Banana Boat
Harry Belafonte
Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!
Day-o, day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day, me say day, me say day Me say day, me say day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home Work all night on a drink of rum Daylight come and me wan' go home Stack banana 'til de mornin' come Daylight come and me wan' go home Come, mister tally man, tally me banana Daylight come and me wan' go home Come, mister tally man, tally me banana Daylight come and me wan' go home Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch Daylight come and me wan' go home Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day, me say day, me say day Daylight come and me wan' go home A beautiful bunch o' ripe banana Daylight come and me wan' go home Hide the deadly black tarantula Daylight come and me wan' go home Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch Daylight come and me wan' go home Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day, me say day, me say day Daylight come and me wan' go home Come, mister tally man, tally me banana Daylight come and me wan' go home Come, mister tally man, tally me banana Daylight come and me wan' go home Day-o, day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home Day, me say day, me say day, me say day Me say day, me say day-o Daylight come and me wan' go home
Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!
5 fans
Written by: Dave Tanner, William Attaway, Harry Belafonte, Lord Burgess
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
12 facts about this song
Origin and Influence Factor"Banana Boat (Day-O)" is a traditional Jamaican folk song that Harry Belafonte popularized worldwide, promoting Jamaican music to a global audience.
|
Record-Breaking AchievementWhen it was released in 1956, the song spent 31 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at number five.
|
Influential ArtistHarry Belafonte was one of the first African-American artists to gain extensive radio play and his version of "Banana Boat (Day-O)" was instrumental in popularizing Calypso music in the United States.
|
Significant Contribution"Banana Boat (Day-O)" appeared on Belafonte's remarkably successful album "Calypso." It was the first LP in history to sell over 1 million copies.
|
Cultural RecognitionThe song gained renewed popularity through its memorable performance by Beetlejuice in the 1988 Tim Burton film of the same name.
|
Real Life InspirationThe lyrics of the song are sung from the perspective of dock workers working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. The historical and worker-life context adds depth to the popularity of the song.
|
Timeless PopularityOver six decades later, it remains one of Harry Belafonte’s most recognized songs, proving that its universal appeal is still strong.
|
Unique Song StructureInstead of a traditional verse-chorus structure, "Banana Boat (Day-O)" is set up as a call and response, echoing the work song origins of its Jamaican folk roots.
|
Diversity CollaborationThe song was arranged by William Attaway, a black novelist, playwright, and songwriter who, along with Belafonte, was key in bringing Caribbean sounds to mainstream pop.
|
Guest ArtistsIn live performances, Belafonte has been known to bring guests on stage for the "Day-O" response including artists like The Muppets, Nana Mouskouri, Miriam Makeba, and Odetta.
|
Covered VersionsThe song has been covered by numerous artists over the years in various genres including pop, reggae, rock and roll and country. Some artists who have covered the song include The Kinks, Jason Derulo, and Shirley Bassey.
|
Music RecognitionIn 2018, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."
|
Citation
Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Banana Boat Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/33824081/Harry+Belafonte/Banana+Boat>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss the Banana Boat Lyrics with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In