John Agard - Checking Out Me History lyrics

Dem tell me Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me Bandage up me eye with me own history Blind me to me own identity Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat Dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat But Toussaint L'Ouverture No dem never tell me bout dat Toussaint A slave With vision Lick back Napoleon Battalion And first Black Republic born Toussaint de thorn To de French Toussaint de beacon Of de Haitian Revolution Dem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon And de cow who jump over de moon Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon But dem never tell me bout Nanny de Maroon Nanny See-far woman Of mountain dream Fire-woman struggle Hopeful stream To freedom river Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo But dem never tell me bout Shaka de great Zulu Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492 But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp And how Robin Hood used to camp Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul But dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole From Jamaica She travel far To the Crimean War She volunteer to go And even when de British said no She still brave the Russian snow A healing star Among the wounded A yellow sunrise To the dying Dem tell me Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me But now I checking out me own history I carving out me identity