Wake up in the morning and the baby cry The sugar pan empty, the milk bottle dry The little boy child on the mango tree The mango green, hurting up his belly The young girl bawling, she wouldn’t settle She wipe she bumsie with stinging nettle Toilet paper they never had They used to tootoo in the gully by the old backyard They rub she down and they put she to sleep The rain come down and the house does leak
Poverty is hell! Poverty is hell!
A poor man always dream a lot of dream He happy like a puppy when he dream another dream He dream that he have a new roof on the hut He dream that he have some good food in the pot He dream that he have a rich friend name Frank He dream that he have a lot of cash in the bank He dream that he pay all his bills for the month He dream that he have a new car in the front He dream that he have to go to a fete He dream that his pocket have a big, fat wallet He wake up in the night and he rush for his pants All he found in the pocket was a whole lot of ants
Poverty is hell! Poverty is hell!
Ten little children, four dumplings Mummy got to slice them thin, thin, thin A piece for a boy and a piece for a girl A piece for the neighbour daughter Merle The cat in the corner looking to beg Little Jack Horner kick him in the leg Go in the room and look for a rat The rat in the roof, he know about cat Now the cat see a chickichong (yeh-yeh!) He rush for the chickichong But the poor little chickichong Flew away like a chickichong Then cockroach gone in the condensed milk Mama get vex for she condensed milk Who leave the condensed milk open? “Come here you picky head, good for nothing!” Mama get vex and she blood get hot She buss some lash in they you-know-what
Poverty is hell! Poverty is hell!
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This song is by Winston Bailey, popularly known as the Mighty Shadow. His unique music goes far beyond the basic format of calypso in his native Trinidad and Tobago to often incorporate chanting in a style similar to rap or a hybrid “rapso” style. This song powerfully illustrates the harsh grip of poverty and became an instant hit in Trinidad in the mid 1990s.
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