How Come?

 

 

How come we is say,

“I’s go out dey regular”

Rather than “I go out there regularly”

Like an English orator?

 

“I does be in the front row

When I watch cricket

And whenever I go

I does be looking at de wicket.”

 

How come that is not right

And it sound so nice?

Dis English ting dey want me talk

Only causing me strife.

 

Like I is a English man!

I is a bajan

And I proud to be

My faddah an’ muddah son!

 

“I sit in the front row

When I view a cricket game

And whenever I go

I look straight down the wicket.”

 

Dat does sound so strain

Dat it does gih me pain

But I have to learn to speak properly

Wuh is dah he suh again?

 

 

How come we grow up bout hey

An’ we hah speak like dat?

Dat doan make sense to me

An’ dat is my fact!

 

Another ting too:

All o’ we words getting’ change up!

When I tink bout it

I is got ta chupps.

 

De wicket was de three stumps

Now it is de pitch

And now yuh got three slips

Nuttin’ seem to stick.

 

Fuh dem international people

The pitch is de playing field

And de batsmen is now batters,

What a stupid deal!

 

I recall leg breaks and googalies

Now duh got ‘wrong uns’,

A ball could only swing two ways

Dem like dem tink I dumb.

 

And cricket balls growing too

And getting big pun de batsman

And all o’ dis confusing

De bajan cricket fan.

 

 

How come we stan back

An leh dem change up evating?

We wuh hah be stupid like dem

Cause we en tinking.

 

Um en only in cricket

Dem is udder tings too:

Like words we come along hearing

Now dey talking bare boo.

 

I come along hearing ‘dayta’

Now dem Amerkans saying ‘dahta’,

Believe is ‘buhlieve’,

My belly is bust wid de lafta.

 

You could uhmagine dis?

How come it get so?

An’ we got some poor great bajans

Talkin’ like dem, dough!

 

When I buhcome Amerkanize

I gine talk de same way

But as fuh now in de present

Dah caan happen bout hey.

 

We does talk bout ‘building up’

Now I hear it is ‘building out’

And it en on de island nuh more

But on island; mek muh shout!

 

 

 

How come we talkin’ so

Like we lookin’ fuh a identity?

If um en puzzling to you

Um is puzzling to me.

 

I wud rather talk my bajan

Than buhcome a fake,

Cause leh me tell you here and now

Deceitfulness I hate.

 

Funny era we livin’ in

Or should I say funny ‘ehra’

Cause dat is de correct ting now

According to de United states of Amerka.

 

Ask “Gabberts” bout we culture

An’ you wud see wuh I mean,

Doan get more Amercanize

Now dat we get rid o’ de Queen.

 

We practices changing

And we speech changing too

But you see me, I is de same old bajan!

How about you?

 

Stewart Russell © January 24, 2022