- Love Is a Load: Elsa Opens Up
ivan is de first an only man mi love
ah love de mango sweetness of him
wha ah see him is
not wha him become
hard life and dream
will machette de best of man
as a oman mi was taught
fi small up miself
bite mi tongue
hang mi head
swallow de poison
den run guh corna
an vomit eh up
mi mod ave 13 of we
so she gi mi to de precha
who promise fi learn me
but as soon as hair start grow unda me arm
as soon as de red gal visit
is like man dem can smell mi
suh mi draw up miself smalla
den ivan come an mi heart find wing
ivan come an suddenly mi body
a blossom like hibiscus
mi couldn’t resist him
de devil an temptation
bigga an stronga
ivan wan wha him want hard like stone
an maybe is wha him deserve
mi alone not enough fi hold him
mi want him fi get wha him want
but dat life not fah me
even wid ivan love
covain mi heart
like banana leaf
mi tell yu de truth
love can blind yu
but den mi realize
ivan dream is movie idea
an if wi follow it
all ah wi gwane perish
mi kudnuh stand by
let dat appen
love or no love
but is love
love dat bigga
dan mi an ivan
love jus like how ackee
will kill or nourish yu
love…
- mi ahfi jump ova fyah: pedro reflects
ebi whe mi go
fyah ah chase mi an
ebi bucket full a hole
mi study anansi
fi suvive in dis
dog-nyam-dog world
man heart ahfi hard like
dutchie pot
but mi reason wid miself
i man nah starve
i man nah guh empty-handed
i man nah nyam de fyah
dem let loose pan de downtrodden
i man aguh anansi dem
dem name mi bad man
gwane like wha me do is wus dan
de uptown man dem
who tief de likkle man song
buy big cyar
an mek demselves rich
de ground nuh lebel
so de suffara ahfi mek
de rules as him guhlang
suh nuh boda mi bloodclat
wid yu righteousness
i-man a-go suvive
nu matta wha
III. Pull It Back and Come Again: Ivan Speaks
me know de songs
dat grow in mi heart
is healin balms
dem lift a man head
restore a oman dignity
set pickney pan de rite path
dem tink country bumkin
fool-fool
but mi neva was nubodi’s fool
mi granny teach
mi a ting or two
before she shet she eye
and fly back
to kimet to she people
she tell me
yu is great grandson of
de big man garvey
who see beyond
de waters to de before
righteous is de man
who walk steadfast in him own shoe
wi ahfi ave hope
wi ahfi believe
we will cross de river
an hopefully get home safe
so me stick by de words
you can get it if you really try
a barefoot man will walk
a hundred mile wid de promise
of a pair of shoes
you can get it if you really try
but you must try, try and try, try and try
success nuh easy
you ahfi try wid all yu heart
an yu ahfi believe while yu tryin
an even when failure look like
it fall down pan yu an pin yu down
yu ahfi keep tryin
even when everyone round yu
seh yu stupid
yu ahfi try even when sufferation
a nyam yu skin and salt yu soul
yu ahfi try
yu might succeed
dat is i man ilosophy….