{"id":66,"date":"2021-06-15T09:41:28","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T13:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=66"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:48:38","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:48:38","slug":"fetchin-water","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/fetchin-water\/","title":{"raw":"Fetchin' Water","rendered":"Fetchin’ Water"},"content":{"raw":"Watch how dem touris' like fe look\r\nOut 'pon me little daughter,\r\nWhenever fe her tu'n[footnote]It is her turn[\/footnote] to cook\r\nOr fetch a pan of water:\r\nDe sight look gay;\r\nDat is one way,\r\nBut I can tell you say,[footnote]The 'say' is redundant[\/footnote]\r\n'Nuff rock'tone in de sea, yet none\r\nBut those 'pon lan' know 'bouten sun.[footnote]In allusion to the Jamaica proverg, 'Rock'tone (stone) a river bottom no feel sun hot'[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nDe pickny comin' up de hill,\r\nFightin' wid heavy gou'd,[footnote]Struggling under his head-load\u2014a gourd (calabash) filled with water[\/footnote]\r\nWon't say it sweet him, but he will\r\nComplain about de load:\r\nHim feel de weight,\r\nDem watch[footnote]The tourists watch his upright carriage[\/footnote] him gait;\r\nIt's so some of de great\r\nHigh people fabour t'ink[footnote]Favour think = seem to think[\/footnote] it sweet\r\nFe batter[footnote]Labour and sweat; toil and moil[\/footnote] in de boilin' heat.\r\n\r\nDat boy wid de kar\u00e1sene pan,[footnote]The favourite receptacle for water is a four-gallon kerosene tin (pan)[\/footnote]\r\nSulky down to him toe,\r\nHis back was rollin' in a san',[footnote]In the sand[\/footnote]\r\nFor him pa mek him crow:[footnote]Cry out[\/footnote]\r\nHim feel it bad,\r\nNear mek him mad,\r\nBut teach him[footnote]But it will teach him[\/footnote] he's a lad;\r\nGo disobey him fader wud,[footnote]What? \u2014disobey his father's orders[\/footnote]\r\nWhen he knows dat his back would sud![footnote]Get a lathering[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nBut Sarah Jane she wus 'an all,\r\nFor she t'row 'way[footnote]Threw down[\/footnote] de pan,\r\nAn' jam her back agains' de wall\r\nFe fight her mumma Fan:\r\nFeelin' de pinch,\r\nShe mek a wrinch\r\nAn' get 'way; but de wench\r\nTry fe put shame upon her ma,\r\nSay dat she cook de bittle raw.[footnote]Said that she cooked the victual raw, i.e., only half cooked it[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nDis water-fetchin' sweet dem though\r\nWhen day mek up dem min',\r\nAn' 'nuff o' dem 'tart out fe go,\r\nAn' de weader is fine:\r\nDe pan might leak,\r\nDem don't a 'peak,\r\nNor eben try fe seek\r\nSome clay or so[footnote]Or something[\/footnote] to mek it soun';\r\nDem don't care ef dem wet all roun'.\r\n\r\nD\u00e9n all 'bout de road dem 'catter\r\nMarchin' \u00e1long quite at ease;\r\nDat time listen to deir chatter,\r\nTalkin' anyt'ing dem please:\r\nDem don't a fear,\r\nNeider a care,\r\nFor who can interfere?\r\nT'ree mile \u2014 five, six tu'n, \u2014 an' neber[footnote]For rhythm, read thus: T'ree mile \u2014 five, six \u2014 tu'n, an \u2014 neber[\/footnote]\r\nW'ary, but could do it[footnote]Pronounce dweet[\/footnote] for eber.","rendered":"

Watch how dem touris’ like fe look
\nOut ‘pon me little daughter,
\nWhenever fe her tu’n[1]<\/sup><\/a> to cook
\nOr fetch a pan of water:
\nDe sight look gay;
\nDat is one way,
\nBut I can tell you say,[2]<\/sup><\/a>
\n‘Nuff rock’tone in de sea, yet none
\nBut those ‘pon lan’ know ’bouten sun.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

De pickny comin’ up de hill,
\nFightin’ wid heavy gou’d,[4]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWon’t say it sweet him, but he will
\nComplain about de load:
\nHim feel de weight,
\nDem watch[5]<\/sup><\/a> him gait;
\nIt’s so some of de great
\nHigh people fabour t’ink[6]<\/sup><\/a> it sweet
\nFe batter[7]<\/sup><\/a> in de boilin’ heat.<\/p>\n

Dat boy wid de kar\u00e1sene pan,[8]<\/sup><\/a>
\nSulky down to him toe,
\nHis back was rollin’ in a san’,[9]<\/sup><\/a>
\nFor him pa mek him crow:[10]<\/sup><\/a>
\nHim feel it bad,
\nNear mek him mad,
\nBut teach him[11]<\/sup><\/a> he’s a lad;
\nGo disobey him fader wud,[12]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWhen he knows dat his back would sud![13]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

But Sarah Jane she wus ‘an all,
\nFor she t’row ‘way[14]<\/sup><\/a> de pan,
\nAn’ jam her back agains’ de wall
\nFe fight her mumma Fan:
\nFeelin’ de pinch,
\nShe mek a wrinch
\nAn’ get ‘way; but de wench
\nTry fe put shame upon her ma,
\nSay dat she cook de bittle raw.[15]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Dis water-fetchin’ sweet dem though
\nWhen day mek up dem min’,
\nAn’ ’nuff o’ dem ‘tart out fe go,
\nAn’ de weader is fine:
\nDe pan might leak,
\nDem don’t a ‘peak,
\nNor eben try fe seek
\nSome clay or so[16]<\/sup><\/a> to mek it soun’;
\nDem don’t care ef dem wet all roun’.<\/p>\n

D\u00e9n all ’bout de road dem ‘catter
\nMarchin’ \u00e1long quite at ease;
\nDat time listen to deir chatter,
\nTalkin’ anyt’ing dem please:
\nDem don’t a fear,
\nNeider a care,
\nFor who can interfere?
\nT’ree mile \u2014 five, six tu’n, \u2014 an’ neber[17]<\/sup><\/a>
\nW’ary, but could do it[18]<\/sup><\/a> for eber.<\/p>\n

  1. It is her turn ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. The 'say' is redundant ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. In allusion to the Jamaica proverg, 'Rock'tone (stone) a river bottom no feel sun hot' ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. Struggling under his head-load\u2014a gourd (calabash) filled with water ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. The tourists watch his upright carriage ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. Favour think = seem to think ↵<\/a><\/li>
  7. Labour and sweat; toil and moil ↵<\/a><\/li>
  8. The favourite receptacle for water is a four-gallon kerosene tin (pan) ↵<\/a><\/li>
  9. In the sand ↵<\/a><\/li>
  10. Cry out ↵<\/a><\/li>
  11. But it will teach him ↵<\/a><\/li>
  12. What? \u2014disobey his father's orders ↵<\/a><\/li>
  13. Get a lathering ↵<\/a><\/li>
  14. Threw down ↵<\/a><\/li>
  15. Said that she cooked the victual raw, i.e., only half cooked it ↵<\/a><\/li>
  16. Or something ↵<\/a><\/li>
  17. For rhythm, read thus: T'ree mile \u2014 five, six \u2014 tu'n, an \u2014 neber ↵<\/a><\/li>
  18. Pronounce dweet ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":14,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-66","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\/66","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":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66\/revisions\/68"}],"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\/66\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}