‘Angels In We Pan’

sung by Marbida Beard
composed by Raphael O’Neal

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Click here for score sheet

LYRICS

Verse 1

Last year we crawl home from Panorama
With hearts as heavy as lead
It feel dread
The whole dam band we ent play well
Imagine crack shots skate like hell
The stands could tell we fell
Still feeling licks that we get last year
Cut-ass so doh just disappear
So - this year is no skylarking
Precious time we not wasting
With useless coasting
This year we bong to make it OK
So ban belly to play

Chorus

Last year was last year
This year is this year
Ah tell yuh as man
Angels in we pan
Hear pan sounding sweeter than sugar
Feel pan jamming hotter than fire
Yuh can even hearing a jam
In the jam
And just for so before we go
We going to run a scale
Just to let them know
This year we band come to jam
Sweet jam
This year Angels in we pan.

Chorus

_________________

Verse 2

It shock meh last year
When the whole band buss
A whole section loose focus, people cuss
Some say crapaud we pipe done smoke
Some say we bad as left side stroke
We worst than coke no joke
Whole year from fatigue we had to hide
Is a thing with Pan man and Pride
So - doh vex but we have to say
To feel so again no way
This year they go pay
This year as soon as we tune start running
People go start jumping

Chorus

_________________

Verse 3

In this ‘Rama war it don’t have prisoners
Who ent dead make your winers
Or wishers
Make them wish they was in your band
Make them wish they had your sweet pan
To mash up the North stand
Like longtime Bad John you must share licks
Left and right with two music sticks
So - at the ‘Rama battle front
This year once they take the count
We they must confront
This year we preparing for blood and sand
Full combat pan to pan

Chorus

_________________

Verse 4

They say we music taking advantage
Forcing a wining rampage
Straight to stage
People ears pull them to we band
Is too late when they understand
The magnet is we pan
This year we take night and we make day
And we not shame to say we pray
So this year when they hear sweet pan
Every man every woman
Must wine to this jam
This year we know we band with Love will win
When pan like angels sing

Chorus

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“Angels In We Pan”
Marbida Beard

Provided with the expressed permission of the composer(s)

Click for more songs for Steelband Panorama 2014

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Raphael O’Neal

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Raphael O’Neal has been a pan man for over forty-four years. All but five of these years have been with Starlift Steel Orchestra from Woodbrook in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. The other bands he played with were the original UWI (University of the West Indies) birdsong steel orchestra, Silver Stars Steel Orchestra from Newtown and Skiffle Steel Orchestra (then known as Skiffle Bunch) located in San Fernando. But his band is and always will be, Starlift; O’Neal enjoys playing any of the ‘middle pans.’

He has composed calypsos all his life, including ‘Mass Dreams’ a.k.a. ‘Drunken Sailor’ for Bill Trotman. As a panist he is able to tap that source and feeling that only a sweet slow ‘coast’ can bring, when composing the music and lyrics for any Calypso. Calypso and Pan music have been a part of his life forever, growing up as he did three blocks from Invaders’ pan yard, and having the opportunity to play under renowned arranger Ray Holman and the late Herschel Puckerin.