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.
@giovannivalastro
The sun is shining in the night
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
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
A spider crawled across my face
Spreading its 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
Then they cut it and they baked 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
@user-en5to2yr1m
Повышаем уровень регги музыки в Восточной Европе
@giannisalustri7848
i wanna say , I am italian my age is 67 yo, i discovered exuma and junkle band of Daddy ya ya when I was 18teen , in hight shool , this sound , this music , the screeming voice of Exuma , and background sound and thousand wisles , were like a tunder for me , fascinated by all . ,at that time i could not total understand the meaning of Exuma world , but my instinct attract me to this amazing sound , and iconic instruments as cabassa sacred sand , and lot of percussion , drived by the lonely acustic guitar and voice of Exuma , the feeling of voodo and all culture of slaved people were mythical meeting for me , most of meaning of Exuma work , I understand just some time ago , thank to you tube , .,, in 1970 /71 all my class room sang , with my guitar help, songs as Ball , mama loy , damn fool ,Exuma the obea man , i had a vision , fire in the hole , but all girls like Dambale ever ,,,,, Gianni Salustri
@sovietchampagne
that's amazing
@juang.7837
Hello sr, Im glad I read your comment. Would you help me understand what does it mean when you say “ but all girls like dambale ever”? Sorry for not understanding your reference but I wish I would, sorry to bother also. I learned this tune a few years ago, this song will always give me something to keep on
@genjatimelord
thanks for sharing
@divanicometombe2056
oh, un altro italiano che conosce Exuma 💓
@giannisalustri7848
@@divanicometombe2056 Fu sciock/ amore al primo ascolto (1971) ....a tutto volume ...
@janis285
the sheer emotional power of this song. the spirit. the fear. the pain. this album is a 10/10.
@Skullkan6
"There ain't no boss there ain't no man"
This line understands what made zombies scary to Haitians. The real fear of Haiti zombies, was not the fact that it was a dead man walking, it was the subliminal fear of not only being enslaved again, or slavery being reinstated... but the fear that not even death could free you from slavery.
That really is horrifying.
@Peace2daworld
Exactly
In Haitian culture people are not scared of zombies
They're terrified of becoming one