Roots Archives Forum

Help settle the score for a friend and I.

We've had some friendly disagreements about the meaning of some patois phrases and I'd like the matters settled. I'm way out of my league and expect to be wrong on all accounts (He was born and lived in Jamaica until we was 7(?) before moving to NYC) but here it goes anyhow:

1. Under Mi Sleng Teng- The whole song is about smoking sensi but he told me "sleng teng" translates to "slim thing" as in a skinny woman (as opposed to "under mi fat ting"). Is this true? It seems reasonable but he never mentions anything about a woman or dancing anywhere else in the song and I can't think of another song that uses the word "sleng" to compare it to.

2. Wa Do Dem- He told me that this means: "What's wrong with them" but I read somewhere else that it means "How do they do it". The next line works either way (Me no kno-ow") Are either of these correct? Maybe both?

3. Last I have a pronunciation question. I've always pronounced Ini Kamoze "I-nee Kah-Mo-Zee" and he corrected me the other night saying his name is pronounced "Ee-nuh Kah-moze" (The last syllable rhyming with "doze.") I'm pretty confident I'm right on this one. I'm not saying Wikipedia is infallible, but Wikipedia agrees with me... and if they're wrong, maybe someone should edit the Ini Kamoze page...

Any help would be appreciated.

Selector J
(Please don't blast me *too* harshly for sounding foolish.)

it seems to me that Wa do dem means something like "what did they do", or "what do they do" but i wouldnt be anything of an authority on this, just guessing! In the IRoy cut whap'n bap'n, he says the wa do dem, and then whapn bapn (what happened), so it seems like it could be this...

I'm gonna have to say that due to the lyrics of the tune "Under Mi Sleng Teng" It refers to slinging or selling Sensi, IE his sling thing, as something he is slinging or selling. The reason I say that is because he says toward the end of the tune "Under Mi selling ting". So your boy maybe a little bit mixed up. Plus there was a tune "under mi slim ting" as a counter action to Red Roses "Under mi fat ting". I can't remember who dropped that tune but it's out there..

As far as "Wa-Do-Dem" I feel that this is just Slang for "Why do Them". Followed by "Mi No Knooow". As asking the question of Why do them? I don't Know? And of course all in reference to a woman being a virgin that's making him hot.

As far as Ini Kamozie... In_a , I_nee... who cares we all know who you're talking about. I've always called him Ina Kamozie just because I heard others say his name on live tapes that way...

Everyone has there own interpatation of this weather Yardie, Yankee, or anyone else. This is mine which I've gathered through listening to the lyrics of the tune. Best way to go mi bredda, with out asking the artist themselves.
Cool vibes & bleesings
Respect
~Keromak

On Wa-Do-Dem.I have heard an Eek-a-mouse live tune.He clearly says "Wa-Do-Dem" means "Whats the matter with them"

Love

Ites!

Selektah J, I Man agree wid yu totally: Under Mi Sleng Teng is bout smoke de herb an Wa Do Dem means What Do They Do or so

case 3 is more relativ but I&I always seh as yu seh or similar, yunno

BLESS

Thanks for the replies. Here are some other points I thought of while reading the replies:

Sleng Teng- I like Keromak's point about the *selling ting" line in "Sleng Teng". I'm not sure how to reconcile that with him being *under* his selling/slinging thing... but I still like that interpretation better than it being about a woman.

Wa Do Dem- There a couple times before the chorus where the people laughing at him and his girl because she's too short and he's too tall, so I think the Wa Do Dem must be in reference to how they can possibly be going together... (I think.) Also in Operation Eradication, he says "What happened to Halfway Tree (among other places)" and then breaks into a similar "wa do dem, a wa do dem dem dem, me nuh know, me nuh know-o-o" So another context, at least. I don't know if that makes it any clearer but I think it lends some credence to the "What's wrong with them" interpretation that Kandi mentions (and my friend believes)... which may be an implied meaning rather than a literal one. Either way everyone seems to agree on the basic meaning of the phrase and I think I've started splitting hairs into quarters at this point.

The one thing of which I can be certain is that the Mouse would have quite a laugh if he knew how long and hard I've thought about this.

As far as Ini Kamoze goes, it's good to know that no one disagrees with my pronunciation and that it's similar to yours, Jah Titus... even if it's filtered through an American southern accent.

2 out of 3 ain't bad.

-Selecta J

If I remember right, on the back of the Ini Kamoze album it gives the phonetic pronunciation for his name as I-nai' (or Eye-Nye)...as if to say the phrase "I&I" or "I'n'I" real fast.

Funny though, because I too have always heard it pronounced as EYE-KNEE, but as KEROKMAK said , as long as we all know who you're talking about, it's not a big deal.

For any one who disagrees with you, no bodda wid wa do dem, dey mus be under dem sleng teng. (JOKE)

What are the definitions of "ginal / ginalship" and "palavin" as in palavin spree? Help would greatly be appreciated... thanks

@mber, "ginal"/"ginalship" = trickster/conman (or woman)/trickery, not sure about "palaving" though.

i don't know if this would help, but it's worth a shot.

http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF97/malyce/phrases.htm