1986-1987 was a great year for Calypso. When Catholic Pope John Paul II rode his ‘Pope-mobile’ through Curepe in 1986, there was another Paul, an equally good storyteller, holding court in one of the many local bars, and who, like the Polish Pontiff and his Church, struggled to remember the great plans of his youth, and forget the madness, abuses and failures that plagued his later years. The narrator is a young boy observing it all and about to write his first calypso a year later. A ballad written in 2011 (Key of A) with Soul, Reggae, Son, Jazz, Samba and Calypso influences.
lyrics
PAUL
Written and Composed by Chanzo Osei Greenidge (SOCAN/COTT)
(for Curepe)
Key: A
Verse 1: Fire
Paul,
On a rainy morning, the beaten streets might say your name.
You were always here
In the stench of the bar, Paul
You knew the stool
The jukebox that never worked, Paul
You knew the *$!? that never &!@*...
The fire that understood…,
The child you’d never see, Paul
The ward and the warden, Paul
The raisin-in-the- sun
Dreams that always could,
Memories that never did.
The drive home at night…
Paul….
Chorus:
So, (who drivin’ drunk)
Show them the stagger, whoi
(Who drivin’ drunk)
Show them the impact, yeah
(Wind down your glass)
And listen to the Speaker, whoi
(Turn off your gas)
Turn on your indicator, and touch...
the rainfall,
and touch the rainfall
and touch the rain, fall,
and touch the rainfall
'cause...
Verse 2: Sugar
I could always see the rum cork
Turn off, turn on Paul,
Twist-‘n’-disappear Paul
Back-when-the-money-done Paul.
The daughter in England
Who’d never write Paul
And who could only call… about land.
Well, I could always smell
The rats, the cutlass…and the rum bottle, Paul
Hiding in the old car
Like gold, calling your name, Paul
The liquid lover,
White like your hair, Paul…
Rise and Fall
Paul…Paul...Paul...Paul..
Paul (you're going to fast now)
Paul (you know it can't last now)
Paul (you're going to crash now)
Paul...
Chorus:
So, (who driving drunk)
Listen to the Speaker, whoi
(Who driving drunk)
Show them the impact, yeah
(Wind down your window)
Show them the movement, whoi
(It’s fire from below)
So turn on the indicator and touch the….
Rainfall...
And touch the rain, fall,
And touch the rainfall, oh yeah
And touch the rainfall
'cause
Outro
On a rainy morning,
the tired ground might say...your name:
(Pat Bishop…) say your name
(Abdias…) say your name
(Gil Scott Heron…) say your name…
Paul….
credits
from Manila Sunrise - Part 1: Digable Planets,
track released November 20, 2013
2) Paul
Lead Vocals; Classical Guitar: Twylight Seven
Electric Piano: Candace Moore
Drums: Makesi Jawara Joseph
Bass Guitar: Nigel Irish
Acoustic Guitar: John Hussain
Congas: Tinika Davis
Backing Vocals: Rochelle Dalrymple; Kendel Haynes
All Songs Written, Composed and Arranged by: Twylight Seven
All Songs Produced, Engineered and Mixed by: Lamar “Beebo” Pollard
Recording, Production and Mixing: Lion’s Den Studios, Mt. Lambert, Trinidad and Tobago
Mastering: Phillip Klum Mastering, New York City, USA
Publishing: 50 Stories Publishing
Voice of the Shining Veil: Judith Bryce-White
Photography: Graf&Oranges-Spain (C.Greenidge-2008)
These sweet, sad indie pop tunes accompany Ian Coss's podcast of the same name, in which he interviews his family about their divorces. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 17, 2021
