Songs of Jamaica (1912)
Reveille Soun’in’
REVEILLE! de reveille soun’,
Depôt p’liceman mus’ wake up;[1]
Some mus’ dress fe go to town,
Some to Parade fe shake-up.[2]
You lazy ones can lay down still,
We have no time fe dat;
De wake-ups[3] comin’ roun’, an’ you’ll
Jump as you feel de cat.
For soon de half pas’ dress[4] will blow
Fe we to go a-drillin’;
De time is bery short, an’ so
We mus’ be quick an’ willin’.
A marnin’ bade is sweet fe true,[5]
But we mus’ quick fe done;
It col’ dough,[6] so it’s only few
Can stan’ it how it bu’n.[7]
‘Tis quarter warnin’[8] soun’in’ now,
Our arms mus’ clean an’ soun’;
We will ketch ‘port[9] ef we allow
A speck fe lodge aroun’.
Tip[10] blow yet? good Lard! hear” fall in,”
Must double ‘pon de grass;
I didn’ know de las’ call be’n
Deh blow on us so fas’.