Uriah PreachAuthor(s): Louise BennettSource: Caribbean Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 1/2, <italic>At Home the Green Remains</italic>(March-June 2003), pp. 77-78Published by: University of the West Indies and Caribbean QuarterlyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40654336 .

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77

Three Poems by Louise Bennett Uriah Preach

Fe me fambly is not peaw-peaw, Me daughta Sue dah-teach An wen rain fall, or Parson sick, Me son Uriah preach!

Sunday gone, rain come so till Parson Could'n lef him yard, People was eena church an so Uriah get weh broad;

Him climb up pon de pulpit, him Lean over, him look dung, Him look pon all we enemy An lash dem wid him tongue!

De fus one him teck on, was Lize Who tell de lie pon me, Him stare in a her face an say, "Thou art de slautered lamb!"

Him teck on Teacher Brown, for wen Him was de size o' dat, Teacher beat him one day because Him call Teacher "top-knot".

So 'Riah get him revenge now For him stare straight pon Brown An say, "let him dat sittet' on De house-top not come down!"

Him teck on Butcher Jones, who noted Fe sell scrapses meat, him say, "thou shalt not give thy neighbours Floolooloops to eat!"

Him tell dem off, dem know is dem, Dem heart full to de brim, But as 'Riah eena pulprit Dem can't back-answer him!

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78

So wen church member mel me, I Don't answer till it reach A rainy day wen Parson stay Home, an Uriah preach.

Dutty Tough (lhe Ground is Hard)

"Rain a-fall but dutty tuff: wages rise but so do prices and the cost of living.

Sun a-shine but tings noh bright, Doah pot a-bwile, bickle noh nuff, River flood but water scarce yaw, Rain a-fall but dutty tuff!

Tings so bad, dat now-a-days wen Yuh ask smaddy how dem do, Dem fraid yuh teck i tell dem back So dem noh answer yuh!

Noh care omuch we dah-work fa Hard time still eena we shut, We dah-fight, Hard-Time a-beat we, Dem might raise we wages, but

One poun gwan awn pon we pay, an We noh feel noh merriment, For ten poun gawn on pon we food An ten poun pon we rent!

Salfish gawn up! mackerel gawn up! Pork an beef gawn up same way, An wen rice an butter ready, Dem jus go pon holiday!

Cloth, boot, pin an needle gawn up, Ice, bread, taxes, wata-rate! Kersene ile, gasolene, gawn up An de poun devaluate!

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