“Solas Market”

Description

"Me sell me akee, go Solas Market, Not a quatty would sell, Send me out, I go Solas Market, Not a quatty would sell. Why not a light, not a bite, Not a quatty would sell. Why not a light, not a bite, Not a quatty would sell."

Notes

There appear to be only two sources for this: The Edith Perrin recording made by the Warners, called "Solas Market," and a text in Jekyll's _Jamaican Song & Story_ entitled "Linstead Market." Apart from the details of place, the choruses are similar, but there is almost no text to let us know what the songs are about (unless the Warners had more from Edith Perrin which they did not publish).

To make matters worse, the Perrin recording is very noisy -- almost unintelligible. It supplies the text quoted in the description, but I have had to reconstruct based in part on the Warner notes, and it must be considered uncertain. - RBW

Recordings

  • Edith Perrin, "Solas Market" [excerpt?] (on USWarnerColl01)

References

  1. Roud #16397
  2. BI, RcSolMar

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1941 (recorded from Edith Perrin)
Keywords: commerce food hardtimes
Found in: West Indies