Bassy - Love Vine
June 17, 2005
Riding de Gravy train

Vincy Carnival will be like ah quiet Re-cheat at Sin Benny-Dick without Kaiso like Gravey Train by de Man Age.

That is what Kaiso is all about, to tell de people what is happening in “de Piggy Guv-ah-mint” (Professor); from day one Toiler did spot ah “Nansi” in Mitchell even though that was after de Man Age did observe that “de Society needs ah Spectacle” and tried to find out “Who Cares”? The poor Lexie couldn’t tek Mitchell squeeze no more he made ah plea with ” Ease up Fisherman”. {{more}}

Still nothing happened, C.P went casino and play cards with “Jessie Gambler”; not even that could ah get rid ah “Mitchell-is-him” when Freedom Fighter mek ah try. Actually things started to happen when De Dan got ah peep and expose all who dey pon “de Band Wagon” and later Freedom Fighter took ah desperate trip on “de Hell Ride” it sounded so much like MNU, that NDP supporters did say how was de Come-red who did write that one. Our Kaisoonians have been the I-witness from ever since; so dey come so dey go except one man, De Man Age! He been around from day one!

Ah remember Age did hit Cato and the Labour Party so hard with ” Dey go Ban it” that Cato instructed CDC cheerman Molly Arthur not to pay Age his first prize money; CDC had to write the cheque in Vibrating Scakes name. Soon after, Age went on ah few years Re-cheat in the US but when he came back, he couldn’t believe what was happening, sorry, not happening so he took up his pen that helped to scratch out NDP with “What is this at all”!

Age is a Ghetto man, ah freedom fighter who marched with the Teachers in 1975. He is ah fearless and skillful writer; one ah de best when come to Pull-it-tek-all commentary. Nobody don’t write foh Age, he writes with ah conviction, what he believes in, from the heart and sing from the heart too.

Age no doubt tek his cue from De Come-Red when he boast ’bout his Gravey Train, how people want to get on his Grave-E-train and when they can’t they criticize him. Age’s Gravey Train is now making the rounds picking up passengers from both sides. He picong his friends Jomo, Blazer and Lennox Bowman; three men who will be getting nuff fire foh dey party but their loyalty is foh SVG.; ah wuk with all ah them already, de good, de bad and de Grave E-trainees!

Lie-Za was saying she know she try all kind ah train: she dance pon Soul Train, she drink nuff Night Train, she even ride pon Last Train go San Fernando; and as far as she know doctor ain’t stop she from eating meat yet, she want to see who so fresh and out ah place to put she foh ride pon any chuck-ah-chung, chuck-ah-chung Gravey Train; she waiting pon de Meat Train. Then she turn to me and ask: “Way Train yuh waiting pon”? Ah tell she ah dey round long, and ah see nuff band wagon ride till it stop, and everybody transfer to Hell Ride, and when that stop everybody transfer to Gravey Train.

Gravey Train will stop one day and who dey board will transfer again to de next Train. Ah think ah will continue pon foot… ah go walk!

CLASS OF 1954/1955

Our plans are on target. Last Friday ah group of us met with the Form 1 students to chit-chat ah bit on what school was like fifty years ago. We stressed on the discipline and respect foh seniors that was demanded of us. Quite interesting questions from those lickle youths. The unheard of like if we had cell phones, if we were given pocket change, and of course they wanted to know how we dealt with the Girls’ High School situation so close next door. “Well, we uses to seep at them” and one boy replied: “we seep at them too Sir”! Think we have established ah friendship with those kids that we need to build on.

The next stop foh the Class of 54/55 is Calliaqua on Sunday July 3rd at 8 a.m with Father Regisford ah classmate too. We planning to put on ah big showing foh the Parishioners at St Paul’s. We are hard at practice with our original School Song “Lord Behold Us” Dexter Lewis, Lennox Clarke, EG King, Fred Providence, Ray Dougan and Clifford Edwards singing Soup-ran-O; Victor Peters, Edgie Gabriel, Cims Martin, Leroy Rose, Norrel Mc Kenzie and Bernard Mills singing All-Toes; Rodway Fraser, Winston Gaymes, Paddy Corea, Hally Dougan, Bev Brisbane, Bassy Alexander singing Ten-awes and John Horne, Lie-den “Big B” Charles, Mickey Brisbane and Sam Come-jon holding down the Base, plus the other guys who coming in.

So yuh Parishioners at St Paul’s are in foh ah treat that morning. C’n’B there! Next stop on Wednesday July 6th with Ferdie’s Footstep. Fellars done order Calallo and Cray-fish, curry goat and stew Creole fowl and roast fish! Thursday evening we go back in time Ole Talk with Bread and beef.

Friday Bar-B-Q with Sam Come-jon! We have discovered that after fifty years we have all acquired one thing in Common: Mr For-get-full better known as early All-time-as!

The guys asked me to report that EG stole de Cake, it took him one hour driving, to find his way from Edinboro to the School compound. First he found himself up in New Montrose, lost of course; then he headed foh Paul’s Lot where he uses to live and then followed the route he uses to take to school. Give that one ah 50 per cent discount, but we are having fun!

And with that ah gone again!

One Love Bassy.