•••
Der drum’se a talkin’ to we
Der drum’se a talkin’ to we
Come chirren gadder roun’
The drum’se a talkin’
The drum a talkin’ ta all a we
What the drum say Mama
What it say
It say we mus’ dance chirren
It say we mus’ dance
Why we a dancin’ Mudda
Why we a dancin’
I don’ know no more chirren
I don’ know
All I’se know is we must dance
’cause der drum she a talkin’
Who name is dat der drum callin’ mudda
Who name is dat der drum callin’
Is yo name der drum is callin chile
Is yo name der drum callin’
Why der drum callin’ me by anudder name Mudda
Why der drum callin’ me by anudder name
Is callin’ you by da only name it know chile
Is callin’ you by da only name it know
Why it callin’ Mama
Why it callin’
It lonely chile
It lonely and tired
‘pears it bin callin’ a long time
an’ we aine never hear
‘pears we bin too far away too long
bin too far away too long
Where we bin mama
Where we bin
Lost chile
We bin lost
Now chile what you hear
What it callin’
Wh’as der name it sayin’
Soun’ like melination mama
Soun’ like it callin we
a mis-alligned-nation
Wha’s a mis-aligned-nation mama
Wha’s a mis-aligned-nation
Us chile
Us
We be the mis-aligned nation
Of melinated people
Who hidin out in de sapodilla garden
Der drum’se a callin’ chile
Der drum’se a callin’ chile
Why it callin’ ter me Mama
Why it callin’ ter me
Is a callin’ ter all a we
Callin’ fer we to acknowledge home
Live home
Be home
Be free
Ee-yah free I tell yer
•••
Lyrics submitted under the title “The Calling – Community”
•••
Ishmael Andrew Smith is a member of Ruff Kutz, a performance collective whose goal is to bring audible life to lettered work. Ishmael is an educator with the Bahamas’ Department of Education. His ambition: to become a Professor of Applied Anthropology at The University of the Bahamas.
tongues of the ocean 