Ole Time Sumting

A lighthearted peak into Jamaica’s past by Eron Henry

Jamaican proverbs

Chicken merry, hawk deh near

Ebery John Crow tink him pickney white

Frightened man, monkey breeches fit him

If yu noh mash ants, yu noh fine him guts

Hog ax him mumma say, “wha mek yuh mout long so?” Him sey, “nebba mind, tay bimeby you all wi see”

New broom sweep clean, but owl broom noe dem cahna

Pit inna de sky, it fall inna yuh y’eye

Wha sweet a mout’ hat a belly

Ebry dyay debble help teef; wan dyah Gad wi help watchman

Poor man nebba bex

Yu cyaan siddung pahn cow bak cuss cow kin

If  you get your han’ in a debil mout’ tek it out

When yo cross ribba nebba never call alligator long mout till you pass him

Eat fambly bittel, but no cut fambly ‘tory

Every day yu goad donkey, some day he will kick yu

Peacock hide him foot when him hear ’bout  him tail

Cusscuss nebba bore hole in a man skin

No wait till drum beat before you grine you axe

Ants follow fat

Ratta sey, the man chop him a no him kill him; a de man dat sey, “Look, oo rat”

A no want a fat mek nightingale foot ‘tan’ so

Rocka ‘tone a ribba bottom no feel sun hot

When man can’t do more, him sey nebba mind

Sinting no hurt man, him no know sinting

Likkle finga sey, “look yonder;” big finga sey, “look yow”

Talk and taste your tongue

Wen man belly full, im bruck pat

Yu shake man han, but yu noh shake im hawt

Dog nebba know sey cornmeal dear, tay him change owner

Duppy know who fi frighten

If cock no bin cow, dem woulden know where him massa dey

You ‘fraid fe yeye, you neber nyam head

When negro tief, him tief half a bit; When Buckra tief, him tief de whole estate

Big blanket mek man sleep late

Ef yu cyaan get turkey, yu haffi satisfy wid Jancro

Don’t care how cockroach drunk, him nebba pass fowl house

Puss belly full, him say ratta ‘tink