He was born in San Fernando, Trinidad. He became active in calypso in the mid-1930s, and was considered a country bumpkin by his contemporaries, because of his humble beginning. It was Grant's tailor who gave him his moniker by commenting, "I tell you, Rupert, you should call yourself Lord Invader so when you go up to the city you be invadin' the capital." With a new name, in 1937 he went to the capital city of Port of Spain and began his career in earnest.
He competed in many calypso competitions (including the very first Calypso King competition) and recorded for RCA Bluebird. Lured by Decca Records, he travelled to New York City in 1941 with other calypsonians such as Roaring Lion and Atilla the Hun to make records and promote calypso music. He wrote many calypsos; his most famous lyrics, "Rum and Coca-Cola", were plagiarised by Morey Amsterdam and became a hit for the Andrews Sisters. Invader travelled to New York and sued, eventually winning compensation, although the final settlement allowed Amsterdam to retain his copyright. Ironically, In the early 1940s, radio stations in the USA would not play his own version on the grounds of its using the copyrighted name, Coca-Cola, and its references to prostitution and alcohol. He stayed in New York for a few years because of the lengthy court case. During his tenure in New York City, he became a fixture in the local calypso scene and recorded many tracks for Moses Asch. Eventually, he won his court case, but would not see his settlement check for seven years, so he returned to Trinidad in the meantime. He opened a calypso club there and penned and recorded many original songs.
He is often credited with writing "Zombie Jamboree", although the song was actually written by Lord Intruder (Winston O'Conner), who released it on the B-side of his 1953 single "Disaster with Police". It was covered by Conrad Eugene Mauge Jr, who recorded it in 1959 and was also often credited for writing it. The confusion probably stems from the introduction of the version by the Kingston Trio, which mentions "Lord Invader and his Twelve Penetrators". At long last, Invader collected his money from his court case, and began to tour the U.S., later expanding to Britain and Europe. In the last half of 1958, he returned to New York City and continued recording for Moses Asch. He would continue to return to his homeland for business and pleasure, although by now he had, with Wilmoth Houdini, made himself one of America's most successful calypsonians. On 15 October 1961, Lord Invader died at a Brooklyn, New York hospital.
The following discs give a good idea of his work:
Calypso in New York (Smithsonian Folkways 40454), released in 2000, is a collection of Invader's recordings across his whole career.
Calypso at Midnight and Calypso After Midnight come from a live recording organized by Alan Lomax in New York in 1946.
Calypso War, Kings of Calypso, and Trojan Calypso boxed set all feature the same set of songs recorded in the United Kingdom in the 1950s.
Folkways Records also have a number of CDs that Invader recorded in the late 1950s in New York, including, Calypso (1955), Calypso Travels, and There's a Brown Boy in the Ring and Other Children's Calypso Songs (1959).
In 1961, Invader released an atypical LP, West Indian Folk Songs for Children (Caedmon Records).
Rum and Coca Cola
Lord Invader Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some ah de young girls were more than glad,
Deh said that de Yankeys treat dem Nice
And deh give dem the better Price.
Deh buy rum and coca-cola, went Down Point Cumana,
Both mothers and daughters,
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
And look, I had ah little chick De odda day,
Ah self and her mother and her sisters
Went tuh make out with some soldiers.
Deh bought rum and coca-cola,
Went Down Point Cumana, Both mothers and daughters,
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
Deh have some Aristos in Port Of Spain
I know alot but ah won't call names,
And in the day wouldn't gih you a right
But yuh go see dem with deh foreigners late at night.
Drinkin rum and coco-cola, goin down Point Cumana,
Both mothers and daughters,
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
I know a couple who got married one Afternoon,
An was tuh go tuh Miami on deh Honey- Moon,
But de bride run away, with de soldier Lad
And de stupid husband went starin Mad.
Because rum and coco-cola, goin down Point Cumana.
Both mothers and daughters, workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
In Lord Invader's song "Rum and Coca-Cola", the lyrics portray a story of American soldiers in Trinidad during World War II and the influence they had on the local population. The song begins with the Yankee soldiers arriving in Trinidad, with the young girls happy to have them there because they treat them well and pay more for goods. The chorus repeatedly mentions the consumption of rum and Coca-Cola, which were popular beverages at the time, especially among American soldiers. The location Down Point Cumana is also referred to, which was a popular spot for American soldiers to visit in Trinidad.
The second verse tells a story of a man who becomes involved with a young girl, but her mother and sisters take her away to entertain American soldiers instead. The third verse alludes to the existence of wealthy individuals, possibly aristocrats, in Port of Spain who may have been involved with foreigners. Overall, the lyrics of the song depict the impact of American soldiers on the local population, specifically in terms of their tendency to engage in recreational activities such as drinking and partying.
Line by Line Meaning
And when de Yankeys first went to Trinidad
When the Americans first came to Trinidad
Some ah de young girls were more than glad,
Some of the young girls were very happy
Deh said that de Yankeys treat dem Nice
They said that the Americans treated them nicely
And deh give dem the better Price.
And they pay them better prices
Deh buy rum and coca-cola, went Down Point Cumana,
They buy rum and Coca-Cola, and go to Point Cumana
Both mothers and daughters, Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
Both mothers and daughters are working for the American dollar
And look, I had ah little chick De odda day,
And listen to this story I have about a girl I knew the other day
But her mother came and took her Away,
But her mother came and took her away from me
Ah self and her mother and her sisters
Me, her mother, and her sisters
Went tuh make out with some soldiers.
Went to spend time with some soldiers
Deh bought rum and coca-cola,
They bought rum and Coca-Cola
Went Down Point Cumana, Both mothers and daughters,
And went down to Point Cumana, where both mothers and daughters were
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
Working for the American dollar
Deh have some Aristos in Port Of Spain
There are some high-class people in Port of Spain
I know alot but ah won't call names,
I know a lot of them, but I won't name them
And in the day wouldn't gih you a right
And during the day they wouldn't give you the time of day
But yuh go see dem with deh foreigners late at night.
But you'll see them with foreigners late at night
Drinkin rum and coco-cola, goin down Point Cumana,
Drinking rum and Coca-Cola, going down to Point Cumana
Both mothers and daughters,
Both mothers and daughters
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
Working for the American dollar
I know a couple who got married one Afternoon,
I know a couple who got married one afternoon
An was tuh go tuh Miami on deh Honey- Moon,
And were supposed to go to Miami on their honeymoon
But de bride run away, with de soldier Lad
But the bride ran away with a soldier
And de stupid husband went starin Mad.
And the stupid husband went crazy
Because rum and coco-cola, goin down Point Cumana.
Because of rum and Coca-Cola, going down to Point Cumana
Both mothers and daughters, workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.
Both mothers and daughters, working for the American dollar
Writer(s): Frank Ramond, Joe Barone, Thomas Marx
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wanderreis
Rum and Coca-Cola
(Lord Invader)
[Verse 1]
And when the Yankees first went to Trinidad
Some of the young girls were more than glad
They said that the Yankees treat them nice
And they give them a better price
They buy:
[Chorus x2]
Rum and Coca-Cola
Went down Point Cumana
Both mothers and daughters
Working for their Yankee dollars
[Verse 2]
Ah, look, I had a little chick the other day
But her mother came and took her away
Herself, her mother and her sisters
Went in a cab with some soldiers
They bought:
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
They have some aristos in Port of Spain
I know a lot, but I won't call name
And in the day they wouldn't give you a right
But you might see them with the foreigners late at night
Drinking:
[Chorus]
[Verse 4]
I know a couple who got married one afternoon
And was to go Miami on their honeymoon
But the bride run away with a soldier lad
And the stupid husband went staring mad
They bought:
[Chorus]
@silverperryhobart6560
This is the original version...
Written by Lord Invader...the guy who you are listening to...
The version sung by the Andrew Sisters was the one Morey Amsterdam heard the original whilst on vacation ( he later said he never even heard the first rendition)...
When he returned home to the states...
He lied and said he wrote it...
Although Morey never admitted to the plagiarism, he did have to pay L.D. ( lyricist) and the guy who wrote the music in playwright settlement...
Side note:
The Andrew sisters, and their audience, never even realized the song was about prostitution!
@maik6583
Canción: Rum and Coca-Cola
Autor: Rupert Westmore Grant
Intérprete: Lord Invader
Disco: Calypso at Midnight (1946)
Since the Yankees came to Trinidad
They have the young girls going mad
The young girls say they treat them nice
And they give them a better price
They buy rum and Coca-ColaGo down Point CumanaBoth mother and daughterWorking for the Yankee dollar
I had a little mopsy the other day
Her mother came and took her away
Then her mother and her sisters
Went in a car with some soldiers.
They buy rum and Coca-ColaGo down Point CumanaBoth mother and daughterWorking for the Yankee dollar
There are some aristos in Port-of-Spain
I know them well but I won´t call names
In the day they wouldn´t give you a right
But you can see them with the foreigners late at night
They buy rum and Coca-ColaGo down Point CumanaBoth mother and daughterWorking for the Yankee dollar
A couple got married one afternoon
And was to go Mayaro on a honeymoon
The very night the wife went with a Yankee lad
And the stupid husband went staring mad.
They buy rum and Coca-ColaGo down Point CumanaBoth mother and daughterWorking for the Yankee dollar
(Traducción)Desde que los yanquis vinieron a Trinidad
Traen a las chicas vueltas locas
Las chicas dicen que ellos las tratan bien
Y ellos les dan a ellas un mejor precio.
Ellos compran ron y Coca Cola
Yendo a punta Cumana
Ambas madre e hija
Trabajan por el Dólar Yanqui.
Tuve un pequeño berrinche el otro día
Su mamá vino y se la llevó
Entonces su mamá y sus hermanas
Se fueron en carro con unos soldados
Coro
Hay algunos riquillos en Puerto España
Los conozco pero no diré sus nombres
En el día nunca te dan un aventón
Pero los puedes ver con los extranjeros en la madrugada.
Coro
Una pareja se caso una tarde
Iban a ir a Myaro de luna de miel
Pero la esposa se fue con un Yanqui
Y el estúpido marido se quedo furioso.
El Calypso es un tipo de música originado en las colonias inglesas y francesas ubicadas en las islas caribeñas, principalmente en la isla Trinidad, las primeras manifestaciones de esta música son en los primeros años del siglo XX, sus raíces provienen de los esclavos africanos quienes al tener prohibido hablar entre si durante la labor en las plantaciones de caña de azúcar, se comunicaban cantando.
El Calypso es considerado un género de música para bailar, que mezcla raíces africanas con influencias francesas, inglesas y españolas, sin embargo, la parte más importante es el mensaje contenido en la letra, liderado por un solista conocido como “calypsonian“ canta frases que contesta el coro al más puro estilo africano, los instrumentos que usa son guitarras, banjo, tambores de metal y percusiones, las letras son irónia¿cas y satíricas pues reflejan el rechazo a la crueldad de los antiguos amos. Las primeras grabaciones del Calypso datan de 1914.
Rupert Westmore Grant alias “Lord Invader” nace en Puerto España, Trinidad en 1914, involucrado en la música desde muy joven participa en carnavales y competencias, su talento interpretativa y la riqueza de sus composiciones lo convierten en uno de los mayores “calypsonians” de su época, Graba para la RCA en 1941 y viaja junto con otros intérpretes de Calypso a Nueva York, de regreso a Trinidad el comediante Morey Amsterdam escucha su canción Rum and Coca Cola y la lleva a EEUU donde se convierte en un enorme éxito con las Andrews Sisters, llegando a estar 10 semanas entre las top 10, situación que obliga a Rupert a emprender una demanda por plagio que termina ganando después de varios años de litigio.
@gnarlin4964
The original, undiluted song without additives or subtractions.
@DeeBroughton
+gnarlin undiluted?
@gnarlin4964
+Dee Broughton yes, well spotted. My mistake.
@Assisssin1
+gnarlin Would you say its a 5/7?
@Drbeckerproductions
+gnarlin I don't know, to me it's less interesting.
@mungox1
@@Drbeckerproductions you have to listen closely & probably look up the original lyrics. then you will understand
@michaelmccarthy3390
A historical note of interest.
Lord Invader “borrowed “ this melody from composer Lionel Belasco who was also known for taking folksongs and rewriting them and then copyrighting them as his own. “L’Année Passée” ( Belasco melody circa 1906) has the same melody as Barbados’ popular folksong “King Jaja” from the 1880s.
All versions are worth a listen. Especially the original. The Barbados Folk Singers perform a wonderful rendition of the original King Jaja melody.
@Darrytheprince
soooooo. In the caribbean community, we call this a "Riddim" or a rhythm. Often times a composer will make a melody or a "rhythm" and multiple artists will make a song on it. It was Invader, and a couple of other artists, however his was the one to become popular
@jsmadray
SOME TRIVIA: The lyrics of this song was originally written by Lord Invader (a Trinidadian) who got the melody with permission from a fellow Trinidadian. They later went on to win a plagiarism lawsuit against Morey Amsterdam for copyright infringement of both the music and lyrics. When Amsterdam visited Trinidad, the original song written by Lord Invader was in heavy circulation as a hit locally in Trinidad. He returned to the U.S. and claimed to have written this song for The Andrews Sisters some time after. He retained copyright for the song, but was ordered to pay royalties to Lord Invader. The first version of this song that I ever heard was by Julio Iglesias entitled "Ron y Coca Cola."
@texas-raider
I think you mean the Andrews Sisters, not the Pointer Sisters.
The Pointer Sisters were a American R&B group that was big in the 1970's and 1980's, quite a bit after the era that produced this song.