Small Days
"The song is about remembering what you used to do as a child... During your 'Small Days'... so the chorus is about remembering your Small Days... (Still on meh mind)." -Gavin Mendonca, Creole Rock
Small Days
Small Days
Folk Song
Folk Song
(Guyanese Creole)
(English)
(Chorus)
Small Days is still on meh mind,
Small Days is a good good time
Meh neighba had some little children
And when they singing and dem dancing
I does really admire them.
Rick chick chick chick
(Congatay!) (1)
Me been a dam (2)
(Congatay!)
Me see fowl mama (3)
(Congatay!)
And she ten fat chicken
(Congatay!)
So meh ask she fah one
(Congatay!)
And she say me cyan get am
(Congatay!)
Oh you see da gyal deh?
(Congatay!)
Wuh name Dorothy
(Congatay!)
How she fat like a butta
(Congatay!)
And she magga like a chow! (4)
(Congatay!)
(Chorus)
Children children
(Yes Papa/Mama)
Where have you been?
(Grandmama/Grandpapa)
What did she give you ?
(Bread and Cheese)
Where is mine?
(On de shelf)
How me gon get am ?
(Climb pon a chair)
And if me fall ?
(Me nah cay)
Bad pickney (5)
(Me nah cay)
Wicked pickney
(Me nah Cay)
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
Small Days is still on my mind,
Small Days is a good, good time
My neighbor had some little children
And when they're singing and they're dancing
I really do admire them.
Rick chick chick chick
(Congatay!) (1)
I've been been to a dam (2)
(Congatay!)
I see Fowl Mama (3)
(Congatay!)
And she has ten fat chickens
(Congatay!)
So I ask her for one
(Congatay!)
And she says I can get 'em
(Congatay!)
Oh you see the girl there?
(Congatay!)
With the name Dorothy
(Congatay!)
How she's fat like butter
(Congatay!)
And she's underfed in her head! (4)
(Congatay!)
(Chorus)
Children, children
(Yes Papa/Mama)
Where have you been?
(Grandmama's/Grandpapa's)
What did she give you?
(Bread and Cheese)
Where is mine?
(On the shelf)
How am I going to get 'em?
(Climb upon a chair)
And if I fall?
(I don't care)
Bad kid (5)
(I don't care)
Wicked kid
(I don't care.)
(Chorus)
Notes
(1) "Congatay" is an Afro-Caribbean dish. A soup made with plantain.
(2) Re. "Me been a dam" - 'dam' refers to the 'backdam'... Usually a place, a literal dam, in the rice/sugar cane fields, near water of course.
(3) "Fowl mama" in this case is a character in the neighborhood. Yes, one that rears chicken. In the countryside, it is customary to see chicken running around in people's yards.
(4) This line refers to Dorothy's lack of intelligence. She's fat like butter... but in a sense her 'mind' is 'magga' (which means skinny/malnourished)... and I guess a chow is something that is skinny.
(5) In Guyanese Creole, a pickney is a child or children.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Gavin Mendonca from Creole Rock for sharing this folk song and video with us and for the song notes explaining some of the Guyanese Creole terms!
"Creole Rock is a fusion of Guyanese Folk Music, Creole Culture and Dialect, and Punk Rock n' Roll."
"Gavin has represented Guyanese Rock 'n' Roll multiple times in Trinidad, as well as Suriname. Also a composer, he has written many songs that are patriotic and tell a story about being Guyanese, such as 'City By De Tides' (a song about his home town) and 'The Great Rebellion' (a song about Cuffy, and the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion) and the 2015 Christmas Hit 'Cause Is Christmas (in Guyana)'. He is currently the bassist of local Heavy Metal band - Feed The Flames. He has managed to fuse Guyanese Culture, which is truly unique, with Rock 'n' Roll, creating an entirely new sub-genre of Rock Music – Creole Rock."
Thank you!
