Though Mitchum continued to use his singing voice in his film work, he waited until 1967 to record his follow-up record, That Man, Robert Mitchum, Sings. The album, released by Nashville-based Monument Records, took him further into country music, and featured songs similar to The Ballad of Thunder Road. "Little Old Wine Drinker Me," the first single, was a top ten hit at country radio, reaching #9 there, and crossed over onto mainstream radio, where it peaked at #96. Its follow-up, "You Deserve Each Other," also charted on the Billboard Country Singles Chart.
Jean and Dinah
Robert Mitchum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No more Yankees in Trinidad
They going to close down the base for good
Them girls have to make out how they could
Brother is now they park up in town
In for a penny, and in for a pound
Believe me it's competition for so
Trouble in the town when the price drop low
Rosita and Clementina, round the corner posing
Bet your life is something they selling
And if you catch them
You can get em all for nothing
Don't make no row, the yankees gone, the West Indians take over now
Things bad is to hear them cry
Not a sailor in town, the night clubs dry
Only West Indians like me or you
Are able to get a drink or two
And as we have things back in control
Ah seeking revenge with me heart and soul
Brother when I spread the news around
Is to see how them cave men come into town
Bouncing up with Jean and Dinah
Rosita and Clementina, round the corner posing
Bet your life is something they selling
And if you catch them
You can get em all for nothing
Don't make no row, the yankees gone, the West Indians take over now
When the Yankee was in full swing
Just imagine how I was suffering
Mavis told me straight to me face
How she find I too fast and out of place
No, no, no, they would start to fret
Money or not poor Sparrow can't get
Because with the Yankees they have it cool
Calypsonians too hard to fool
Bouncing up with Jean and Dinah
Rosita and Clementina, round the corner posing
Bet your life is something they selling
And if you catch them
You can get em all for nothing
Don't make no row, the yankees gone, the West Indians take over now
It's the glamour boys again
We are going to rule Port of Spain
No more Yankees to spoil the fete
Dorothy have to take what she get
All of them who used to make style
While they taking two shillling with a smile
No more hotel to rest your head
By the sweat of thy brow thou shall eat bread
Bouncing up with Jean and Dinah
Rosita and Clementina, round the corner posing
Bet your life is something they selling
And if you catch them
You can get em all for nothing
Don't make no row, the yankees gone, the West Indians take over now
Robert Mitchum's calypso song "Jean and Dinah" tells a story of the aftermath of the closure of the US Naval Base in Trinidad. The song speaks of the women of the town who were previously dependent on the servicemen stationed at the base for income and business. They are left to fend for themselves and compete among each other for sustenance. To survive, the women resorted to selling their bodies, and the song mentions Jean, Dinah, Rosita, and Clementina as examples. The lyrics mention the rivalry between the women, and the trouble that arose when the price for their services was lowered.
The song also speaks of how the closure of the base affected the nightclubs and drinking establishments, where the only patrons left were West Indians like the songwriter, Sparrow. The lyrics mention how Sparrow, who is a calypsonian, was previously disregarded by women like Mavis, who preferred the Yankees. Now that they are gone, Sparrow looks forward to exacting revenge for the humiliation he faced at the hands of these women. The song concludes by stating that the West Indians have taken over, and they will be ruling Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad, without the interference of the Yankees.
Overall, "Jean and Dinah" is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the power dynamics that existed during and after the US Naval Base's presence in Trinidad. The song highlights the struggles of the local women and how they adapted to the situation, while also jokingly portraying calypsonians as the true winners in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the girls in town feeling bad
The local women are distressed
No more Yankees in Trinidad
The American soldiers have left Trinidad
They going to close down the base for good
The base will shut down permanently
Them girls have to make out how they could
The women have to find new ways of making a living
Brother is now they park up in town
The men now hang out in town
In for a penny, and in for a pound
They're committed now
Believe me it's competition for so
It's a fierce competition
Trouble in the town when the price drop low
Conflict arises when prices decrease
Bouncing up with Jean and Dinah
Party with Jean and Dinah
Rosita and Clementina, round the corner posing
Rosita and Clementina are selling themselves on the corner
Bet your life is something they selling
They're selling something valuable
And if you catch them
If you catch them there
You can get em all for nothing
You can get everything for free
Don't make no row, the yankees gone, the West Indians take over now
Don't make a fuss, West Indians are in charge now that the Americans have left
Things bad is to hear them cry
It's heartbreaking to hear their struggles
Not a sailor in town, the night clubs dry
There are no sailors in town and the clubs are empty
Only West Indians like me or you
Only West Indians like us
Are able to get a drink or two
Can have a few drinks
And as we have things back in control
We take charge and have control
Ah seeking revenge with me heart and soul
I seek revenge with all my being
Brother when I spread the news around
When I spread the word
Is to see how them cave men come into town
To see how the primitive men come into town
When the Yankee was in full swing
During the American occupation
Just imagine how I was suffering
Imagine how I was struggling
Mavis told me straight to me face
Mavis told me directly
How she find I too fast and out of place
How she thinks I'm too flashy and out of place
No, no, no, they would start to fret
No, they would start to worry
Money or not poor Sparrow can't get
Sparrow can't get any money
Because with the Yankees they have it cool
Because they had it good with the Americans
Calypsonians too hard to fool
The calypsonians are too smart to fall for it
It's the glamour boys again
The glamorous ones are back
We are going to rule Port of Spain
We'll dominate Port of Spain
No more Yankees to spoil the fete
No more Americans to ruin the party
Dorothy have to take what she get
Dorothy has to settle for what she can get
All of them who used to make style
All those who used to be fashionable
While they taking two shillling with a smile
While they used to make money easily
No more hotel to rest your head
No more hotels to sleep in
By the sweat of thy brow thou shall eat bread
You have to work hard to survive
Writer(s): Don Raye, Mighty Sparrow
Contributed by Gavin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@brucebrock9369
He was a great actor
@williamlentzgmail.comzestl1597
Another great actor gone
@bekindandyouwillgofar8717
Wonder how much sparrow got for this song...