Roberts was born in Arima, Trinidad, the son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and housewife, Albertha. He was educated at Arima boys' government school until he was 14, when his father died. His father had encouraged him to sing and learn to play the guitar, and he became a full-time musician. He won the Arima borough council's calypso competition four times between 1938 and 1942.
He moved to Port of Spain and had his first commercial success in 1942 with the calypso song "Green Fig" (also known as "Mary, I am Tired and Disgusted"). By 1945, he was known as Lord Kitchener. He toured Jamaica for six months in 1947-8 with Lord Beginner (Egbert Moore) and Lord Woodbine (Harold Philips) before they took passage on the Empire Windrush to England in 1948. Upon his arrival, Kitchener improvised a short song titled "London is the Place to Be", which he sang live on a report for Pathé News
He found further success in the UK in the 1950s, building a large following in the expatriate communities of the West Indian islands. His fame continued throughout the 1950s, when calypso achieved international success. Kitchener became a very important figure to those first 5,000 West Indian migrants to the UK. His music[4] spoke of home and a life that they all longed for but in many cases couldn't or wouldn't return to. He immortalised the defining moment for many of the migrants in writing the Victory Calypso with its lyrics "Cricket, Lovely Cricket" to celebrate West Indies cricket team's first victory over England in England, in the 2nd Test at Lord's in June 1950. This was one of the first widely known West Indian songs, and epitomised an event that historian and cricket enthusiast C. L. R. James defined as crucial to West Indian post-colonial societies. The song, later recorded by Lord Beginner, is rarely credited to Lord Kitchener although Tony Cozier and many who attended the Test at The Oval can attest that it was a Kitch composition.[citation needed] In England, Kitchener started out working in London pubs. At first there were difficulties with English audiences who did not understand all the words, but that did not deter Kitch, and after the BBC gave him a chance to broadcast, he moved on to club bookings, and was soon performing in three clubs every night.
Kitchener returned to Trinidad in 1962. He and the Mighty Sparrow proceeded to dominate the calypso competitions of the sixties and seventies. Lord Kitchener won the road march competition ten times between 1965 and 1976, more times than any other calypsonian. For 30 years, Kitchener ran his own calypso tent, Calypso Revue, within which he nurtured the talent of many calypsonians. Calypso Rose, David Rudder, Black Stalin and Denyse Plummer are among the many artists who got their start under Kitchener's tutelage. Later he moved towards soca, a related style, and continued recording until his death. Kitchener's compositions were enormously popular as the chosen selections for steel bands to perform at the annual National Panorama competition during Trinidad Carnival. He recorded his most commercially successful song, "Sugar Bum Bum" in 1978. He retired in 1999.
It was always important to Kitchener throughout his career to gain new experiences that could be woven into his material. This led him to performances in Curaçao, Aruba and Jamaica in the early days, and finally to London, when he was already flying high in Trinidad. Kitchener once said: "I have reached the height of my popularity in Trinidad. What am I doing here? I should make a move."
Kitchener, who created highly popular and sweet melodies, is honoured with a statue in Port of Spain. A bust is also on display on Hollis Avenue, Arima, not far from the Arima Stadium.
In 1952, he met his wife Elsie Lines. They married in 1953, and lived for a period in Manchester where Kitchener ran a nightclub. They divorced in 1968. He later married and had four children (Christian, Kernal, Quweina and Kirnister Roberts) with Valarie Green, and also had a relationship with Betsy Pollard.
He died of a blood infection and kidney failure at the Mount Hope Hospital in Port of Spain. He is buried in the Santa Rosa Cemetery in Arima.
Kitchener's son, Kernal Roberts, is also a performer, playing drums for the biggest soca band in the country, Xtatik. He is also their musical director and composer of multiple Soca Monarch and Road March titles. He is noted as being a prolific musical composer and song writer.
Merits
Winner of Carnival Road March with:
1946 "Jump in Line"
1963 "The Road"
1964 "Mama dis is Mas"
1965 "My Pussin'"
1967 "Sixty Seven"
1968 "Miss Tourist"
1970 "Margie"
1971 "Mas in Madison Square Garden"
1973 "Rainorama"
1975 "Tribute to Spree Simon"
1976 "Flag Woman"
Winner of Calypso Monarch with:
1975 "Tribute to Spree Simon" and "Fever"
Mommie
Lord Kitchener Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I didn't obey you
Every word you told me, I can see it comes true
Now I am in trouble, I am locked in Jail
I sent home a message for you to come here and stand the bail
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie,
Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
I remember Monday you told me to stay home
course I wanted to roam, so I went out roaming with bad company
They all run and left me, facing two years in custody
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie,
Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
Mother just for my sake,
would you please forgive me I have made a mistake
For which I'm really sorry,
I sincerely promised, I will cause you no more pain
So give me one more chance, and let me try all over again
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie,
Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
Children are you listening to the Lord
Kitchener, taking to this warning, do obey your mother
When the world forsake you, mothers are your friends,
her love is immortal and she will stick by you to the end
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie,
Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
End
The lyrics of Lord Kitchener's song "Mommie" is a confession from the perspective of a young man who disregarded his mother's warning and landed himself in jail. The song is a plea for his mother to save him from custody. The young man acknowledges that his mother's words had always been truthful and now he is suffering the consequences of not obeying her. He regrets his mistakes and asks for his mother's forgiveness. The song emphasizes the strong bond between a mother and her child and the importance of listening and obeying parents' advice.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother I am sorry
I deeply regret my actions and their consequences.
That I didn't obey you
I did not follow your instructions, guidance, and advice.
Every word you told me, I can see it comes true
Your wise words have proven to be true and accurate, and I now realize their value.
Now I am in trouble, I am locked in Jail
I am facing a serious consequence for my actions, and I am confined to Jail.
I sent home a message for you to come here and stand the bail
I have requested your presence and support to help me obtain release from Jail through bail.
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie, Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
I urgently need your assistance to rescue me from this difficult and challenging situation.
I remember Monday you told me to stay home
I recall your advice to stay home, but I ignored it.
I said to you go way, course I wanted to roam, so I went out roaming with bad company
I rudely dismissed your advice because I wanted to go out and spend time with negative or harmful friends.
They all run and left me, facing two years in custody
My friends abandoned me when I needed them most, and I am now facing a lengthy period of confinement.
Mother just for my sake, would you please forgive me I have made a mistake
I am asking for your forgiveness and empathy because I recognize that I made a significant error in judgment.
For which I'm really sorry, I sincerely promised, I will cause you no more pain
I apologize genuinely and pledge to avoid causing you any more distress or discomfort.
So give me one more chance, and let me try all over again
I am requesting another opportunity to prove my worth and demonstrate my growth and maturity.
Children are you listening to the Lord Kitchener, taking to this warning, do obey your mother
I, Lord Kitchener, am advising and cautioning you to heed your mother's counsel and direction.
When the world forsake you, mothers are your friends, her love is immortal and she will stick by you to the end
Even when everyone else deserts you, your mother will remain steadfast in her unconditional love and support for you.
So Mommie come for me, come for me, Mommie, Mommie, Mommie, come for me, come for me, Come and save me from custody
I am in dire need of your intervention and assistance to rescue me from the negative consequences of my actions.
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@everybodylovesraymond8839
Simple and sweet.
@ryansheriff5384
brings back lots of boyhood memories...............