Banana Boat Song
Encyclopedia
"Day-O" is a traditional Jamaican mento
folk song, the best-known version of which was sung by Harry Belafonte
. Although it is really Jamaican mento
, the song is widely known as an example of calypso music
. It is a song from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loading banana
s onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home.
), with each set lyric there would be a response from the workers but with many different sets of lyrics, some possibly improvised on the spot. The first recorded version was done by Trinidad
ian singer Edric Connor
and his band "Edric Connor and the Caribbeans" in 1952, on the album Songs From Jamaica; the song was called "Day Dah Light". Belafonte based his version on a 1954 recording by Jamaican folk singer Louise Bennett.
In 1955, singer/songwriters Irving Burgie and William Attaway
wrote a version of the lyrics for the Colgate Comedy Hour in which the song was performed by Harry Belafonte
. This is the version that is by far the best known to listeners today, as it reached number five on the Billboard
charts in 1957 and later became Belafonte's signature song
. Side two of Harry Belafonte's 1956 Calypso album opens with "Star O", a song referring to the day shift ending with the first star seen in the sky. 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
. 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. It outdid Belafonte's original on the pop charts, reaching number four. This version was re-recorded by Shirley Bassey
in 1957, and became a hit in the United Kingdom
.
The Tarriers
, or some subset of the three members of the group (Erik Darling, Bob Carey and Alan Arkin
) are sometimes credited as the writers of the song, perhaps because their version of the song, which mixed in another song, was an original creation.
Mento
Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It has its roots in calypso and other Jamaican folk music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the...
folk song, the best-known version of which was sung by Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
. Although it is really Jamaican mento
Mento
Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It has its roots in calypso and other Jamaican folk music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the...
, the song is widely known as an example of calypso music
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
. It is a song from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loading banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home.
Origins
The song was originally a Jamaican folk song. Its popular version was adapted by Barbadian Irving Burgie. It was thought to be sung by Jamaican banana workers, with a repeated melody and refrain (call and responseCall and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
), with each set lyric there would be a response from the workers but with many different sets of lyrics, some possibly improvised on the spot. The first recorded version was done by Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian singer Edric Connor
Edric Connor
Edric Connor was a pioneering calypso singer, folklorist and actor who was born in Mayaro, Trinidad in 1913...
and his band "Edric Connor and the Caribbeans" in 1952, on the album Songs From Jamaica; the song was called "Day Dah Light". Belafonte based his version on a 1954 recording by Jamaican folk singer Louise Bennett.
In 1955, singer/songwriters Irving Burgie and William Attaway
William Attaway
William Alexander Attaway was an African American novelist, short story writer, essayist, songwriter, playwright, and screenwriter.-Early Life:...
wrote a version of the lyrics for the Colgate Comedy Hour in which the song was performed by Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
. This is the version that is by far the best known to listeners today, as it reached number five on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts in 1957 and later became Belafonte's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. Side two of Harry Belafonte's 1956 Calypso album opens with "Star O", a song referring to the day shift ending with the first star seen in the sky. Also in 1956, folk singer Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson (musician)
Samuel Robert Gibson was a folk singer who led a folk music revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was known for playing both the banjo and the 12-string guitar. He introduced a then largely unknown Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival of 1959. He produced a number of LPs in the decade...
, who had travelled to Jamaica and heard the song, taught his version of it to the folk band The Tarriers
The Tarriers
The Tarriers were an American vocal group, specializing in folk music and folk-flavored popular music. Named after the folk song "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill", and founded in 1956 by Erik Darling, Alan Arkin, and Bob Carey, the group had two hit songs during 1956-57: "Cindy, Oh Cindy" and "The...
. 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. It outdid Belafonte's original on the pop charts, reaching number four. This version was re-recorded by Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
in 1957, and became a hit in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Tarriers
The Tarriers
The Tarriers were an American vocal group, specializing in folk music and folk-flavored popular music. Named after the folk song "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill", and founded in 1956 by Erik Darling, Alan Arkin, and Bob Carey, the group had two hit songs during 1956-57: "Cindy, Oh Cindy" and "The...
, or some subset of the three members of the group (Erik Darling, Bob Carey and Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
) are sometimes credited as the writers of the song, perhaps because their version of the song, which mixed in another song, was an original creation.
Covers, parodies and other uses
- "Banana Boat (Day-O)" by Stan FrebergStan FrebergStanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
, produced in the 1950s by Capitol Records, features ongoing disagreement between an enthusiastic lead singer and a bongo-playing beatnikBeatnikBeatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
(Peter Leeds) who "don't dig loud noises" and had the catchphrase "You're too loud, man". When he hears the lyric about the "deadly black taranch-laTarantulaTarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
" [actually the highly venomous Brazilian wandering spiderBrazilian wandering spiderPhoneutria, commonly known as Brazilian wandering spiders, armed spiders , or banana spiders , are a genus of aggressive and highly venomous spiders found in tropical South and Central America...
or banana spider], the beatnik protests, "Don't sing about spiders, man! Like, I don't dig spiders". Stan Freberg's version was the basis for the TV advertTelevision advertisementA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for the UK chocolate bar Trio in the mid-1980s. - The Italian vocalist quartet Quartetto CetraQuartetto CetraQuartetto Cetra, or simply I Cetra, was an Italian vocal quartet established during the 1940s.The group originated from the previous Quartetto Ritmo following the replacement of one singer. Felice Chiusano filled the vacancy left by Enrico Gentile and joined Tata Giacobetti, Virgilio Savona and...
in the early '60 recorded a cover parody in Italian "Pummarola Boat" (Pummarola = neapolitan word for tomato). - The Kinks frequently performed an abbreviated version of this song in the early 1970s, and a live version appears on the album Everybody's in Showbiz. In later years, lead singer Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
often led the audience in singing "Day-O" in between songs. - In 1981 Adriano CelentanoAdriano CelentanoAdriano Celentano is an Italian singer, songwriter, comedian, actor, film director and TV host.-Biography:Celentano was born in Milan at 14 Via Gluck, about which he later wrote the famous song "Il ragazzo della via Gluck"...
maked cover "Deus" on this song. - In 1972, the Dutch artist & comic André van DuinAndré van DuinAndré van Duin is a Dutch actor , singer, writer and program creator.-Television, radio and theatre:...
used the melody for a song "Bananenlied" (Banana Song) exploring the question of why bananas are bent. - German band TrioTrio (band)Trio was a German band. It formed in the small German town of Großenkneten in 1980. The band is most noted for the song "Da da da, ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha" which was a hit in 30 countries worldwide. Trio was a product of the Neue Deutsche Welle...
performed a parody where "Bommerlunder" (a German schnapps) substituted the words "daylight come" in the 1980s. In one rare coincidence, Trio and Harry Belafonte appeared in the same TV show with the latter watching Trio's act in disbelief. - Serbian band The KuguarsThe KuguarsThe Kuguars were a successful short-lived Serbian comedy rock band from Belgrade, mainly consisting of famous Serbian actors...
recorded a cover version in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, entitled "Dejo", dedicating it to football player Dejan SavićevićDejan SavicevicDejan Savićević , is a Montenegrin former football player and is the president of the Montenegrin FA....
. - The Flash animation "Osama Bin Laden Has Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide", produced by cards-n-toons.com shortly after the September 11 attacks, features a parody version of the song apparently performed by Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
(with George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on bongos). The main refrain is "Come Mr. Taliban, turn over bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
! (Payback come then we drop the bomb)". - A version was performed on an advert for Kellogg's Fruit 'n FibreFruit 'n FibreFruit 'n Fibre is a breakfast cereal produced by Kellogg's and sold in various countries . It consists of wheat flakes, dried fruit and hazelnuts. Versions of this cereal are also produced by other companies under similar names, such as Fruit & Fibre...
, with amended lyrics. - Parodied as "Gay-O" in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode about gay marriage titled "There's Something About MarryingThere's Something About Marrying"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons. In the episode, Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage to increase tourism. After becoming a minister, Homer starts to wed people to make money. Meanwhile, Marge's sister Patty comes out as gay and...
," season 16; also in a Drawn TogetherDrawn TogetherDrawn Together is an American animated television series, which ran on Comedy Central from October 27, 2004 to November 14, 2007. The series was created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, and uses a sitcom format with a TV reality show setting...
episode titled "Gay Bash". - Musical comedy group Da YoopersDa YoopersDa Yoopers is a traveling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, Mich. They are known primarily for their humorous songs and skits, most of which center around life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
parodied the song as "It Was Eino" on their 1996 album We're Still Rockin'. Their version tells a story of deer hunting. - The Firesign TheatreThe Firesign TheatreThe Firesign Theatre is an American comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor. Their brand of surrealistic humor is best known through their record albums, which acquired a cult following in the late 1960s and early '70s.The troupe began as live radio...
parodied the song on their 1985 album Eat Or Be Eaten as an ad for "Rastafarian Motors" auto repair shop ("You should be smoking, not your car!"). - "The Crypto Song", a parody about CryptographyCryptographyCryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
, Crooks, and Mr. Businessman. - The Capitol StepsCapitol StepsThe Capitol Steps are an American political satire group. It has been performing since 1981, and has released approximately thirty albums consisting primarily of song parodies. Originally consisting exclusively of Congressional staffers performing around Washington, D.C., the troupe now primarily...
released a 1993 cover titled "Day Care" ("Day care call and the mom go home"). - Lil WayneLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
's song "6 Foot 7 Foot6 Foot 7 Foot"6 Foot 7 Foot" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, taken from his ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV . It was officially released on iTunes on December 16, 2010. It was produced by "A Milli" producer Bangladesh. The song samples from "Day-O " by Harry Belafonte.-Background:"6 Foot 7 Foot" is...
" samples a recording of this song. - Harry Belafonte's son David, and daughter Gina parodied the song for the Oldsmobile ToronadoOldsmobile ToronadoThe original Toronado began as a design painting by Oldsmobile stylist David North in 1962. His design, dubbed the "Flame Red Car," was for a compact sports/personal car never intended for production...
in a 1989 commercial. - Jason DeruloJason DeruloJason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
uses the refrain of the song on his own single "Don't Wanna Go HomeDon't Wanna Go Home"Don't Wanna Go Home" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jason Derülo. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, Future History on May 20, 2011. "Don't Wanna Go Home" was written by Derülo, Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, William Attaway, Irving Burgie, Allen George...
" in 2011. - "Shake Senora", a song featuring T-PainT-PainFaheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
off of Pitbull's album Planet PitPlanet PitPlanet Pit is the sixth studio album by American rapper Pitbull, released on June 17, 2011, on J Records, and RCA Records. Production was handled by a variety of pop, and hip hop producers including David Guetta, RedOne, Dr. Luke, Jim Jonsin, and Soulshock. Musically, the album was created with the...
, is said to be in the tune of this song.
Cultural references
- Pia ZadoraPia ZadoraPia Zadora is an American actress and singer. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians , she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe...
sings a brief a cappella version of the song in the film Hairspray. - The song was used in the dinner scene in Tim BurtonTim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceBeetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, when the hosts and dinner guests become possessed and begin to sing and dance to the song. It is also played faintly during the Geffen Enterprises logo. On the soundtrack it can be heard in the very beginning of Danny Elfman's theme composition for the film. - In BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedy series Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes OffGiles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes OffGiles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off is a British radio comedy from BBC Radio 4, written by Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Salsby and Graeme Garden.-Format:...
, Giles travels to New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to stop his ex-girlfriend Arabella marrying a Mr Fonty, as then she would be Arabella Fonty, and everyone she was introduced to would sing this song at her. - The song was used at the end of the Spin CitySpin CitySpin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
season 3 episode, "Local Hero", where it was sung by the mayor Randall Winston (Barry BostwickBarry BostwickBarry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
) and his assistants James Hobert (Alexander ChaplinAlexander ChaplinAlexander Chaplin is an American actor. Chaplin's most prominent role was that of speechwriter James Hobert on the sitcom Spin City...
) and Paul Lassiter (Richard KindRichard KindRichard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
). Lassiter is singing the song loudly and badly, and right after he sings "Daylight come and me wan' go home", the character played by Beth LittlefordBeth LittlefordElizabeth Anna Halcyon "Beth" Littleford is an American actress, comedienne, and television personality. She is perhaps best known for being one of the original correspondents on the popular Comedy Central satirical news series The Daily Show from 1996 to 2000; she is also known as Tripp's mother...
says "So why don't you?". - Harry Belafonte tries to sing his hit song "Day-O" (frequently referred to as "The Banana Boat Song") for the opening number in The Muppet Show episode 314. He is repeatedly interrupted by Fozzie, who wants to do the number up perfectly, as it's the first time Harry has sung this song on TV.
- Elmo sings a few lines from the song while dressed as a banana in Elmo's World: Bananas on Sesame Street. Grover leads a counting version of the song, in the Sea World stage show Bert and Ernie's Island Holiday.
- In more than one episode of FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, character Hermes ConradHermes ConradHermes Conrad is a fictional character in the Futurama animated series. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.- Appearance and personality :Born in 2959, Hermes is a grade 36 bureaucrat from Jamaica. He manages the Planet Express delivery business with responsibilities that include paying bills, giving out...
(a Jamaican bureaucrat) has made references to the song. Most notably, in "The Cyber House RulesThe Cyber House Rules"The Cyber House Rules" is the nineth episode in season three of Futurama. It originally aired April 1, 2001. The title comes from the John Irving novel The Cider House Rules.-Plot:Leela is invited to a reunion at her old orphanarium...
", the show's protagonist, Philip J. FryPhilip J. FryPhilip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
, refers to Hermes as being a "rastafarian accountant", to which Hermes replies, "Tally me banana". - The French vocal quartet Pow woWPow woWPow woW is French musical group. Their biggest hit was "Le Chat" in 1992. Their next single was the French version of song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", titled "Le lion est mort ce soir".- Albums :* Regagner les plaines...
sang "Day-O". - The song was (incorrectly) quoted in Peep ShowPeep Show (TV series)Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
by Jeremy, who responds to a criticism with "Oh Mr. Taliban, tally me banana."
Lyrics
- Lyrics from the Harry Belafonte's Version
- Day-o, day-ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day-o, day-ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Work all night on a drink of rum
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Stack banana till de morning come
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day, me say day-ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Beautiful bunch of ripe banana
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Hide the deadly black tarantula
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day, me say day-ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day-o, day-ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
- Day, me say day, me say day, me say day....ay-ay-o
- Daylight come and me wan' go home
External links
- http://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.livrets&content_id=5362&product_id=1176&category_id=128 English version of the text can be found at the bottom of the page.
- Who wrote the Banana Boat Song?
- The Originals: "Banana Loader's Song"
- "The Banana Boat Song: 'Daylight come and me wan' go home ...'", November 27, 2005, By Mark Roth, Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-GazetteThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
.