Early life
Sparrow was born in Grenada on July 9, 1935, but moved to Trinidad when he was one year old. He was first exposed to music through the choir in Catholic school, and became interested in calypso at 14 when he joined a steel band composed of neighborhood boys. He received his performing name during his early career:
Your calypso name is given to you by your peers, based on your style. In the old days they tried to emulate British royalty. There was Lord Kitchener, Lord Nelson, Duke. When I started singing, the bands were still using acoustic instruments and the singers would stand flat footed, making a point or accusing someone in the crowd with the pointing of a finger, but mostly they stood motionless. When I sing, I get excited and move around, much like James Brown, and this was new to them. The older singers said "Why don't you just sing instead of moving around like a little Sparrow." It was said as a joke, but the name stuck. -Mighty Sparrow [1]
Calypso Monarch
In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad's Carnival Road March and Calypso Monarch competitions with his most famous song, "Jean and Dinah". His prize for the latter was $40, and in protest of the small sum, he wrote the song "Carnival Boycott" and attempted to organize other singers to boycott the competition. About half of the singers followed [2], and Sparrow claims credit for succeeding improvements in the conditions of calypso and steelband musicians in Trinidad, as well as the formation of the Carnival Development Committee, a musicians' assistance organization. [3] Sparrow refused to participate in the competition for the next three years, but he continued to perform unofficially, even winning another Road March title in 1958 with "P.A.Y.E."
Taking calypso abroad
Calypso music enjoyed a brief period of popularity in other parts in the world during the 1950's. Trinidadian expatriate Lord Kitchener had helped popularize calypso in England, and Sparrow also found some success there. In the United States, interest in calypso was sparked largely by Harry Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso, the first LP to sell over one million copies. [4] In January 1958, Sparrow, along with longtime rival Lord Melody, traveled to New York City seeking access to the American music audience. [5] Sparrow had already been recording with Balisier and Cook Records, and with Belafonte's help [6] he also began to record for RCA Victor. He did not achieve the success he had hoped for; he said in a 2001 interview, "When nothing happened for me, I went back to England and continued on with my career." [7]
In 1960 Sparrow returned to the Calypso Monarch competition, winning his second Kingship and third Road March title with "Ten to One Is Murder" (an autobiographical song about an incident in which Sparrow allegedly shot a man [8]) and "Mae Mae." He also began recording for his own label, National Recording. [9] He continued to enjoy great popularity in Trinidad throughout the 1960's.
Soca
As soca began to supplant calypso in popularity in Trinidad during the late 1970's and early 1980's, [10] Sparrow embraced the hybrid of soul and calypso music. In 1984 he won his eighth Road March title with the soca-influenced "Doh Back Back." Also around this time he began to spend at least half the year in New York City, finding an apartment in the heavily West Indian neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens. [11] Sparrow continues to write, perform, and tour into the 21st century; in a 2001 interview he mentioned that he had been singing and performing a "Gospel-lypso" hybrid. [12]
Lyrics
Sparrow's lyrics are famous for being witty, ironic, and ribald. He sings flirtatiously of the attractions of Hispanic women in "Magarita," and of East Indian women in "Marajhin." He tells some outrageously frank tales of sexuality in "Mae Mae," "The Lizard" and "Big Bamboo." And there is humorous commentary on West Indian culture to be found in "Obeah Wedding" and "Witch Doctor." Robert Christgau called his controversial song "Congo Man" "a wildly perverse piss-take on African roots, interracial revenge, interracial sex, male-female relations, and cannibalism" [13]; the 1965 song was also criticized for its attitudes toward women and Africans, and was banned from radio airplay until 1989. [14]
Sparrow also frequently comments on social and political issues in his songs. During his early career he was a supporter of Eric Williams and his People's National Movement (PNM), [15] which formed in 1955 and led Trinidad and Tobago to independence in 1962; songs such as "Leave The Damn Doctor Alone" and "William the Conqueror" mentioned Williams directly, while others such as "Federation" (blaming Jamaica for the breakup of the short-lived West Indies Federation), "Our Model Nation" (celebrating Trinidadian independence), and "PAYE" (supporting the PNM's pay-as-you-earn tax system) echoed PNM positions. Sparrow did express discontent in 1957's "No, Doctor, No," but it was comparatively mild, and aimed at holding PNM politicians to their promises rather than replacing them.
In more recent times Sparrow continues to incorporate social issues into his music. "Crown Heights Justice" is a plea for peace and understanding in the wake of the 1991 Crown Heights Riot in Sparrow's adopted home of New York City. The themes of peace, tolerance, and concern for the poor show up repeatedly in songs such as "Human Rights" (1981), "Capitalism Gone Mad" (1983), and "This Is Madness" (1995).
References
1. ^ j.poet (1994). Sparrow. In Hot Like Fire [CD liner notes]. London: Ice Records.
2. ^ j.poet (1994). Sparrow. In Hot Like Fire [CD liner notes]. London: Ice Records.
3. ^ http://www.mightysparrow.com/biopage.htm Biography from Sparrow's official page
4. ^ http://www.musicweb.uk.net/encyclopaedia/b/B71.HTM MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
5. ^ Rohlehr, Gordon (2005). First Flight: Early Calypsos of the Mighty Sparrow. In First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection (p. 8) [CD liner notes]. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
6. ^ http://www.afiwi.com/music/interviews/sparrow2001.html Interview with the Mighty Sparrow by Ital-K 2001
7. ^ Ibid.
8. ^ Delblond, Michael (Feb. 28, 2003). "Sparrow, 'the lovable rascal'." Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday.
9. ^ j.poet (1994). Sparrow. In Hot Like Fire [CD liner notes]. London: Ice Records.
10. ^ j.poet (1994). Sparrow. In Hot Like Fire [CD liner notes]. London: Ice Records.
11. ^ Ibid.
12. ^ http://www.afiwi.com/music/interviews/sparrow2001.html Interview with the Mighty Sparrow by Ital-K 2001
13. ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=941&name=Mighty+Sparrow Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide
14. ^ http://www.musicweb-international.com/encyclopaedia/s/S169.HTM MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
15. ^ Delblond, Michael (Feb. 28, 2003). "Sparrow, 'the lovable rascal'." Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday.
Mango Vert
The Mighty Sparrow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was in confusion
This Yankee man and a woman
Was in confusion
The woman give him something to eat
With stringy, stringy hair but it tasting sweet
He say ah rather do without
It go stick up in me teeth, ah done wash me mouth.
She said,
If you eat it right
The hair won't stick in you teeth
And you bound to say
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
But if you eat it wrong
Don't walk in the street
Everybody go know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
So the Yankee tell her: "Honey
Tell me why you forcing me
As a rule when ah done brush me teeth
I want nothing more to eat"
So she said: "Take it easy Joe
It seem to me like you don't know
But this thing is tasting so nice
If you eat it once you must eat it twice."
Man,
If you eat it right
The hair won't stick in you teeth
And you bound to say
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
But if you eat it wrong
Don't walk in the street
Everybody go know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
All this time I living next door
What they talking 'bout I don't know
But the conversation interest me
So ah listening attentively
She try to rub the thing in he mouth
He started running and jump about
She said you think a making sport
Keep running ah go push it straight down your throat!
Joe,
If you eat it right
The hair won't stick in you teeth
And you bound to say
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
But if you eat it wrong
Don't walk in the street
Everybody go know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
Believe I wanted to know
I ain't care if they call me macaw
After listening attentively
Ah knock on the door very boldly
When ah bust the door and ah enter
Ah see them standing up in the centre
The stupid Yankee catching cold feet
Is a mango vert the man 'fraid to eat.
She said,
If you eat it right
The hair won't stick in you teeth
And you bound to say
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
But if you eat it wrong
Don't walk in the street
Everybody go know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
"Mango Vert" is a humorous and playful calypso song by The Mighty Sparrow that tells the story of a Yankee man and a woman who are in a state of confusion over a mysterious food item that the woman has given to the man to eat. The woman describes the dish as having stringy hair but tasting sweet. The Yankee man is hesitant to eat the food and expresses concern that the hair will stick in his teeth. However, the woman insists that he eat it and assures him that if he eats it right, the hair won't stick and he will enjoy the taste.
As the song progresses, the lyrics take on a more suggestive tone as the woman tries to convince the man to eat the food in a particular way so that he won't have any issues with the hair. The man becomes more and more agitated, and the woman becomes more insistent. Eventually, a curious neighbor knocks on the door to find out what all the commotion is about, only to find that the food causing all of the confusion is a mango vert, a type of green mango that is often used in Caribbean cuisine.
Overall, the song is a playful commentary on the cultural differences between a Yankee man and a Caribbean woman and their conflicting perspectives about food. The use of humor and innuendo adds to the lighthearted nature of the song and makes it an enjoyable, upbeat track.
Line by Line Meaning
A Yankee man and a woman
A man from America and a woman were together
Was in confusion
They were perplexed
The woman give him something to eat
The woman offered him something to consume
With stringy, stringy hair but it tasting sweet
It had strands of hair but it tasted delicious
He say ah rather do without
He said he'd prefer to abstain
It go stick up in me teeth, ah done wash me mouth.
It will get stuck in his teeth after he brushed his teeth
She said,
She spoke and said,
If you eat it right
When consumed properly
The hair won't stick in you teeth
Its strands won't stick to teeth
And you bound to say
Then you are likely to exclaim
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
About how sweet it tastes
But if you eat it wrong
But when it is eaten improperly
Don't walk in the street
Don't walk outside
Everybody go know
Everybody will know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
By seeing the hair in one's teeth
So the Yankee tell her: "Honey
So, the American man said to her affectionately,
Tell me why you forcing me
Asking why she was pushing him to try it
As a rule when ah done brush me teeth
Normally, after brushing his teeth,
I want nothing more to eat"
He doesn't want to eat anything else
So she said: "Take it easy Joe
She told him to relax
It seem to me like you don't know
She thinks he doesn't understand
But this thing is tasting so nice
However, it tastes amazing
If you eat it once you must eat it twice."
If he eats it once, he would want it more
Man,
He said,
All this time I living next door
I have been living next door all this time
What they talking 'bout I don't know
I don't know what they were conversing about
But the conversation interest me
But the discussion intrigued me
So ah listening attentively
So, I listened closely
She try to rub the thing in he mouth
She attempted to insert the object in his mouth
He started running and jump about
He began running and jumping away
She said you think a making sport
She accused him of joking
Keep running ah go push it straight down your throat!
Keep running, and I will force it down your throat!
Joe,
So, Joe,
Believe I wanted to know
I truly want to know
I ain't care if they call me macaw
I don't care if people call me a type of bird
After listening attentively
After attentively listening
Ah knock on the door very boldly
I knocked on the door confidently
When ah bust the door and ah enter
As I broke down the door and entered
Ah see them standing up in the centre
I saw that they were standing in the middle of the room
The stupid Yankee catching cold feet
The foolish American got scared
Is a mango vert the man 'fraid to eat.
It was a green mango that the man was afraid to consume
She said,
She spoke and said,
If you eat it right
When consumed properly
The hair won't stick in you teeth
Its strands won't stick to teeth
And you bound to say
Then you are likely to exclaim
How it tasting sweet, sweet, sweet
About how sweet it tastes
But if you eat it wrong
But when it is eaten improperly
Don't walk in the street
Don't walk outside
Everybody go know
Everybody will know
When they see the hair in your teeth!
By seeing the hair in one's teeth
Contributed by Natalie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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