We’ve been asked for help finding the full lyrics to a Caribbean song called, "Emma Lemme (Let Me) Lone". Here’s the info we have so far:
Beau wrote: "…looking for a song that I sang in Elementary School – it’s a Caribbean song I think, goes something like "Emma lemme ‘lone, let me lone! Me no marry yet let me lone".
Tim wrote: "I was singing this song to my wife today and she didn’t recognize it either. It was:
‘Emma lemme lone lemme lone.
Me no marry yet lemme lone. (x2)
When we marry DA bell gone ring.
When we marry DA bell…’Then Something something."
If anyone can help with more lyrics to this song, please let us know in the comments below. We’d also love to know where it’s sung.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2015 at 5:44 pm and is filed under Bahamas, Caribbean, Caribbean Childrens Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Jamaica, Languages, Questions, West Indies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
13 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with the Caribbean Song "Emma Let Me Lone"”
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January 21st, 2015 at 6:04 pm
I used to sing this song in my First Grade class back in 1974!
This not easy to remember, but I think it’s “…shall go blow.” Strange, I know…
-MN
February 24th, 2015 at 8:29 am
I think the middle part goes
‘When me marry then bell go ring;
When me marry oh shell go blow”
Then the first two lines repeat…
June 30th, 2016 at 7:43 pm
I’m 51 years old and I remember singing that in elementary school too. One of the verses goes something like this as I can remember. When we marry you bells shall ring when we marry you shall go Blue.
July 1st, 2019 at 11:57 pm
I remember this song from grade school, I believe it was, when we marry da bells go ring, when we marry da horn go blow
January 14th, 2020 at 7:53 pm
I know it as Bo Bo ,not Emma……
When we marry dem bell go ring,
When we marry dem shells go blow
January 22nd, 2020 at 2:13 pm
1st Grade in Norfolk NE. I remember it going:
“Emma le’ me ‘lone, le’ me ‘lone
Me no marry yet, le’ me ‘lone (2x)
When me marry oh bell go ring
When me marry oh shell go blow
Emma le’ me ‘lone, le’ me ‘lone
Me no marry yet, le’ me ‘lone”
I’d like to find a recording or something. Let me know if you find one!
June 21st, 2020 at 12:24 am
Yeaaaahh…I was singing this today. It was from my middle school music book. The book series had a treble clef in the cover and were a different color, depending on the grade. It had an accompanying record LP so we could sing along against our will. Other hits from that series include:
“Wooosha, tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh” and “and he bared his breast and he sank in the tide and he bored three holes in the old ship’s side to sink her in the low down lonesome low” and a boring version of “The Sloop John B.”
January 8th, 2021 at 9:04 am
Ok I came here for the same reason. I hope others will find this useful. Another song I remember singing with these. Also I was in 1st grade in 1992. I think I may be a little younger than some of you. My music teacher just had good taste in kids music!
How about: “there’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza dear Liza, there’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza a hole…
July 4th, 2021 at 2:56 pm
I sing the first few bars when my cat wakes me up because she’s hungry.
Learned it in 3rd grade, 1976.
August 13th, 2021 at 8:31 pm
Shell go blow :) As is tradition in some Caribbean ceremonies.
August 13th, 2021 at 8:31 pm
“Shell go below“ as his tradition in some Caribbean ceremonies
October 13th, 2022 at 7:59 pm
“Shell go blow” refers to the blowing of a conch.
And I learned this song in grade school as well in the early 80s in Montreal, from my teacher who was originally from Barbados.
May 15th, 2023 at 9:06 pm
I remember this too! We sang this at Spruce Elementary School in North Tonawanda, New York!