{"id":107,"date":"2021-06-15T11:56:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T15:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=107"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:51:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:51:35","slug":"a-midnight-woman-to-the-bobby","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/a-midnight-woman-to-the-bobby\/","title":{"raw":"A Midnight Woman to the Bobby","rendered":"A Midnight Woman to the Bobby"},"content":{"raw":"No palm me up,[footnote]Don't put your hands on me[\/footnote] you dutty brute,\r\nYou' jam mout' mash[footnote]Your d---d mouth is all awry[\/footnote] like ripe bread-fruit;\r\nYou fas'n now, but wait lee ya,[footnote]You are fast (meddling, officious) now, but wait a little, d'you hear?[\/footnote]\r\nI'll see you grunt under de law.\r\n\r\nYou t'ink you wise,[footnote]You think you're wise[\/footnote] but we wi' see;\r\nYou not de fus' one fas' wid me;\r\nI'll lib fe see dem tu'n you out,\r\nAs sure as you got dat mash' mout'.\r\n\r\nI born right do'n beneat' de clack[footnote]The clock on the public buildings at Spanish Town[\/footnote]\r\n(You ugly brute, you tu'n you' back?)\r\nDon' t'ink dat I'm a come-aroun',[footnote]Day-labourers, men and women, in Kingston streets and wharves, famous for the heavy weights they carry, are called come-arounds[\/footnote]\r\nI born right 'way in 'panish Town.\r\n\r\nCare how you try,[footnote]No matter how you try, you can't do more than your predecessors (all that were here before)[\/footnote] you caan' do mo'\r\nDan many dat was hyah befo';\r\nYet whe' dey all o' dem te-day?[footnote]Yet where are they all to-day?[\/footnote]\r\nDe buccra dem no kick dem 'way?[footnote]Did not the buccra (white man) kick them away (dismiss them)? [\/footnote]\r\n\r\nKo[footnote]Look[\/footnote] pon you' jam samplatta[footnote]A piece of leather cut somewhat larger than the size of the foot, and tied sandal-wise to it : said of anything that is flat and broad[\/footnote] nose:\r\n'Cos you wear Mis'r Koshaw clo'es[footnote]Mr Kershaw's clothes\" i.e., police uniform. Col. Kershaw. Inspector-General of Police in 1911 (when this poem was written) and for many years before[\/footnote]\r\nYou fink say youts de only man,[footnote]A mighty fine fellow[\/footnote]\r\nYet fus' time[footnote]When I knew you first[\/footnote] ko how you be'n 'tan'.[footnote]Look what sort of figure you cut[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nYou big an' ugly ole tu'n-foot[footnote]Turned-in foot[\/footnote]\r\nBe'n neber know fe wear a boot;\r\nAn' chigger nyam you' tumpa toe,[footnote]And chigoes (burrowing fleas) had eaten into your maimed toe, and nits (young chigoes) had filled it[\/footnote]\r\nTill nit full i' like herrin' roe.\r\n\r\nYou come from mountain naked-'kin,[footnote]Naked skin, i.e., with your shirt and trousers full of holes[\/footnote]\r\nAn' Lard a mussy! you be'n thin,\r\nFor all de bread-fruit dem be'n done,\r\nBein' 'poil' up by de tearin' sun:[footnote]Having been spoilt by the hot sun. Pronounce 'bein' as a monosyllable[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nDe coco[footnote]An editble root (Colocasia antiquorum)[\/footnote] couldn' bear at all,\r\nFor, Lard! de groun' was pure white~marl;\r\nAn' t'rough de rain part o' de year[footnote]During some months[\/footnote]\r\nDe mango tree dem couldn' bear.\r\n\r\nAn' when de pinch o' time you feel\r\nA 'pur you a you' chigger heel,[footnote]And when you felt hard times spurring you in your chigger. eaten heel[\/footnote]\r\nYou lef you' district, big an' coarse,\r\nAn' come join'[footnote]Come and joined[\/footnote] buccra Police Force.\r\n\r\nAn' now you don't wait fe you' glass,[footnote]You don't wait for the right and proper moment[\/footnote]\r\nBut trouble me wid you' jam fas';[footnote]With all your infernal forwardness and officiousness[\/footnote]\r\nBut wait, me frien', you' day wi' come,\r\nI'll see you go same lak a some.[footnote]Same like some = just as others before you did[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nSay wha'? \u2014 'res' me?[footnote]What's that? \u2014 arrest me?[\/footnote] \u2014 you go to hell!\r\nYou t'ink Judge don't know unno well?[footnote]D'you think the magistrate doesn't know your tricks? Unno or Onnoo is an African word, meaning \"you\" collectively [\/footnote]\r\nYou t'ink him gwin' go sentance[footnote]Pronounce the a 'ah,' but without accent[\/footnote] me\r\nWidout a soul fe witness i'?","rendered":"

No palm me up,[1]<\/sup><\/a> you dutty brute,
\nYou’ jam mout’ mash[2]<\/sup><\/a> like ripe bread-fruit;
\nYou fas’n now, but wait lee ya,[3]<\/sup><\/a>
\nI’ll see you grunt under de law.<\/p>\n

You t’ink you wise,[4]<\/sup><\/a> but we wi’ see;
\nYou not de fus’ one fas’ wid me;
\nI’ll lib fe see dem tu’n you out,
\nAs sure as you got dat mash’ mout’.<\/p>\n

I born right do’n beneat’ de clack[5]<\/sup><\/a>
\n(You ugly brute, you tu’n you’ back?)
\nDon’ t’ink dat I’m a come-aroun’,[6]<\/sup><\/a>
\nI born right ‘way in ‘panish Town.<\/p>\n

Care how you try,[7]<\/sup><\/a> you caan’ do mo’
\nDan many dat was hyah befo’;
\nYet whe’ dey all o’ dem te-day?[8]<\/sup><\/a>
\nDe buccra dem no kick dem ‘way?[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Ko[10]<\/sup><\/a> pon you’ jam samplatta[11]<\/sup><\/a> nose:
\n‘Cos you wear Mis’r Koshaw clo’es[12]<\/sup><\/a>
\nYou fink say youts de only man,[13]<\/sup><\/a>
\nYet fus’ time[14]<\/sup><\/a> ko how you be’n ‘tan’.[15]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

You big an’ ugly ole tu’n-foot[16]<\/sup><\/a>
\nBe’n neber know fe wear a boot;
\nAn’ chigger nyam you’ tumpa toe,[17]<\/sup><\/a>
\nTill nit full i’ like herrin’ roe.<\/p>\n

You come from mountain naked-‘kin,[18]<\/sup><\/a>
\nAn’ Lard a mussy! you be’n thin,
\nFor all de bread-fruit dem be’n done,
\nBein’ ‘poil’ up by de tearin’ sun:[19]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

De coco[20]<\/sup><\/a> couldn’ bear at all,
\nFor, Lard! de groun’ was pure white~marl;
\nAn’ t’rough de rain part o’ de year[21]<\/sup><\/a>
\nDe mango tree dem couldn’ bear.<\/p>\n

An’ when de pinch o’ time you feel
\nA ‘pur you a you’ chigger heel,[22]<\/sup><\/a>
\nYou lef you’ district, big an’ coarse,
\nAn’ come join’[23]<\/sup><\/a> buccra Police Force.<\/p>\n

An’ now you don’t wait fe you’ glass,[24]<\/sup><\/a>
\nBut trouble me wid you’ jam fas’;[25]<\/sup><\/a>
\nBut wait, me frien’, you’ day wi’ come,
\nI’ll see you go same lak a some.[26]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Say wha’? \u2014 ‘res’ me?[27]<\/sup><\/a> \u2014 you go to hell!
\nYou t’ink Judge don’t know unno well?[28]<\/sup><\/a>
\nYou t’ink him gwin’ go sentance[29]<\/sup><\/a> me
\nWidout a soul fe witness i’?<\/p>\n

  1. Don't put your hands on me ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. Your d---d mouth is all awry ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. You are fast (meddling, officious) now, but wait a little, d'you hear? ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. You think you're wise ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. The clock on the public buildings at Spanish Town ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. Day-labourers, men and women, in Kingston streets and wharves, famous for the heavy weights they carry, are called come-arounds ↵<\/a><\/li>
  7. No matter how you try, you can't do more than your predecessors (all that were here before) ↵<\/a><\/li>
  8. Yet where are they all to-day? ↵<\/a><\/li>
  9. Did not the buccra (white man) kick them away (dismiss them)? ↵<\/a><\/li>
  10. Look ↵<\/a><\/li>
  11. A piece of leather cut somewhat larger than the size of the foot, and tied sandal-wise to it : said of anything that is flat and broad ↵<\/a><\/li>
  12. Mr Kershaw's clothes\" i.e., police uniform. Col. Kershaw. Inspector-General of Police in 1911 (when this poem was written) and for many years before ↵<\/a><\/li>
  13. A mighty fine fellow ↵<\/a><\/li>
  14. When I knew you first ↵<\/a><\/li>
  15. Look what sort of figure you cut ↵<\/a><\/li>
  16. Turned-in foot ↵<\/a><\/li>
  17. And chigoes (burrowing fleas) had eaten into your maimed toe, and nits (young chigoes) had filled it ↵<\/a><\/li>
  18. Naked skin, i.e., with your shirt and trousers full of holes ↵<\/a><\/li>
  19. Having been spoilt by the hot sun. Pronounce 'bein' as a monosyllable ↵<\/a><\/li>
  20. An editble root (Colocasia antiquorum) ↵<\/a><\/li>
  21. During some months ↵<\/a><\/li>
  22. And when you felt hard times spurring you in your chigger. eaten heel ↵<\/a><\/li>
  23. Come and joined ↵<\/a><\/li>
  24. You don't wait for the right and proper moment ↵<\/a><\/li>
  25. With all your infernal forwardness and officiousness ↵<\/a><\/li>
  26. Same like some = just as others before you did ↵<\/a><\/li>
  27. What's that? \u2014 arrest me? ↵<\/a><\/li>
  28. D'you think the magistrate doesn't know your tricks? Unno or Onnoo is an African word, meaning \"you\" collectively ↵<\/a><\/li>
  29. Pronounce the a 'ah,' but without accent ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":27,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-107","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/107\/revisions\/108"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/107\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}