and also,one more thing: the line "i don't want to end up like Bonnie & Clyde" means that the subject doesn't want to have to turn to a life of crime to survive, probably a reference to the phenomenon of gun violence and political gangs that began to plague Jamaica in the late 60's and still continues to this day.
Meaning he's got holes in his shirt and pants---just like Bonnie and Clyde, who ended up laying dead in the road with holes in their clothes (not to mention bodies). Its not a reference to criminality, but to poverty, and fits neatly with your description below.
Meaning he's got holes in his shirt and pants---just like Bonnie and Clyde, who ended up laying dead in the road with holes in their clothes (not to mention bodies). Its not a reference to criminality, but to poverty, and fits neatly with your description below.
The line about not wanting to "end up like Bonnie and Clyde" is preceded by "Shirt-dem a tear up, trousers a-go" which means his shirts are torn up and his trousers are going. He doesn't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde in the last scene of the movie when they (and their clothes) were torn to shreds by a rain of bullets.
The line about not wanting to "end up like Bonnie and Clyde" is preceded by "Shirt-dem a tear up, trousers a-go" which means his shirts are torn up and his trousers are going. He doesn't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde in the last scene of the movie when they (and their clothes) were torn to shreds by a rain of bullets.
A knowledgeable friend (Luke Ehrlich, the "White Ram") tells me that I incorrectly interpreted "trouser a-go." He writes: it's "trousers a geow". "Geow" is a verb that means "to make uncomfortable" / "to be bothersome", usually physically, but sometimes socially as well. "Rockstone inna me shoe a-geow (me)" = There's a pebble in my shoe that's really bothering me. This how I heard it used, but the Jamaican-English Dictionary spells it "gyou" and states other meanings altogether: as a noun = falsehood, pretentiousness -- as a verb = to act pretentiously. They...
A knowledgeable friend (Luke Ehrlich, the "White Ram") tells me that I incorrectly interpreted "trouser a-go." He writes: it's "trousers a geow". "Geow" is a verb that means "to make uncomfortable" / "to be bothersome", usually physically, but sometimes socially as well. "Rockstone inna me shoe a-geow (me)" = There's a pebble in my shoe that's really bothering me. This how I heard it used, but the Jamaican-English Dictionary spells it "gyou" and states other meanings altogether: as a noun = falsehood, pretentiousness -- as a verb = to act pretentiously. They also say it's of Scottish origin. Perhaps, like many words it passed into Jamaican slang with a different meaning. Maybe Dekker's saying "my pants are a joke (falsehood)" (sort of like how we say, "Man, you're living a lie" ?)
and also,one more thing: the line "i don't want to end up like Bonnie & Clyde" means that the subject doesn't want to have to turn to a life of crime to survive, probably a reference to the phenomenon of gun violence and political gangs that began to plague Jamaica in the late 60's and still continues to this day.
The line before
The line before
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
is
is
Shirt them a-tear up, trousers is gone
Shirt them a-tear up, trousers is gone
Meaning he's got holes in his shirt and pants---just like Bonnie and Clyde, who ended up laying dead in the road with holes in their clothes (not to mention bodies). Its not a reference to criminality, but to poverty, and fits neatly with your description below.
Meaning he's got holes in his shirt and pants---just like Bonnie and Clyde, who ended up laying dead in the road with holes in their clothes (not to mention bodies). Its not a reference to criminality, but to poverty, and fits neatly with your description below.
The line about not wanting to "end up like Bonnie and Clyde" is preceded by "Shirt-dem a tear up, trousers a-go" which means his shirts are torn up and his trousers are going. He doesn't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde in the last scene of the movie when they (and their clothes) were torn to shreds by a rain of bullets.
The line about not wanting to "end up like Bonnie and Clyde" is preceded by "Shirt-dem a tear up, trousers a-go" which means his shirts are torn up and his trousers are going. He doesn't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde in the last scene of the movie when they (and their clothes) were torn to shreds by a rain of bullets.
A knowledgeable friend (Luke Ehrlich, the "White Ram") tells me that I incorrectly interpreted "trouser a-go." He writes: it's "trousers a geow". "Geow" is a verb that means "to make uncomfortable" / "to be bothersome", usually physically, but sometimes socially as well. "Rockstone inna me shoe a-geow (me)" = There's a pebble in my shoe that's really bothering me. This how I heard it used, but the Jamaican-English Dictionary spells it "gyou" and states other meanings altogether: as a noun = falsehood, pretentiousness -- as a verb = to act pretentiously. They...
A knowledgeable friend (Luke Ehrlich, the "White Ram") tells me that I incorrectly interpreted "trouser a-go." He writes: it's "trousers a geow". "Geow" is a verb that means "to make uncomfortable" / "to be bothersome", usually physically, but sometimes socially as well. "Rockstone inna me shoe a-geow (me)" = There's a pebble in my shoe that's really bothering me. This how I heard it used, but the Jamaican-English Dictionary spells it "gyou" and states other meanings altogether: as a noun = falsehood, pretentiousness -- as a verb = to act pretentiously. They also say it's of Scottish origin. Perhaps, like many words it passed into Jamaican slang with a different meaning. Maybe Dekker's saying "my pants are a joke (falsehood)" (sort of like how we say, "Man, you're living a lie" ?)