Roots Archives Forum

I had always thought it was suggestive, with "bumb ball" substituted for "bumbo".

Before he went "cultural", Capleton's first record was called "bumbo red" (Exterminator), which seemed to be a nod to "bumb ball".

It doesn't make sense to me that someone would write a song about a "bum ball". But Mr. Morgan knows best.

My favourite double entendre song from the 1960s is "Take Back Your Duck" by The Inspirations. It's really about an unsatisfied customer demanding a refund at a whorehouse:

Gal give me mi money
And take back your duck
A rub you a rub me
And call it good luck

This duck too old now
This duck won't lay
I don't like dis here birdie
The duck too gray

davek wrote:I had always thought it was suggestive, with "bumb ball" substituted for "bumbo".

Before he went "cultural", Capleton's first record was called "bumbo red" (Exterminator), which seemed to be a nod to "bumb ball".

It doesn't make sense to me that someone would write a song about a "bum ball". But Mr. Morgan knows best.

Yes, but Dave, that's a case of someone thinking that *x* is, in fact, *y* and then singing a song about *y*. The reality is, of course, that is *x* is still *x*!


Pretty soon you'll be thinking that the Wolf's "Back Door Man" is rude!!

i am pretty positive red bum ball was an american (or british) pop song before the reggae version. cant recall who did it but i know the first time i heard the reggae version i knew i had heard it somewhere before.

dont know if it was sixties but didnt stranjah cole do one something about giving back my pussy or something?

regardless there were plenty of songs like this and no one has mentioned maxies "wet dream"?

one love
jah bill

davek wrote:I had always thought it was suggestive, with "bumb ball" substituted for "bumbo".

Before he went "cultural", Capleton's first record was called "bumbo red" (Exterminator), which seemed to be a nod to "bumb ball".

It doesn't make sense to me that someone would write a song about a "bum ball". But Mr. Morgan knows best.

hi this is Jumbo..i was at oldies night in rae town about15 years ago that evrybody started to laugh till dem belly hurt when this song played.. they clearified the red bumbo reference and i believe the interpretation of jamaican people at that dance
that mr morgan gave a different explanation sometimes doesnt really mean anything: max romeo told the BBC that wet dream is about a leaking roof and beenieman claimed that funny men are child molesters...
it is just a way of making these songs acceptable in the mainstream and media.

back on the subject

here are four in my oppinion very strange 'risky' songs, considering jamaican taboos:

Night food (old mento about oral sex, not about a midnight snack )

Rub Me khaki (Tennors, about a little boy masturbating while watching some women, not about washing his school uniform!)

Lord Antics - The Injection (about a doctor's visit which went terribly wrong: him told me to touch my toes and backed up after me, he put two hands on my shoulders that i could see, so tell me which hand him use to inject me?

Very disturbing lyrical content, but the strangest Jamaican lyric i ever heard is an 80s song still:

Goat Rider (Bunny General) i wont mention the content but it has the line: yu skin kinda 'airy but me done mind dat, open yu foot lemmi gi yu wha mi got....

If yu watch that Jammys VP DVD, there is a friendly clash between Ninjaman and Bunny General, Ninja just keeps on refering to this song and what must have possessed Bunny when he wrote it...

i am pretty positive red bum ball was an american (or british) pop song before the reggae version. cant recall who did it but i know the first time i heard the reggae version i knew i had heard it somewhere before.

@JahB
Might you be thinking of "Red Rubber Ball"? A search for a non-reggae version doesn't yield any results, and pop titles are never hard to find on the net

From the early 70s, "White Rum & Pum Pum" by Lloydie & Lowbites has got to be my favorite slack song.

Chorus:

"It's going flippy, flappy, flippy, flappy
Coming out of my dick top"

Seriously, everyone should hear this song. Hit me up and I'll send you the mp3. And if you can't get down with a little slackness, the version side is killer.

PErry's Dr Dick

Evveryone's version of Big Bamboo

naw not red rubber ball which i may recall was by the cyrkle?

i swear that song was familiar to me the first time i heard the reggae/rocksteady version. quite possibly under a different name, but ive never been able to find a reference to it.

hated the original as much as i hated the rocksteady version. seriously. just sounded like a bunch of clueless teenagers at work.

one love
jah bill