Maga Dog - help needed
Esben I.
Greetings to all you fellow reggae people...
I've been trying to transcribe the song Maga Dog by Peter Tosh.
However, English is not my native language, and JA patois is on the egde
of my understanding. Can anyone fill in the blanks ?
Also: Isn't it a bit degrading to call a girl " a mixed-breed dog" or
has it some other significance ?
Thanks for any help and for just being there on the RmR ng. One Love
Esben I.'
________
here's what I have been able to gather:
________________________________
Maga Dog Peter Tosh
Sorry fi Maga Dog
Him a go turn around and bite you
Jump out a frying pan
You jump inna fire, yeah
See you come from country in a country talk ??
tell me say you a look likkle -- ??
gal ,go 'way from they
me no wan' fe see you 'round here
when I were with you look how you big and fat
now you look like a real wet rat
gal, go 'way from here
me no wan' fe see you 'round here
me jus' a do what me hafi do
me no ha' nothin' a fe do with you
and if you know when me know
you galang go turn back the show
you father gi' you money fe buy piece of land
take you father money and buy hold your man ??
but, I no nail like you ??
should be taught to with a filing, too ??
Matt Johnson
Esben I. wrote in message <34F0B1...@pop.agora.dk>...
>Greetings to all you fellow reggae people...
>I've been trying to transcribe the song Maga Dog by Peter Tosh.
>However, English is not my native language, and JA patois is on the egde
>of my understanding. Can anyone fill in the blanks ?
>
>Also: Isn't it a bit degrading to call a girl " a mixed-breed dog" or
>has it some other significance ?
I believe the interpretation of 'Maga' is 'skinny' (from meagre). The song
is generally accepted to be about a country girl who looks in a pitiful
state, but who takes advantage of her benefactor (Tosh) when he gives her
help.
Sorry for sad-looking girl, then she turns round and 'bite you'.
Time for brief interpretation only.
Matty
Esben I.
Now, can anyone help me with the complete lyrics (see below) ; then I
can really sing it, and I'll post it to the reggae lyrics archives,
(it's nowhere to be found)
BTW: may I draw your attention to:
The Wailers Vault at http://www.torget.se/users/w/wookiee/
And the lyrics archive at http://hem1.passagen.se/selahis/
this is what I have been able to decipher:
Maga Dog Peter Tosh
Sorry fi Maga Dog - Him a go turn around and bite you
Jump out out a frying pan - You jump inna fire, yeah
Filthy Rich
On Mon, 23 Feb 1998 00:16:50 +0100, "Esben I." <s...@pop.agora.dk>
wrote:
>Greetings to all you fellow reggae people...
>I've been trying to transcribe the song Maga Dog by Peter Tosh.
>However, English is not my native language, and JA patois is on the egde
>of my understanding. Can anyone fill in the blanks ?
Not sure which version of Maga Dog you mean. Studio One? Jo Gibbs?
I can help a little with the Jo Gibbs.
>
>Also: Isn't it a bit degrading to call a girl " a mixed-breed dog" or
>has it some other significance ?
Maga is derived (apologies to Miss Lou - Louise Bennett!) from the
English 'meagre' meaning thin or slim. The Ethiopians sang in their
hit 'Hong Kong Flu' - 'if it tek set, you will maga down'
>Thanks for any help and for just being there on the RmR ng. One Love
>Esben I.'
In the version Tosh recorded for Jo Gibbs he sings
'Say you come from country in a country truck
Tell me say you a look a lickle wuk (work)'
also.....
'Put on the long white shirt
Him bound to wallow in a mud mud'
This is a jamaican proverb which I think Tosh uses to mean something
along the lines of you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, the
leopard cannot change its spots, or simply that you can take a girl
out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl.
Along with the artist 'Sang Hugh' (Keith Morgan) who maintained 'woman
is the root of all evil' Tosh was clearly a committed mysogenist !
Can anyone give us the lyrics for the Coxsone version??
--
Filthy Rich,
Music House.
Esben I.
I wrote:
> >I've been trying to transcribe the song Maga Dog by Peter Tosh. [see
below]
> >However, English is not my native language, and JA patois is on the egde
> >of my understanding. Can anyone fill in the blanks ?
Filthy Rich <ri...@reggae.demon.co.uk> wrote
> Not sure which version of Maga Dog you mean. Studio One? Jo Gibbs?
neither, I guess; It's from the EMI time, Mama Africa album
> I can help a little with the Jo Gibbs.
much oblighed :-)
> 'Say you come from country in a country truck
> Tell me say you a look a lickle wuk (work)'
yup, that's it !
> Along with the artist 'Sang Hugh' (Keith Morgan) who maintained 'woman
> is the root of all evil' Tosh was clearly a committed mysogenist !
now, wha'dat ?
> Can anyone give us the lyrics for the Coxsone version??
> --
> Filthy Rich,
> Music House.
'that's the first Wailers version, right? there's only one verse, and I
can't tell one single word. That's a toughie....
anyway
I'm getting close now: can anyone fill in the last verse ? Then I'll mail
it to the reggae lyrics servers I know of.
Thanks for your trouble
Esben I.
Here's what I have so far:
____________________________________
Maga Dog Peter Tosh
Sorry fi Maga Dog
Him a go turn around and bite you
Jump out a frying pan
You jump inna fire, yeah
See you come from country in a country truck
tell me say you a look lickle wuk
gal ,go 'way from they
me no wan' fe see you 'round here
when I were with you look how you big and fat
now you look like a real wet rat
gal, go 'way from here
me no wan' fe see you 'round here
me jus' a do what me hafi do
me no ha' nothin' a fe do with you
and if you know when me know
you galang go turn back the show
you father gi' you money fe buy piece of land
take you father money and buy hold your man ??
but, I no nail like you ??
should be taught to with a filing, too ??
_______________________________________
AtoHakeem
Esben I wrote:
>Here's what I have so far:
>____________________________________
>
>Maga Dog Peter Tosh
>
>Sorry fi Maga Dog
>Him a go turn around and bite you
>Jump out a frying pan
>You jump inna fire, yeah
>
>See you come from country in a country truck
>tell me say you a look lickle wuk
>gal ,go 'way from they
>me no wan' fe see you 'round here
>
>when I were with you look how you big and fat
>now you look like a real wet rat
>gal, go 'way from here
>me no wan' fe see you 'round here
>
>me jus' a do what me hafi do
>me no ha' nothin' a fe do with you
>and if you know when me know
>you galang go turn back the show
>
>you father gi' you money fe buy piece of land
>take you father money and buy hold your man ??
>but, I no nail like you ??
>should be taught to with a filing, too ??
****************************************
What happened to the part about :
Jump out of frying pan,
Maaga Dog ina fiyah!
Arf, arf!
Or is this only in a different version?
Ato Hakeem
Brian M Tremblay
Filthy Rich (ri...@reggae.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: Can anyone give us the lyrics for the Coxsone version??
The Coxsone version has only the
"When I with you look how you big and fat..."
verse. And the chorus, of course.
--
-BrTrem WMUA Radio
btre...@admin.umass.edu wm...@stuaf.umass.edu
Esben I.
Coxsone version is the "ska" version from the first album, right ?
I started it all off asking for help with the "Mama Africa" version.
Thanks to those who did. All I need now is the last verse (and some
proofreading ) to send it off to the archives.
Greetings to all you brothers and sisters
Esben I.
Here's what I have so far:
Maga Dog Peter Tosh
Sorry fi Maga Dog
Him a go turn around and bite you
Jump out a frying pan
You jump inna fire, yeah
See you come from country in a country chuck
Janne Helander
I started transcribing the Wailers version about two months ago (I
haven't had time to finish it though -- plus, it's pretty tricky I tell
ya) and transcribed most of Peter Tosh's recording at the same time ...
The following is what I found on my hard drive ...
---------------------
PETER TOSH * MAGA DOG
---------------------
Sorry fi maga dog
Him turn round bite you
And if you jump out a frying-pan
I know you jump in a fire, yeah
I said, you sorry fi maga dog
Him a-go turn round bite you
And if you jump out a frying-pan
I know you jump in a fire
See you come from country in a country truck
Tell me seh you a-look likkle work
Gal, go weh from deh
Me no want fi see you round here
Sorry fi maga dog, hey
Turn round bite you
Jump out a frying-pan
I know you jump in a fire, yeah
I say, you sorry fi maga dog
Him turn round bite you
Jump out a frying-pan
I say, you jump in a fire, yeah
When I were with you, look how you big and fat
Now you look like a real wet rat
Gal, go weh from me
Me no want fi see you round here
Sorry fi maga dog
Him a-go turn around bite you
And when you jump out a frying-pan
I say, you jump in a fire, yeah
You sorry fi maga dog, hey
Him turn round bite you
And if you jump out a frying-pan
I say, you jump in a fire, yeah
Me just a-do weh me haffi do
Me no ha nothin' must fi do with you
And if you know when me know
You galang go turn poppy-show*
Sorry fi maga dog, hey
Him turn round bite you
And if you jump out a frying-pan
I know you jump in a fire, yeah
Me say, you sorry fi maga dog
Him a-go turn around and bite you
And if you jump out a frying-pan
I say, you jump in a fire, yeah
Your father gave you money fi buy piece of land
You take your father money and buy hope yuh man
But a young nail like you
Should be cut with a file in two
Sorry fi maga dog, hey
I said, him turn around and bite you
Jump out a frying-pan
I say, you jump in a fire, yeah
I say, you sorry fi maga dog
Him a-go turn round bite you everytime
Jump out a frying-pan
I know you will jump in a fire ...
---------------------
*According to the Jammin Reggae Archives dictionary: "from puppet show,
it is used in the idiom, tek smadi mek poppy-show, which means to make
fun of someone or shame them, making them look ridiculous."
I think most of the above is pretty accurate, but I don't know about
that "hope yuh man" bit ...
Now if I only had the time to update my Wailers Vault ... Oh! You
haven't been there?! Well go on then!
http://www.torget.se/users/w/wookiee/
BTW, if anyone manages to interpret the Wailers version, feel free to
email me ... Heck, that goes for all Wailers/Peter/Bunny/Bob songs ...
-------------------------------------
"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee"
- Princess Leia Organa
Janne Helander
woo...@hem.passagen.se
The Wailers Vault
http://www.torget.se/users/w/wookiee/
-------------------------------------
