I became interested late last night in the song of the title of this post. My interest leads out of previous conversations with Snowball with regard to sea shanties, and an overhearing of the explaination of what a “tallyman” is by the muppets!<\/p>\n
The Banana Boat Song<\/strong> is a Jamaican Calypso folk song. The most commonly known version is the Harry Belafonte one. Traditionally it was sung by Jamaican banana workers loading bananas. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home (this is the meaning of the lyric “Come, Mr. Tally Man, tally me banana\/ Daylight come and we wanna go home.”)<\/p>\n It is also perhaps worth noting that the song was used in the involuntary dancing at dinner scene in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here are the most common lyrics:<\/p>\n The origins of the “Banana Boat Song” are often stated incorrectly. The original folk song is of unknown authorship, it was sung with many different sets of lyrics, some possibly improvised on the spot. The first recorded version was performed by Trinidadian singer Edric Conner<\/span> and his band “The Carribeans” in 1952, on the album Songs From Jamaica<\/em>; the song was called “Day De Light”. You can find more information about this albulm here: http:\/\/www.mentomusic.com\/edricConner.htm<\/a><\/p>\n <\/span>It was also recorded by Louise Bennett<\/span> in 1954.<\/p>\n In 1956, singer\/songwriters Irving Burgie<\/span> and William Attaway<\/span> wrote a version of the lyrics that was recorded that same year by Harry Belafonte; it is this version that I have included the lyrics from above.<\/p>\n Also in 1956, folk singer Bob Gibson, who had travelled to Jamaica and heard the song, taught his version of it to the folk band The Tarriers<\/span>. They recorded a version of that song that mixed in the chorus of another Jamaican folk song, “Hill and Gully Rider”, and released it, spawning what became their biggest hit. This version was re-recorded by Shirley Bassey in 1957, and became a hit here in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n
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There are many varient lyrics:<\/dl>\n
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\nA clerk man a check but him a check with caution.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n\n
\nMy back just broke with bare exhaustion.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n\n
\n(Daylight break and me wanna go home)
\nThen all these bananas see the last of me.
\n(Daylight break and me wanna go home) <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n(let us know of other verses you have encountered!) <\/dl>\n