Jean and Dinah
Encyclopedia
Jean and Dinah is a calypso
from Trinidad and Tobago
in the Caribbean
sung by calypsonian
Mighty Sparrow
which became an international hit in 1956. It was also his first of eight roadmarchs. This calypso, Sparrow's first hit, commented upon the large scale prostitution that the bases once supported and the desperation of these prostitutes following the closure of several American
military bases
in Trinidad in the post war period.
American movie star Robert Mitchum also recorded the song and released it on his 1957 hit album "Calypso… Is Like So".
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...
from Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
sung by calypsonian
Calypsonian
A calypsonian , originally known as the chantwell is a musician, from the Anglophone Caribbean, who sings songs called calypso. Calypsos are musical renditions having their origins in the West African griot tradition...
Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow or Birdie is a calypso singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most well-known and successful calypsonians...
which became an international hit in 1956. It was also his first of eight roadmarchs. This calypso, Sparrow's first hit, commented upon the large scale prostitution that the bases once supported and the desperation of these prostitutes following the closure of several American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military bases
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
in Trinidad in the post war period.
- Jean and Dinah, Rosita and Clemontina
- Round de corner posin
- Bet your life is something dey sellin
- But when you catch them broken [="broke"] you could get dem all for nuttin
- Doh make no row
- De Yankee gone and Sparrow take over now
American movie star Robert Mitchum also recorded the song and released it on his 1957 hit album "Calypso… Is Like So".