key: F minor
mode: F G A Bb C Db D Eb E
melody: SI l t d r m f l’
form: strophic with call & response
meter: duple
English function names: tonic dominant
Tagg (modified): home counterpoise (away)
Riemann: t D7
Scale degrees: i V7
Chords: Fm C7
Fm C
|/ / / / | / / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
C Fm
|/ / / / | / / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
Smithsonian Folkways decided to put this song on a recording of “children’s songs.” I am still a bit baffled as to why. Perhaps the good people at Smithsonian also felt its two-chordedness and repeated melody made it easy to play and sing. I have used this song in teaching, all the while hoping someone does not take issue with it. With all the repeated exhortations of "Fidel Castro," it can be hard to hear at first whether this song is for or against the man or what.
We as teachers do need to choose our controversies wisely. The lyrics start off sounding almost pro-Castro. As the lyrics go on, it sounds less pro-Castro. It’s always worth creating space for a good, productive discussion about highly controversial people like Castro. Teaching in an international setting like I have, you are going to encounter people on all sides of the argument. A song like this one can be a center around which the discussion works: Who is Castro? Who is Batista? Why would a Trinidadian write this song? At that point in history? Why would Lord Invader choose the form that he did for his lyrics? What are the lyrics saying? What are they implying?
Lord Invader recorded this song twice for Folkways records and the one ostensibly not for children has more solos, more lyrics, more percussion, more everything. The intent of the song, however, is not more clear.
We have here another example of what I call counterpoise inversion. Counterpoise inversion creates a sense of question and answer, with its half-cadence in the first phrase — what the classical folk sometimes call antecedent and consequent phrases. I love fancy language, so I like to share this information even with students. But I also love clarity, so would focus on language like "question and answer." This kind of structure works nicely, too, with the call-and-response format. What is call-and-response? Is it a form, is it a texture, is it hocket? Yes? Whatever technical terms we may apply, we sure do like to hear it in music.
other recordings:
Lord Invader, Calypso Travels, Smithsonian Folkways. G minor.