Track 6: Swell Hells Bells
This is a re-write of a round I learned in, I think, the ‘50s. I wanted to include the phrase, pokalakachinga, which Harry Belafonte intones in his ground-breaking 1956 album, Calypso, the best-selling LP up to that time. I thought back then, as an 18-year-old, that Belafonte was one of the coolest people who ever lived, which he, in fact, still is. I bought a belt like the one he wears on the album cover, and have been looking for an excuse to go Pokalakachinga! like him since 1956. What a relief to finally do so!
Cultural note: In 1956 my mom was talking to some woman friends, and they were discussing the fact that although Belafonte was a “Negro” (Black wasn’t polite until the mid-60s), they would do him, although no one said do him (or her) back then. I forget the phrase they did use. But up to that point this was a sentiment one did not hear in my lower middle class midwestern world. Pokalakachinga!
I love the bells, the bells are swell, I love the bells so well. I love the ringing and the ding dong dinging of the ding dong ding dong bells. Ding (shaka laka laka) Dong (shaka laka laka) Ding dong (pokalakachinga)
Repeat last line, no pokalakachinga this time.
I hate the bells, the bells of hell, I hate the bells of hell. I hate the ringing and the god damn dinging of the god damn bells of hell. God. Damn. Bells of hell (repeat)
Track 7: Day Go By
I’m sure some of you’ll notice my appropriation of part of the melody of Steven Foster’s “Camptown Races”. You know, the one with the immortal refrain, “doo-dah, doo-dah”. Steal from the best.
How da day how da day how da day go by
How do da day go by
How do they get by
How do they get by (repeat)
Day go by all night
Night go by all day
Day and night go bye bye bye
All the livelong day
Day and night, dey go bye bye, dey go bye bye
Night and day go bye bye bye all the livelong day
Day go by all night
Night go by all day
Day and night go bye bye bye all the livelong day
Next time this was recorded, I wanted all the parts going on at once. It turns out the next take on this one was with some Catalonian guys who, surprisingly, turned it into a rocker, which really works. More on them later.
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