Traditional Bahamian Song and IDEAS
The song “Gal, you want to go back to Scambo” is a typical traditional Bahamian song. The reasons behind me choosing this song include it’s use of traditional island instruments, the articulation of the vocalists, and the upbeat nature of the song, as well as its support of economic influence on the music. The economic influence on the Bahamian musical culture are obvious within the song “Gal, you want to go back to Scambo”.
When describing this particular song, the word beautiful does not come to mind, however I would call it pretty. There is a smooth, comforting sound in the music supported by the strumming of the guitar. The vocalist is not inspirational, nor are the lyrics, but they mesh well with the instruments and song. This song wasn’t meant to be “beautiful”, but it is pleasing to listen to and the music is appropriate to accompany the words. There is not any strong spiritual connection in it, however since it is a more traditional song and it is from the Bahamas which is known as the “Christian Nation” because is has the highest number of churches per capita in the world, there could be an underlying spiritual belief.
In this track, the listener can hear a community going about their business during the song. The song could easily be played on the streets during a festival, at an art show or fair, or at a social gathering. The lyrics support the idea that this song would not be played during church service, a romantic event, or a wedding ceremony because it implies a girl living on the streets. And by living on the streets, it could mean prostitution, drugs, and/or homelessness in general. This song gives reason to believe that poverty is a major influence in this music. Music lyrics often imitate life and so the idea behind this song would not be mentioned without some sort of street experience in the Bahamas. And while the Bahamas have African, American, and British historical influences, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a sovereign nation so their music as well as their economy are internally produced.
The function behind “Gal, you want to go back to Scambo” is a man’s perspective on women who sleep on the street. It is not a judgmental point of view, but he is trying to tell at least one woman, if not women in general, that living on the streets, no matter how hard times get, is not the answer. The positive, supportive theme of surviving difficulties in life, as seen so strongly in the unity and social/family groups who survived the slave days of the Bahamas, comes through in the music. In conclusion, Bahamian music has been strongly influenced by its economic and cultural roots.
REFERENCES
Ember, Melvin, and Carol R. Ember, eds. “Bahama Islands.” Countries and their Cultures. Vol. 1. 153-159., 2001.
Lightbourn, Kent. Tools for Survival: A Review of Bahamian Culture. Diss. Western Maryland College, 1995.
Williams, Colleen Madonna Flood. The Bahamas. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2004.
