BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IT was fitting... and it felt good that Ellie Matt, son of the soil, veteran calypsonian, road march champion, musical arranger, composer and band Leader was at the official launch of the 40/40 Sugar Mas Carnival. He had been involved in National Carnival since its inception in 1971,
The ten-time Calypso King and seven-time Road March Champion dominated the music of the festival in the first two decades of its existence, and his compositions have lived and peaked even during the years when he was not a reigning king.
His unofficial national anthem of St. Kitts –“I love St. Kitts...Viva!” has been sung, danced and choreographed; it has lifted the spirits of all Kittitians at home and abroad, and his singing of it at the launch of 40/40 Sugar mas Carnival provided a uniting theme in an often divided society.
Who can fail to feel the patriotism and adoration that exudes from this song?
According to the records, King Ellie Matt was crowned Calypso King in 1973, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1990 and 1992. His very popular road march hits had him crowned Road March Champion in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982 and 1992.
His wide experience as a guitarist, a steel band player and keyboardist has enabled him to experience music on the inside.
Then his long years as arranger, composer and band leader took him to the pinnacle of Caribbean music working with such greats as the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Shadow, Arrow, King Short Shirt, Swallow, King Obstinate, David Rudder, Lord Nelson, the late Lord Kitchener and many other big names on the music scene in the Caribbean and in Europe.
It is unfortunate that Ellie Matt has not remained in top physical condition, yet ‘no matter where he roams, he repeatedly returns home’ and none can question that this is where his heart lies.
His ability to remain close to his roots has enabled him to bring out the essence of his people’s rhythms and to become as well ‘the voice of the poor’.
He feels and expresses their experience and from this has come his classic and immortal composition - “The Poor can’t take no more”.
As promised, SKNVibes now brings you the lyrics of yet another classic calypso that will surely be immortal in the music history of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Poor Can’t Take No More
By Ellie Matt
1.
By and large in the world today
The poor man going down in every way
In America and Europe, Asia and Africa
Middle East and the West Indies,
The poor man getting real squeeze
Everything in the world cost plenty money
The rich living easy while the poor unhappy
Out of the pit of sheer frustration
Come forth wars and revolution
The poor man got it hard in every land
The poor can’t take no more
That’s the cry from shore to shore
If we right, we getting wrong
If we bright, they shoot we down
Oh Lord..
Lord I want to know
If it’s so the world must go
One day we're gonna rise
And take the rich by surprise
Only then they'll know for sure
The poor can't take no more
2.
If a poor man sick and he ain’t got bread
Some doctor might tend to he
Some might leh he dead
Some medicine so advance to cure most anything
The poor man don’t stand a chance
Without social welfare aid
Lord the poor outnumber the rich
In any nation
Yet the poor vote for the rich
In every election
Each and every politician
Promise to end the situation
But the poor man only face exploitation
The poor can’t take no more
That’s the cry from shore to shore
Democrat or Communist
Conservative or Socialist
Yes, once they living good
They don’t care if the poor have food
Oh yeah &..
They say that slavery done
But Massa still living on
For some still sleeping on the earth floor
The poor can’t take no more!
3
Who tell Russia and America
That poor people ready to fight their costly war?
But men who can’t find jobs
Join the Infantry
Look on every battlefront
Is poor men dying daily
Yes while they spending money
On ammunition
Poor people suffering from malnutrition
What a horrible example
We get from the poor people
The ordeals of the poor are terrible
The poor can’t take no more
That’s the cry from shore to shore
But Burnham and Bishop
Can’t see the poor fed up
While Carter and Manley
Fail to impress we
They gone
Bareface hypocrisy
Bombastic plutocracy
They strangling we for sure
The poor can’t take no more
4.
They tell me that in days of old
Food and money was reasonably controlled
Though some had more than some
As that is meant to be
The little we use to have
We manage to live happy
A dime woulda feed me
and still lef something
Today twenty dollar in me hand
Aint nothing
Is dollar for this and dollar for dat
Look the price they charge for small spratt
Father, tell me when the pressures goin’ end
The poor can’t take no more
That’s the cry from shore to shore
If we right, we getting wrong
If we bright, they shoot we down
Oh Lord..
Lord I want to know
If it’s so the world must go & tell me
One day we’re gonna rise
And take the rich by surprise
This is too much licks for sure
The poor can’t take no more!
(Spoken) “LET THIS BE A WARNING TO END OPPRESSION AND VICTIMIZATION OF THE POOR!”
(c) Ellie Matt
