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| Barrington Levy |
Barrington Levy: is a singer/DJ with a distinctive voice. During the 80’s he was very
popular in Jamaica and the United Kingdom with hits such as Under Mi Sensi (I wonder
how many of you will guess correctly what “Sensi is), Here I Come (which peaked
at 41 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985), Too Experienced and Living Dangerously. The song Here I Come is featured in Saints
Row 2 and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (video games).
Levy has
collaborated with Shaggy, Heavy D and several other rappers. He divides his
time between Jamaica and the U.K. These days he tours extensively.
Lovers’ Leap: is
found in the parish of St. Elizabeth (where my maternal family comes from) and
is part of the Santa Cruz mountains. This lookout stands approximately 1,700
foot above Cutlass Bay and provides an awesome view of the Caribbean Sea. The place
got its name because of two star-crossed slaves.
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| View from Lovers' Leap |
According to legend, the
Master or ‘massa’ of the estate had a yen for the female slave, wanted to keep her
for himself, and so arranged for her lover to be sold to another estate. The
two lovers ran out of luck when they were chased to the edge of a cliff. They
ended their lives by embracing each other and jumping off the cliff, rather
than face being separated from each other. Their story inspired a Jamaican
author, Horane Smith, to write a novel based on these happenings. A wooden
carving stands at the site in honour of their memory. A lighthouse has also
been built at Lover’s Leap, as well as a restaurant.
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| Lighthouse at Lovers' Leap |
In lieu of anything Jamaican
starting with the letter ‘L’, I give you the following terms.
Labrish,
which means to gossip.
Labba-labba,
which is similar and also means to talk a whole heap
Ley-ley,
(could be lay-lay too) which means to idle/waste time, and
Link
(up),
which is another bit of slang which means meeting up/partying with friends.
Those with an interest in
etymology should have a ball with Jamaican parlance – for example, we’ve turned
the word accoutrement
into ‘kuchiment’ and ‘compulsory’ into ‘compultry’.
Another lovely post. The Jamaica tourist board should be sponsoring you! I know what Sensi is - ganja. Oops am I naughty that I know that?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in, Amanda. Nope, not naughty at all, but it is still illegal here.
Deleteyikes, that's a cool view from Lover's Leap
ReplyDeleteYep, the view is awesome.
DeleteLove lighthouses! And what a fun series!
ReplyDeleteVisiting as an A to Z blogger – participating with six very different blogs. (All on Blogspot.com and all in the A to Z Challenge. Not listing the links here, but you are welcome to click through my profile picture to find them, if you wish.) Happy A-to-Z!
Linda, I want to find out how you manage with so many blogs. As it is, I can barely keep up.
DeleteI don't know sensi. And Lover's Leap, breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteBish,
DeleteIt's short for Sensimillia, a potent form of marijuana.
the thought of 1700 feet above sea level boggles my mind.
What a sad and yet, romantic tale about the two lovers who jumped off the cliff. Just loved it.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts too, Clarissa.
DeleteI love the words, especially Labba-labba. I want to use that one now LOL.
ReplyDeleteThe Lovers Leap story is so poignant and sad, but the spot looks really beautiful.
Hi, Julie, We certainly do have a way with words on this island.
ReplyDelete