Do your dance move on the ground
Hey John show dem di chaplain
John demonstrates the 'chaplain' dance move
Chaplain, chaplain
Repeat call to do the 'chaplain' dance move
Bogle gwaan give dem
Bogle should demonstrate another dance move
Hot Monday, turn every dance a class room
The dancehall party feels like a classroom
John wid the ruler, Bogle wid the broom
John is using a ruler as a prop, while Bogle is using a broom
Sweep them up fast, class a go start soon
Bogle sweeps the floor to prepare for class soon
John new dance mek mi eye dem a zoom
John's new dance move catches my attention
Dats why mi decide fi put it inna mi tune
That's why I put it in my song
Labba Labba do the parachute and jump from moon
Labba Labba dances the 'parachute', a dance move that is out of this world
Da one yah new everybody haffi catch it soon
This new dance move is going to be popular soon
February, March, April right back to June
It will be popular throughout the year
People line off like them inna the platoon
People are lining up as if they are marching in a platoon
A follow every instruction inna mi tune
They are following every instruction in my song
Soupy a boil fish tea, dash weh him spoon
Soupy is boiling fish tea so fiercely that his spoon is thrown away
Turn over the hot soup, bun up chiney June
The soup is so hot it burns up the poor cook's hand
Keeva a parachute and a blow like balloon
Keeva is dancing the 'parachute' and is so energetic she looks like a balloon blowing up
Hotty hotty Cherry fresh like a flowers wah a bloom
Hotty Hotty Cherry is looking fresh and vibrant like a blooming flower
Graduation time, 'sylum a di class room
It's time to graduate from the dance moves and take it to the club
Go learn fi do the dance yuh likkle goon
Go and learn how to dance, you little rascal
Me nuh like the segregation weh a gwaan
I don't like the separation that is happening
John and Bogle, a jungle di two a unuh born
John and Bogle are both from the same hood
United we stand but divided we gone
We need to stay united to stay strong
Carry news dancer, lowe we an gwaan
Don't spread gossip among dancers, let's just dance
I guess we'll be dancing from dusk til dawn
Expect to spend the whole night dancing
John touch di floor, we nuh see weh them gone
When John dances, we're too focused on him to notice anyone else
Labba Labba deh inna di middle, everybody swarm
Labba Labba is dancing in the middle and everyone is flocking to him
We naw weed and grab fi we hand full a corn
We don't need drugs, we're just here for the fun
Labba Labba may old, but still deh pon form
Labba Labba is getting old, but still dances very well
Through di dance, bad mind nuh stop carry on
Even though people try to discourage us from dancing, we still keep going
Dem hate Fire Links through him mek hype a gwaan
People hate Fire Links because he is popular
Who nuh waan come a Hot Monday, dem can gwaan
If someone doesn't want to come to Hot Monday, they're free to leave
Da dance yah mek everybody a kick up a storm
This dance is making everyone have a great time
Show Jack Sowah di brand weh yuh have on
Show off the brand of clothing you're wearing to Jack Sowah
If a Louis Votorni, Armani, Sean John
If it's a designer brand like Louis Vuitton, Armani, or Sean John
Enjoy yuh self, nuh mek nuh body keep yuh calm
Enjoy yourself and don't let anyone stop you from having fun
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KIRK FORD, KEITH BENNETT, O'NEIL(ELEPHANT MAN) BRYAN, CRAIG PARKES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind