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Trinidad & Tobago Panorama 2018 - HOME
sung by Errol Ballantyne
composed by Errol Ballantyne
click here for lead sheet
LYRICSVerse 1
Since
Anaconda
Every prime minister
Go win the war on crime dey does
boast
Plan after plan
Forever changing the brand
Day by day things getting worse
And as it getting outta hand…
They like Alice in wonderland
But the best crime plan is the
steelband
Chorus 1
When
criminals put down dey potow pow for
a ping pong
Their lives change dramatically
They transform from gangster to
musician
The community once afraid now in
glee
Sports and academics is the staple
When we seek to mould the minds of
the young
Let us add the steelband to the
table
To have ball, the book, and the ping
pong
Add-On
(Tell them)
The steelband is the answer
The steelband is the answer
The steelband is the answer to crime
We need a revolution
Pan is the solution
Dat we have been seeking all this
time.
Verse 2
Behavioral
scientist
Unanimously insist
They know why young people turn to
gang
No family life at home
So it easy for them to roam
Straight to a dead end Bang, Bang
Bang
But if they channel that energy
To a positive symphony
They will find all the love they
need in a steelband family
Chorus 2
The devil
does find work for idle hands they
say
So much idle hands end up in prison
But if we arm them with pan sticks
leh dem ramajay
Lucifer go hold he tail and run
If we want de youths on the straight
and narrow way
The panyard is one place they could
find
Because when they get behind a pan
and start to play
Crime does be the last ting on dey
mind
Add-On
_________________
Verse 3
The national
instrument
For national betterment
The best crime fighting tool
Children of every age
Grace the savannah stage
To bring glory to their school
We should put the national drum
On the curriculum
And tell crime in e' face we shall
overcome
Chorus 3
What was
once a haven for the badjohn
Is now an oasis for the community
Bringing a sense of inspiration
And a feeling of security
Yes people feel safe and secure
When bands practice to get it right
They prefer to hear the sounds of
the orchestra
Than the ricochet of gunshots in the
night.
Add-On
_________________
Verse 4
God so loved
this nation
He gave us an invention
That brings joy throughout this
world
Now we in a dilemma
It could be our saviour
As we struggle to bring crime under
control
We should give an amnesty
A tenor pan for ah' uzi
So we could start bringing back joy
to our country
Chorus 4
Lloyd Best
once termed the panyard
As the best centre of excellence
We could bring back the paradise we
once had
With the steelband at the forefront
of the resistance
And if we want keep God as
Trinidadian
And he don’t get fed up and migrate
Let us take his blessed invention
And use it to bring down the crime
rate
Add-On
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Errol Ballantyne
Belmont-born but now residing in Trincity, east Trinidad, performing artist Errol “Bally” Ballantyne began singing in 1983. Also a composer, he placed second in Trinidad & Tobago’s 1985 Road March competition with “Me ‘Ent Fighting.” He copped the Young King crown in 1987 with “Party Time” and “The Magicians.”
Always a force to be reckoned with in the competitive calypso world, Ballantyne has been to the semi-finals approximately ten times, making the finals on four occasions.
His additional accolades include third-place honors in the country’s 1984 Independence competition, sixth in the Calypso King of the World competition, and winning ‘Best Party Song.’
For the 2018 steelband Panorama season Errol Ballantyne has composed and performs The Best Crime Plan, in the spotlight here. He can be contacted at (868) 689-3861.
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