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"
Women's Figure
Lord Kitchener Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the woman that call me my love affair
I am very particular
With the woman that call me my love affair
First you must have, a lovely figure
To suit the measurements of Lord Kitchener
And when I say figure it has to be
For you have to be measured in front of me
And if don't possessed that figure
you can't be a girlfriend of Kitchener
If is one thing that I detest is to
see an ugly shape in a lovely dress
And believe me I Ve been around and see some horrible figures in town
What a terrible sight to look at,
they either too thin or either too fat,
when the waist is too big, the hip is too small
When figures like these couldn't do at all
My measurements, waist 24, hips 38, bucks 36 and height up to day
And you if don't possessed that figure
you can't be a girlfriend of Kitchener
If a woman is shape up nice take my advice and examine her twice
For fellas you wouldn't know, the useless of pardon from head to toe
Roll on and corset under dress with the
pair of rubber things to stick of their chest,
But when they undress you must feel to run
for the shape more or less like the figure one
My measurements waist 24, hips 38, bucks 36 and height up to date
And you if don't possessed that figure
you can't be a girlfriend of Kitchener
I was only walking around when I met Miss Theresa from Caidonton,
From a distance she look alright but as she drew closer I had it right
The lady so big I shame to tell you
Her waist 31, her bucks 42
I try to attack but then change my mind
If you see the size of her body line
My measurements waist 24, hips 38, bucks 36 and height up to date
If you don't possessed that figure
you can't be a girlfriend of Kitchener
Lord Kitchener’s song, Women’s Figure, is a humorous commentary on the singer’s preference for women with a specific body type. He emphasizes that a woman must have a “lovely figure” that suits his exact measurements in order to be considered his love affair. This figure must have a waist of 24 inches, hips of 38 inches, bucks of 36 inches and height up-to-date. He wants the woman to be measured in front of him, to ensure that she meets his requirements. The song highlights the disparity between the singer’s preferences and the reality of what he sees around him. He detests seeing women with “horrible figures” in lovely dresses, either too thin or too fat, and therefore makes it clear that a woman must have the figure he desires to be his girlfriend.
Lord Kitchener’s song is cleverly humorous in its approach to the topic of a woman’s physical appearance. The repetition of the specific measurements of his preferred figure creates a comical and almost obsessive tone. The singer pokes fun at himself and his superficial preferences, while also critiquing societal pressure on women to conform to certain beauty standards. The use of colloquial language and local dialect gives the song a personal and relatable touch, making it a popular favorite among listeners for its humorous commentary.
Line by Line Meaning
I am very particular
With the woman that call me my love affair
Lord Kitchener is very selective about the women he chooses as his partners
First you must have, a lovely figure
To suit the measurements of Lord Kitchener
And when I say figure it has to be
For you have to be measured in front of me
Lord Kitchener requires a specific body type in a woman, and he will measure their figure himself.
My measurements, waist 24, hips 38, bucks 36 and height up to date
And if don't possessed that figure
you can't be a girlfriend of Kitchener
Lord Kitchener's ideal woman must have a waist of 24 inches, hips of 38 inches, and buck size of 36 inches, and if they do not meet these measurements, they cannot be his girlfriend.
If is one thing that I detest is to
see an ugly shape in a lovely dress
And believe me I Ve been around and see some horrible figures in town
What a terrible sight to look at,
they either too thin or either too fat,
when the waist is too big, the hip is too small
When figures like these couldn't do at all
Lord Kitchener hates to see unattractive figures in nice clothing and has seen many unappealing body shapes. He believes that women who are either too thin or too fat, or those with disproportionate bodies, cannot be his girlfriend.
If a woman is shape up nice take my advice and examine her twice
For fellas you wouldn't know, the useless of pardon from head to toe
Roll on and corset under dress with the
pair of rubber things to stick of their chest,
But when they undress you must feel to run
for the shape more or less like the figure one
Lord Kitchener advises men to inspect a woman's body carefully, as some women enhance their figures with corsets and other devices. He believes that the true shape of a woman's body can only be seen when she undresses, and this should match his ideal figure.
I was only walking around when I met Miss Theresa from Caidonton,
From a distance she look alright but as she drew closer I had it right
The lady so big I shame to tell you
Her waist 31, her bucks 42
I try to attack but then change my mind
If you see the size of her body line
Lord Kitchener met a woman named Theresa but was disappointed to find that her waist was 31 inches and her bucks were 42 inches, making her too large for his standards. He initially considered pursuing her but ultimately decided against it.
Contributed by Ethan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kwabena Opoku Appiah
This is a master piece
krist vanbeston
I’ve searched for this song
Finally 😂😂😂found it
International Soca Festival
THATS CALYPSO, lyrics..........