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Lord Flea

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Mento star of the 1950s calypso boom: singer and guitarist Norman Thomas, who took a Jamaican band to American clubs and television and recorded for Capitol when the US market wanted "calypso" — much of it actually mento. He died young in 1959, at the height of the craze.

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Lord Flea with The Jamaican Calypsonians — Donkey City (10 inch)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

Transfer of a 1953 10-inch pressing. Note that Lord Fly and Lord Flea both recorded a "Donkey City" — the two are routinely confused, and are catalogued separately here. Identified via web search; not verified from the seeding environment.

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Audio

Lord Flea - Naughty little flea (audio)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

Public youtube upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 44 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:02where did you
  2. 0:03where did you know
  3. 0:07no no know nobody know there was an a
  4. 0:11no no know nobody know there was an a little fle he crawls upon a dog his knee
  5. 0:14little fle he crawls upon a dog his knee
  6. 0:14little fle he crawls upon a dog his knee he crawls some here he crawls some there
  7. 0:16he crawls some here he crawls some there
  8. 0:16he crawls some here he crawls some there he crawls all over
  9. 0:22everywhere go no know nobody know he him
  10. 0:27everywhere go no know nobody know he him here heit him there he fit almost every
  11. 0:30here heit him there he fit almost every
  12. 0:30here heit him there he fit almost every where but as the kill was drawing there
  13. 0:32where but as the kill was drawing there
  14. 0:32where but as the kill was drawing there he jum and said kill Roy was here where
  15. 0:35he jum and said kill Roy was here where
  16. 0:35he jum and said kill Roy was here where did go no know
  17. 0:40nobody no no was a naughty little fle he
  18. 0:45nobody no no was a naughty little fle he calls upon a dog his KNE he craws some
  19. 0:47calls upon a dog his KNE he craws some
  20. 0:47calls upon a dog his KNE he craws some here he crawls some there he crawls
  21. 0:49here he crawls some there he crawls
  22. 0:49here he crawls some there he crawls almost everywhere where did go no know
  23. 0:53almost everywhere where did go no know
  24. 0:54almost everywhere where did go no know nobody know where did go no know nobody
  25. 0:58nobody know where did go no know nobody
  26. 0:58nobody know where did go no know nobody know
  27. 1:15e go H did he go down said he wore a
  28. 1:18e go H did he go down said he wore a crown he started up and then he climb
  29. 1:21crown he started up and then he climb
  30. 1:21crown he started up and then he climb round the dog his body line where did he
  31. 1:24round the dog his body line where did he
  32. 1:24round the dog his body line where did he little no know no know where little no
  33. 1:29little no know no know where little no
  34. 1:30little no know no know where little no oh nobody knows he jump up here he jump
  35. 1:32oh nobody knows he jump up here he jump
  36. 1:32oh nobody knows he jump up here he jump up there he jump up almost everywhere
  37. 1:35up there he jump up almost everywhere
  38. 1:35up there he jump up almost everywhere but as the kill was drawing near he jump
  39. 1:37but as the kill was drawing near he jump
  40. 1:37but as the kill was drawing near he jump and said kill Roy was
  41. 1:48[Music]
  42. 1:58[Music] here nobody knows no know no
  43. 2:03here nobody knows no know no
  44. 2:03here nobody knows no know no know
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In stories

Story · Well supportedSmutty songs and the respectable ear

From mento's bawdy word-play to a BBC-banned reggae hit, Jamaican music kept colliding with the politics of decency.