Examples Of "John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases examples of the Jamaican Mento (folk song)
"John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" (John Crow Says He Doesn't Work On Sunday").

The Addendum to this post showcases two Reggae examples of this song,

This post continues this blog's compilation of Jamaican songs that mention "John Crow". Click the John Crow tab below for other pancocojams post on John Crow.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to these featured vocalists for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on the Internet.

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LYRICS: JOHN CROW SAY HIM NAAH WUK PAN SUNDAY
(traditional Jamaican Mento)

John Crow say him naah wuk pan Sunday!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!
John Crow say him naah wuk pan Sunday!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!
Tink a lie mi tell!
Kill yuh Mawga Cow!

Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!
John Crow say him a study fi teacha!!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!

John Crow say him a study fi lawya!!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!
John Crow say him a study fi parson!!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!

John Crow say him a dry lan' touris'!!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!
Tink a lie mi tell!
Kill yuh Mawga Cow!
Naah wuk! Him naah wuk pan Sunday!

Source: http://thelongwayhome-andreadowner.blogspot.com/2012/12/john-crow-brer-anancy-brer-tocuma-abna.html,
-snip-
Explanation of certain words:
"John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" - John Crow Says He Doesn't Work On Sunday(s).

"Tink a lie mi tell!"- I think he's lying.

"Kill yuh Mawga Cow!"= (He'll even) kill your skinny (meager) cow [on Sundays]

"a study fi" - study for (studying to be a ...)

"mawga" - meagre skinny
Source: http://www.thedialectdictionary.com/view/search/Jamaican/1592/ "Jamaican Dialect / Glossary"

"Dry land tourist" - "Slang expression for a Jamaican who has never left the island of Jamaica, but has begun to speak with a foreign accent, especially when he/she is around a tourist."

Source: http://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/Dry-land-tourist/1400

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WHAT THE SONG "JOHN CROW SAY HE NO WORK ON SUNDAY" MEANS
Here is one theory about this song from http://thelongwayhome-andreadowner.blogspot.com/2012/12/john-crow-brer-anancy-brer-tocuma-abna.html, Sunday, 8 December 2012 Andrea Downer
"JOHN CROW, BRER ANANCY, BRER TOCUMA, ABNA DUPPY (JAMAICAN ORAL & FOLK TRADITIONS)"
..."In Jamaica where I grew up, Sundays are hallowed days! Even for people who are NOT regular church goers! Even the most dedicated farmer or low-life lay-a-about in the district would take the occasional bath and put on some decent clothes and look respectable on Sundays...

As a matter of fact, on Sundays, the shops never used to really open of such, just a one window where the shopkeeper would sell the few items that would be purchased on Sundays...

Sundays were sacred! Trust mi! I could never imagine writing an exam or doing anything strenuous pon a Sunday back home. But here, having voluntarily transferred myself to a foreign land, I must confront the glaring differences in culture, lifestyle, grammar, syntax and practices and while it is a process I am learning and growing from, it takes much getting used to…
And as I was doing dishes and singing the song with my daughter, I remembered the oral tradition from which such a song [about John Crow] evolved. I also recalled that that particular song had originated from the African slaves that had been uprooted and taken to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean in sub-human conditions to be raped, exploited and robbed of their human dignity and cultural clingings. I believe the song might have come about due to the slave's defiance at being compelled to work seven days a week and they insisted on at least one rest day: the aforementioned hallowed Sunday....
-snip-
Italics added by me to highlight this sentence.

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My Opinion About This Song's Meaning:
I don't think that the song "John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" has to do with enslaved people wanting to have at least one rest day.

I think this song was composed after slavery and addresses the tendency of people to turn their backs on traditional ways when they are studying for professional occupations, or when they want to pretend to be from outside that culture.

In my opinion, an important word in the title "John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" is the word says. Note that the song title isn't "John Crow Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" ("John Crow, He Doesn't Work On Sunday"). Whether it's Sunday or not John Crow (the vulture) will scoop down and eat even a mawga cow (a skinny cow).

John Crow (the Jamaican vulture) is a despised character in most Jamaican songs.* This song is saying that those Jamaicans who disregard their culture -such as those professional people who work on Sunday and those "dry land tourists" (Jamaicans who put on an American accent) should also be despised, or at least be derided (held in contempt, made fun of). Notice how in the skits of people singing this song that are shown above, the group makes fun of those people mentioned. I believe they are making fun of them because those groups of people are acting like they are better than, or at least different from other Jamaicans. And I think that's the central problem that this song speaks to.

*Although John Crow is almost always a despised character, in Beenie Man's [Reggae Song] "John Crow" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMBNQXWR60) when the (black?) motorcyle is referred to as "John Crown" it's a complimente. My guess is that like John Crow (the vulture), that motorcyle is seen as "intimidating" and "fierce" in the vernacular sense of those words.

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FEATURED YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the oldest dates given first.

Example #1: John crow says he na work on Sundays



Claire Kinkead, Uploaded on Nov 23, 2011
Traditional Jamaican song by the students of the Assemblies of God Bible College Jamaica

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Example #2: The Jamaican Folk Singers - John Crow



Dead Wax, Published on Mar 9, 2014

Jamaican Folk Singers - Volume II - John Crow

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Example #3: Jamaica folk Song - John crow seh im naah wok pan sunday


Wesley Henry, Published on Mar 17, 2014

House of Prayer Canada culture day 2013 - Jamaicans singing

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ADDENDUM: REGGAE EXAMPLES OF THIS SONG

Example #1: TENOR SAW - NO WORK ON AH SUNDAY (WHAT ONE RIDDIM CAN DO RIDDIM)



KILLA SELECTOR Uploaded on Nov 9, 2011
" BAD BAD TENOR SAW " !!!!!!!!!!!!!
-snip-
Here's a comment that quotes one portion of that song
Ason, 2013
"yesterday a big cow die in the pasture yesterday a big cow die in the pasture woah I see a flock of crows flying in the sky making a circle and then the crows fly down yes the crows fly down but the leader of the crows was gray and he come in the front an say yesterday when you was on earth kicking up dust but today you die, who is gonna bury you? but today you die, I wanna know who's gonna bury you then all his folks shout and say we gonna eat you me and my folks all gonna eat you

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Example #2: KING KONG - JOHN CROW WORK ON SUNDAY (PRESSURE & SLIDE RIDDIM)



KILLA SELECTOR, Uploaded on Nov 23, 2011

" WICKED KING KONG TUNE " ...

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One Ska & One Reggae Example Of "Chi Chi Bud" (with 2 Chi Chi Bud Riddim songs)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases two Ska and Reggae examples of "Chi Chi Bud". "Chi Chi Bud Oh". "Chi Chi Bud Oh" (also known as "Chi Chi Bud") is a traditional Jamaican folk song (Mento).

The Chi Chi Bud Riddim (rhythm/tune) is used for a number of Reggae songs. The Addendum to this post showcases two of those records.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/chi-chi-bud-oh-jamaican-folk-song-mento.html for two text examples (lyrics) and three YouTube sound file examples of the Jamaican folk song "Chi Chi Bud Oh" (also known as "Chi Chi Bud").

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to these featured vocalists for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on the Internet.

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FEATURED YOUTUBE EXAMPLES

SKA EXAMPLE: The Gaylads & The Skatalites - Chi Chi Bud



LittleBoyBlue1965, Published on Oct 3, 2014


Coxsone Dodd Prod. 1964 (Released On Coxsone JA)

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REGGAE EXAMPLE
Maxi Romeo - Chi Chi Bud - Chi Chi Bud Riddim



Dean Martin, Uploaded on Jun 13, 2011

Interested in the Caribbean? Love Caribbean culture? then www.thecaribbeanforum.com is the place for you. Come on over, register and enjoy some real Caribbean vibes.

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ADDENDUM: CHI CHI BUD RIDDIM

Example #1: Tarrus Riley - Life Precious Gift - Chi Chi Bud Riddim



Dean Martin, Uploaded on Jun 13, 2011

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Example #2: Mikey Spice - Walk A Mile In My Shoe - Chi Chi Bud Riddim



Dean Martin, Uploaded on Jun 13, 2011

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Jamaican Bobsled Team Songs (Lyrics & Movie clips)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases videos of & lyrics for the Jamaican bobsled team chant from the "Cool Runnings" movie and "The Bobsled Song", the official song of the 2014 Jamaican Bobsled team. Historical information about Jamaican bobsled teams is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the members of Jamaica's bobsled teams. Thanks also to the cast of the Cool Running movie, the composers of the two featured songs, and the vocalists and musicians who are featured in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAMS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica_national_bobsleigh_team
"The Jamaican national bobsleigh team represents Jamaica in international bobsledding competitions. The team first gained fame during their debut in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they were seen as underdogs in as much as they represented a tropical nation in a winter sport. The team returned to the Winter Olympics again in 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002. The team failed to qualify for the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. Led by driver Winston Watts, Jamaica qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the two-man coming at last place...

This [1988] team was the inspiration for a major motion picture, Cool Runnings. The characters in the film are fictional, although the original footage of the crash is used during the film. The film's depiction of the post-crash rescue was changed to show the bobsledders carrying the sled over the line on their shoulders for dramatic effect...

The team returned to the Olympics in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, but finished poorly.[2][3] They qualified again for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. There, the Jamaican four sled stunned many of their critics by finishing in 14th place, ahead of the United States, Russia, Australia and France."...
-snip-
Click http://www.businessinsider.com/the-real-story-of-the-cool-runnings-bobsled-team-2014-2 for more information about the true story about the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team.

Here's a video about the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team:
16x9 - Cool Runnings: Truth Behind Original Jamaican Bobsled Team [1988 team]



16x9onglobal Published on Jun 6, 2012

16:9 catches up with the brothers of the original Jamaican bobsled team. Two decades later, find out why a last minute switch kept these Olympians in the running. Mike Armstrong reports

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FEATURED SONG EXAMPLES & LYRICS

Excerpts from "Cool Running Movie" about the 1988 Bobsled Team

Example #1: It's Bobsled Time!



Jorgey Porgey It's Bobsled Time!
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Runnings
for information about the 1993 American movie Cool Running.

Also, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBLvgHQYg2c for a movie clip of with sub-titles of the last Jamaican bobsled race.

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LYRICS: JAMAICAN BOBSLEDDING CHANT
(Disney movie production)

nuff people say they know they cant believe,
jamaica we have a bobsled team
(repeat once)
we have the one derice,
and the one jr.,
yule brenner,
and the man sanka

the fastest of the fastest of jamaican sprinters,
go to olymipcs,
fight for jamaica
(repeat everything except for that last part)
the fastest of the fastest of jamaican sprinters,
respect to the man irv blitser

Source: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/d/disney6472/jamaicanbobsledchant511816.html

According to this page of quotes from the movie http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cool_Runnings, the saying "cool runnings" is a blessing that means "peace be the journey." My sense is that this saying was made up for the movie. According to http://www.businessinsider.com/the-real-story-of-the-cool-runnings-bobsled-team-2014-2 "A popular quote from the movie — "Feel the Rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it’s bobsled time!" — was also made up for the movie".

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2014 Bobsled Team Official Song

The Bobsled Song



MyJamaicaJTB, Published on Feb 13, 2014

Song by Sidney Mills & Jon Notar, and Groove Guild.

Download the Bobsled Song at BobsledSong.com and press play the exact moment our Jamaican Bobsled Team begins their big race this Sunday. You'll be amazed how the song syncs perfectly with the rhythms of the bobsled track itself.

LYRICS: THE BOBSLED SONG
(Sidney Mills & Jon Notar, and Groove Guild)

Run The Track. Run The Track.
Run The Track. It’s Bobsled Time.

We’re Off Mon!

Make Room On The Ice. Uh huh!
Start Off Feelin’ Nice. Uh huh!
You Know We Do It Right!
Source: LYBIO.net

To The Right! To The Right!

To The Left! It’s Bobsled Time.

On This Freezing Night,
Watch Jamaica Slide By.

To The Right!
It’s Bobsled Time.

To The Left!

It’s Bobsled Time.
To The Right!

Fly Top Speed On This Ice Wall
Green, Black, And Yellow
So We Nahga Fall
So We Nahga Fall
So We Nahga Fall
No!

To The Left! To The Left!

Goin’ Fast,
Feelin’ Free,
Feel The Rhythm
Like The Rhythm Of The Sea.

Last Turn. Keep Ya Head Down.
I See The Finish Line.
Jamaica Rock The Whole Town!

Run The Track. Run The Track.
Run The Track. It’s Bobsled Time

Run The Track. Run The Track.
Run The Track. It’s Bobsled Time

Run The Track. Run The Track.
Run The Track. It’s Bobsled Time
It’s Bobsled Time
It’s Bobsled Time
It’s Bobsled Time

Source: http://lybio.net/tag/the-bobsled-song-lyrics/

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Hill And Gully Rider (General Information & Folk Lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part series on the Jamaican song "Hill & Gully Rider" (also given as "Hill 'N Gully Rider"). This post provides general information about Jamaican music, with an emphasis on information about Mento music and Ska music. This post also includes general comments about the song "Hill and Gully Rider" and three examples of folk lyrics for that song.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/lord-composer-hill-n-gully-ride-sound.html for Part II of this post.

Part II showcases a sound file of and lyrics for Lord Composer's Mento version of "Hill 'N Gully Ride". Information & comments about that song are also included in this post.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-charms-jamaican-ska-hill-and-gully.html for Part III of this series.

Part III showcases a sound file of and lyrics for The Charm's Ska version of "Hill 'N Gully Rider". Selected comments from that YouTube sound file's viewer comment thread are also included in that post.

The content in this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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DEFINITION OF THE WORD "GULLY"
From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gully
"deep ditch or channel cut in the earth by running water after a prolonged downpour."

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT JAMAICAN MUSIC
From http://www.mentomusic.com/WhatIsMento.htm
"Mento music had its beginnings in Jamaica in the 19th century, and was uniquely Jamaican fusion of African and European musical traditions. In mento's recorded history pre-history, from the 1920s through the 1940s, a number of Jamaican songs were put to wax by Caribbean jazz artists. In the 1930 and 1940s, Slim and Sam, a mento group who performed in Kingston, gained renown and are recalled today. They're remembered for their originals, and sold "tracts" -- printed lyrics -- at their performances...

But it wasn't until the early 1950s that true mento recordings first began to appear on 78 RPM discs. This decade was mento’s golden age, as a variety of artists recorded mento songs in an assortment of rhythms and styles. It was the peak of mento's creativity and popularity in Jamaica and the birth of Jamaica's recording industry.

These recordings reveal mento to be a diverse musical genre, sometimes played with reckless abandon and other times with orderly precision...

Some styles of mento would evolve into ska and reggae. (As a matter of fact, some mento songs are still being recorded inna dancehall stylee today.) Other styles, while purely mento, seem to have done less to contribute to the development of later Jamaican music...

Recording more than one vocal performance to the same musical backing is a quintessentially reggae practice. But it appears to have originated in mento, where this was not uncommon. Old folk and mento melodies would sometimes acquire altered, or an entirely new set of lyrics. (The melody from "Rucumbine" proved to be especially reusable.)... The lyrical content and vocal style couldn’t be more different, but the music is essentially the same. Or compare the two Lord Composer clips, Galag Gully; Matilda and Hill and Gully Ride; Mandeville Road. As in reggae, this practice does nothing to take away from the enjoyment of these recordings...

Some mento artists followed the calypsonian practice of adding a title such as "Count" or "Lord" to their name. But make no mistake, mento is a distinctly different sound from calypso, with its own instrumentation, rhythms, pacing, vocal styles, harmonies, and lyrical concerns."...

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mento
"Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the shape of a box that can be sat on while played. The rhumba box carries the bass part of the music.

Mento is often confused with calypso, a musical form from Trinidad and Tobago. Although the two share many similarities, they are separate and distinct musical forms. During the mid-20th century, mento was conflated with calypso, and mento was frequently referred to as calypso, kalypso and mento calypso; mento singers frequently used calypso songs and techniques. As in Calypso, Mento uses topical lyrics with a humorous slant, commenting on poverty and other social issues.[2] Sexual innuendos are also common"...

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From http://www.mentomusic.com/1scans.htm
..."By 1957 the popularity of Mento began to fade and “sales were not there anymore in Jamaica. And…. by the time the decade drew to a close, interest in Mento was almost non-existent in Jamaica. As the sixties opened Emil Shallit would go on to found the hugely influential Blue Beat label licensing Jamaican Rhythm &Blues and Ska recordings for U.K. release."

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GENERAL COMMENTS
From the editors of Mango Spice - 44 Caribbean Songs
"Hill an gully is a call and response work song which used to be sung by workmen constructing new roads. In its topical way it refers to the uneven and hazardous terrain through which the new road had to be cut. folk song which was sung as a work song (a digging song that was sung while building roads)"
-snip-
Multiple Mento and Ska versions of "Hill And Gully [Rider"} have been sung and recorded for social dancing. It appears to me that many if not all Mento and Ska versions of "Hill And Gully Rider" are dance instruction songs (songs whose lyrics for the most part or entirely consist of directions for dance moves.) It seems to me that the words to the song given below as Example #1 meets that definition of a dance instruction song. I'm not as certain about the lyrics to Example #2 and Example #3 below.

I believe that it's important to emphasize the fact that many folk songs were or are also used as social [or religious] dance songs since people in the United States often try to separate the experience of singing and playing instrumental folk music & other genres of music from the experience of dancing to that music.

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From http://www.jamaicans.com/music/articles_reggae/50-years-of-unforgettable-jamaican-music~print.shtml "50 Years of Unforgettable Jamaican Music" by Margaret Juliet Bailey

[comment about Mento music]
"The most heart warming form of music that brings back memories of yesteryear for Jamaicans is Mento music. Mento music is comprised of folk music, mento instrumentation and calypso. The first presenters of Jamaican mento music were the "Cudjoe Minstrels". However, the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverly turned mento into an International art form with songs such as "Wheel and Tun Me" and "Long Time Gal Me Nevva See You".”...

[comment about Ska music]
"The first popular music was Ska or Julian Jingles which was created in the early 60's. Ska is described as a fusion of Jamaican mento rhythms, R&B and American Music. Ska became very popular due to the middle class, a dance called "the ska" was eventually developed. Vocalists such as, Lascelles Perkins, Laurel Aitken, and Clancy Eccles were instrumental in promoting ska to the top of the music charts. Groups like the Skattelites were formed; however, their fame was short lived due to another type of music [Rock Steady] emerging [in the late 1960s]".

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From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9627&messages=60 [hereafter given as Mudcat: Hill And Gully Rider"], posted by Gibb Sahib, 30 Sep 10

[[comment #1]
"FWIW "Hill and Gully," from my experience with Jamaican music (I am not Jamaican) "Hill and Gully" is extremely well known, to the point that it functions as a sort of "standard reference"... maybe something like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in North America. As such, the song been recycled in various genres... However, beyond that, I have heard the melody "quoted" by instrumentalists in other genre contexts, and have even heard the phrase "hill and gully" used by at least one toaster/dj/rapper... "Hill and Gully" has also been adopted by people in the names for other things...I can't point to any examples, but perhaps you'll take my word for it that they are there, eg. a jerk chicken shack might call itself "Hill and Gully Jerk Centre" or something of that sort.

[comment #2]
..."I don't know where it [the song "Hill And Gully Rider" originated but I know that this was a very popular Jamaican folk song in the early-to-mid 1900s. It had been sung in Jamaica for decades before anyone there ever recorded it (as they didn't have a recorder until Times Records started recording and sending them to Decca in the UK to be pressed).

The earliest recording I know of "Hill And Gully Ride" is a Mento medley on a Jamaican 78 on the MRS label (#31). Considering this label started in '51 or so, this record was probably released in '53 by Lord Composer... the side B was "Hill And Gully Ride / Mandeville Road" Ironically, Belefonte also borrows from the second song on this medley in his version of "Emanual Road". He did not use "Hill and Gully Ride" in his version of Day-O. That was the version released by the Tarriers called "Banana Boat Song"."

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THREE FOLK LYRICS FOR THE SONG "HILL AND GULLY RIDER"
[As is the case with all folk music, there are multiple versions of the song "Hill N Gully Rider". All of the versions of that song that I have heard use the same tune (melody), but the tempos of different versions of that song may differ.

The spelling in the first example leads me to believe that that version is the oldest of the examples in this post. I also believe that that version-and probably the other two versions as well- are older than the Mento & Ska lyrics that are showcased in Part II of this series.]

Example #1:
From Mudcat: Hill And Gully Rider, posted by Long Firm Freddie, 09 Feb 04
"In a book called Mango Spice - 44 Caribbean songs chosen by Yvonne Conolly, Gloria Cameron and Sonia Singham, published by A & C Black of London, it gives the following:

HILL AN GULLY - Words and Melody Traditional Jamaican

Hill an gully rida,
(Hill an gully)
Hill an gully rida,
(Hill an gully)
An ah ben dung low dung,
(Hill an gully)
An a low dung bessy dung,
(Hill an gully)
Hill an gully rida,
(Hill an gully)
Hill an gully rida,
(Hill an gully)
An yu better mind you tumble dung,
(Hill an gully)
An yu tumble down yu bruk yu neck,
(Hill an gully)

The notes say Hill an Gully is a call and response song which used to be sung by workmen constructing new roads. In its topical way it refers to the uneven and hazardous terrain through which the new road had to be cut.

The response can be sung in unison or in two part harmony.

The thud of pick axes driven into the ground provided the accompaniment to the song... as the leader sang out his call, the pick axes were raised for the next downward swing.
-snip-
Mango Spice - 44 Caribbean Songs was published in 1981. Here's a comment about the lyrics of that song from that book [p. 23]:
"Hill an gully is a call and response work song which used to be sung by workmen constructing new roads. In its topical way it refers to the uneven and hazardous terrain through which the new road had to be cut.

bessy dung-bend down

The response can be sung in unison or in two part harmony.

The thud of pick axes driven into the ground provided the accompaniment to the song and this could be imitated by bass drums or tambours striking the first beat of each bar sung by the chorus. As the leader sung out his call, the pick axes were raised for the next downward swing."
-snip-
"An ah ben dung low dung" = And I been down low down
"An a low dung bessy dung" = and a [or "I"] low down bend down

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Example #2
From http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Hill_and_Gully_Rider.htm
"I have a version in one of my ABC (Australia) school song books
and it has appeared in the past more than once. It's listed as traditional Jamaican and has
four verses as shown:

Took my horse an' comin' down,
Hill an' gully
But my horse done stumble down
Hill an' gully Hill an' gully
An' the nighttime come an' tumble down
Hill an' gully

The refrain appears between each line of the following verses too.

Oh the moon shone bright down,
Ain't no place to hide in down,
An' a zombie come a ridin' down

Oh, my knees they shake down
An' my heart starts quakin' down
An' I run 'til daylight breakin' down.

That's the last I set down,
Pray the Lord don' let me down.
Ain't nobody goin' to get me down.

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Example #3
From http://www.harptabs.com/song.php?ID=17522
[Editor's note: This site gives the same lyrics as found in Example #2 as "1st "pos" [possibility] for the words to "Hill And Gully Rider".

HILL AND GULLY RIDER 2nd pos
Jamaican folk song
Hill an’ gul-ly rid-er hill an’ gul-ly
Hill an’ gul-ly rid-er hill an’ gul-ly

I was walk-in’ real slow down hill an’ gul-ly
When I break my toe down hill an’ gul-ly
Ma-ma told me don’t go down hill an’ gul-ly

All the boys walk the road
down hill an’ gul-ly
Wom-en car-ry all the load
Down hill an’ gul-ly
Grass too green to be mowed
Down hill an’ gul-ly

Hill an’ gul-ly rid-er hill an’ gul-ly

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This completes Part I of this series.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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