Kingston Town
Harry Belafonte · Other Songs - Harry Belafonte
and the sun shines daily on the mountain top,
I took a trip on a sailing ship,
and when I reach Jamaica I made a stop.
But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.
Down at the market you can hear,
ladies cry out while on their heads they bear,
acky rice, salt, fish are nice
and the rum is fine any time a year.
But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.
Sounds of laughter everywhere,
and the dancing girls swing to and through.
I must declare my heart is there,
thou I've been from Maine to Mexico.
But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.
Down the way, where the nights are gay,
and the sun shines daily on the mountain top,
I took a trip on a sailing ship,
and when I reach Jamaica I made a stop.
But I'm sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.
Sad to say,
I'm on my way,
won't be back for many a day.
My heart is down,
my head is turning around,
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston Town.
Kingston Town
Harry Belafonte's "Kingston Town" stands as a cornerstone of calypso music, capturing the vibrant spirit of Jamaica's capital city. As one of the most influential recordings in the genre, the song helped popularize Caribbean rhythms and storytelling on a global scale during the 1950s. Belafonte's distinctive vocal delivery and the infectious rhythm of the track became a defining element of his career, bridging cultural divides through music. The song remains a timeless representation of folk traditions and has been covered by numerous artists across generations, cementing its place in the canon of world music. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to evoke the energy and culture of Kingston without relying on specific lyrical details.
