Mama Loi Papa Loi
Exuma Lyrics
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Zombies walking in the broad day light
Zombie he done lost his soul
Zombie he don't ever get old
Lord of darkness king of light
Come, come here on this stormy night
There is no star in the sky
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
Touch me, touch me,
Fix my hand,
Let me see what's in the sand.
Man is boy,
And boy is man.
There ain't no boss,
There ain't no man.
I'll spit my spit,
In your spit.
Then let seven snakes,
Come up from the pit.
I'll stand under this mango tree.
Till you come, come to me.
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire, (fire)
Fire, fire, fire, fire,
(I see fire in the dead man's eye)
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
A spider crawled across my face,
Spreading it's web on the human race.
Jingo, Jingo he ain't dead,
He can see,
From the back of his head.
They tied ten onions 'round my naval string.
They baked it, and cut it,
And made it into a ring
Come on Shango, Satan come to me
Let me speak what I can't see.
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire, (fire)
Fire, fire, fire, fire,
(I see fire in the dead man's eye)
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
Fire, Fire...
I see fire,
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
I see fire, (fire)
Fire, fire, fire, fire,
(I see fire in the dead man's eye)
I see fire in the dead man's eye.
(I see fire in the dead man's eye.)
I see fire in the dead man's eye
Exuma's song Mama Loi Papa Loi is a haunting and mysterious piece that contains lyrics that are largely open to interpretation but seem to delve into darker themes, specifically surrounding the concept of the undead or zombies. The opening line, "the sun is shining in the night," sets a surreal tone for the rest of the song which describes zombies walking in broad daylight, emphasizing their otherness and dissociation from the world around them. The repetition of "I see fire in the dead man's eye" is one of the most striking and eerie lines in the song, suggesting that even in death, the soul persists in some form, perhaps in a terrible and unquiet fashion. This is further underscored by the reference to snakes coming up from the pit, painting a portrait of a hellish and infernal world in which the undead roam free.
Throughout the song, there are references to various supernatural figures and practices. Mama Loi and Papa Loi are believed to be vernacular names for the Vodou or Hoodoo spirits known as loas. Shango is another entity from African and Caribbean folklore, associated with thunder and lightning. Jingo, mentioned in the verse about the spider crawling across the singer's face, is possibly a reference to a folk hero or trickster figure in African and Afro-Caribbean cultures.
The song's lyrics, therefore, seem to be a complex blend of different mythologies and folk traditions, drawing on imagery and symbolism from African, Caribbean, and American cultures to create a haunting and surreal world populated by the undead and the dark powers that rule over them.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is shining in the night
There is an abnormality occurring in the world
Zombies walking in the broad day light
The world is topsy-turvy and unpredictable
Zombie he done lost his soul
The undead are soulless and without purpose
Zombie he don't ever get old
The undead are ageless and immortal
Lord of darkness king of light
The realm of the undead is ruled by darkness despite the presence of light
Come, come here on this stormy night
Invite the spirits to appear on a tumultuous evening
There is no star in the sky
The heavens are dark and empty
I see fire in the dead man's eye
The undead are full of turmoil and unrest
Mama Loi, Papa Loi,
Invocation of the spirits Mama Loi and Papa Loi
Touch me, touch me,
Plea for a supernatural experience
Fix my hand,
Request for healing or some kind of divine intervention
Let me see what's in the sand.
Desire to uncover secrets or hidden knowledge
Man is boy,
Humans are immature and foolish
And boy is man.
The same foolishness and immaturity persists even into adulthood
There ain't no boss,
There is no authority or structure
There ain't no man.
There are no individuals, only mindless masses
I'll spit my spit,
Threat of violent action
In your spit.
The threat is directed towards someone specific
Then let seven snakes,
Desire for chaos and destruction
Come up from the pit.
Calling forth evil forces
I'll stand under this mango tree.
Awaiting something significant
Till you come, come to me.
Waiting for a supernatural presence to appear
A spider crawled across my face,
Unexpected and unpleasant things can happen at any moment
Spreading it's web on the human race.
Evil forces are at work on a grand scale
Jingo, Jingo he ain't dead,
The undead are hard to kill and can never truly be defeated
He can see,
The undead are aware of their surroundings even though they are no longer alive
From the back of his head.
Their perception of the world is not limited by normal human physiology
They tied ten onions 'round my naval string.
A ritual meant to ward off evil or bring about good luck
They baked it, and cut it,
Part of a ceremonial offering
And made it into a ring
The result of the offering serves as a protective device
Come on Shango, Satan come to me
Opening oneself up to dark forces
Let me speak what I can't see.
Wanting to be able to see beyond the veil of reality
I see fire,
The world is consumed by chaos and destruction
Fire, fire, fire, fire,
Repetition emphasizing the scale of the devastation
Fire in the dead man's eye
The undead are tormented and restless
Fire, Fire...
Continuation of the previous line
Contributed by Isaac Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jeffmorris1590
That song is uncoverable.. but my god.. you covered it fantastically. Goodbye 2019. See you soon 2020.
@KimDoucetFitness
No one can do it like Tony (Exuma) did
@forlornjoe3868
Loving it, especially that you went towards blues from the original freak folk. A lovely, creative, killer cover!
@antonigadomski4990
Fantastic cover! Good job!
@munzeez21
..... wow
@luisalbertojv7767
Chech the Horror Black Metal version by Danish band Denial of God.
@adrnmatos
Amazing cover from a beautiful song. Well done!
@theCoverVerse
WOW!! Guys....
@briankiz1
absolutely killer cover.
@kevinbenavides92
Holy shit. Great job!