To Be or Not To Business
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| The message on the banner, if lived by, could help us DO all kinds of uplifting business. Photo by Jhaye-Q |
DOH is a starring word in local calypso and soca. Like wine, wave, jump; just not as noticeable a verb because it's less directly connected to wild dancing.
"DOH back-back on me."
"Ah tell yuh DOH touch me."
"He DOH like ugly."
"Ah DOH want to wuk for Carnival."
DOH. Or "don't," to the uninitiated in our Trini-speak.
The recent mother of all Road March tunes (the song that is most played on Carnival Monday and Tuesday for people to jump-up in their costumes on the streets and to cross the grand stage) was "We Jammin' Still," by MX Prime and the Ultimate Rejects (who look so presentable and acceptable I sense the name is ironic).
"The city could bun down, we jammin' still!"It was brilliant; and I don't just mean the beat you could dance to.
I mean the multi-layered message behind it that was an aggregate, a callaloo, of satire, socio-political commentary, subversive rant and, in no small measure, an insurgent yawp rallying us to find our way back to being better. As in: you're sick, then you're better.
So about a year after that I saw a guy wearing a Tee with the words: "We DOH business." Translation from Trini, "We don't give a damn!"
I instantly disliked the jersey.
Then I realised it was actually meant to be the sub-division refrain from the Road March in question: "We DOH business. (Uhruh!!!) We DOH business. (Uhruh!!!)"
And because I liked the song, I stepped sideways in my psyche and assessed the message from an altered state.
I thought of my beautiful, bountiful, so often backward country, and was moved to speculate about the strident statement, "What if we took out the 'h.' What would it effect?"
