“This long time girl me never see you,
come make we walk and talk.
This long time girl me never see you,
Come make we walk and talk’.
Peel head, John Crow,
sit on the treetops, pick up the blossoms,
make we walk and talk girl"
I used to sing this song to my grandpa every time I saw him. He died in February of 2014 but I’m not exactly sure of the day. Is this weird? It was honestly a selfish move on my part so that I wouldn’t have to associate a specific day with losing one of my all-time favorite and most influential people. What I know for certain is that it was the second semester of my junior year in college and I was preparing for my junior recital. I also remember not “wanting to do” his death. Like, I didn’t want to face what was to come ahead with: people feeling sorry for you, the funeral service, looking at the body, and the burial. But honestly, that’s about all I can recall.
Towards the end of my grandpa’s life, he was pretty sick and I remember this being really difficult to witness because I knew healthy Grandpa for the majority of my life. He used to walk for miles. Every. Single. Day. He had two jobs, and was always working on something. Whether it was cutting the grass or little odd jobs around the house, John Brown was always into something.
The song above is a Jamaican folk song that tells the story about a guy who hasn’t seen his girl in a long time. He suggests they should catch up by taking a walk. There are also several more verses...Read the rest HERE!
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