INGLAN IS A BITCH
Wednesday, January 30, 2008.
By Linton Kwesi Johnson
W’en mi jus’ come to Landan toun
mi use to work pan di andahgroun
but workin’ pan di andahgroun
y’u don’t get fi know your way aroun’
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin’ it
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no runnin’ whey fram it
mi get a lickle jab in a big ‘otell
an’ awftah a while, mi woz doin’ quite well
dem staat mi aaf as a dish-washah
but w’en mi tek a stack, mi noh tun clack-watchah!
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch
noh baddah try fi hide fram it
w’en dem gi’ you di lickle wage packit
fus dem rab it wid dem big tax rackit
y’u haffi struggle fi mek en’s meet
an’ w’en y’u goh a y’u bed y’u jus’ cant sleep
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch fi true
a noh lie mi a tell, a true
mi use to work dig ditch w’en it cowl noh bitch
mi did strang like a mule, but, bwoy, mi did fool
den awftah a while mi jus’ stap dhu ovahtime
den aftah a while mi jus’ phu dung mi tool
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch
y’u haffi know how fi suvvive in it
well mi dhu day wok an’ mid dhu nite wok
mi dhu clean wok an’ mid dhu dutty wok
dem seh dat black man is very lazy
but it y’u si how mi wok y’u woulda sey mi crazy
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch
y’u bettah face up to it
dem have a lickle facktri up inna Brackly
inna disya facktri all dem dhu is pack crackry
fi di laas fifteen years dem get mi laybah
now awftah fiteen years mi fall out a fayvah
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no runnin’ whey fram it
mi know dem have work, work in abundant
yet still, dem mek mi redundant
now, at fifty-five mi gettin’ quite ol’
yet still, dem sen’ mi fi goh draw dole
Inglan is a bitch
dere’s no escapin it
Inglan is a bitch fi true
is whey wi a goh dhu ’bout it?
Copyright of Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Linton Kwesi Johnson is arguably the most influential Black British poet. He is a London-based acclaimed writer, political activist and musician. Born in Chapeltown, Jamaica. He moved to Britain in 1963 with his mother and read sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Widely acknowledged as the Father of “Dub” Poetry, a term he coined to describe the way a number of reggae DJs blended music and verse, Johnson was a member of the Black Panther movement and holds fellowships at two British universities.
A selection of his poetry, entitled Mi Revalueshanary Fren, was published in 2002 as a Penguin Classic edition with an introduction by Fred D’Aguiar.
In 2005, he was awarded a Musgrave medal by the Insitiute of Jamaica, for eminence in the field of poetry.
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