Memorable Sounds! 17th May 2009.

Soon after turning five years old, we moved from Bent Street to Drysdale Street. There were so many more activities going on there compared to Bent Street. Across the road from us was the Fire Station. The sound of the alarm bell ringing to alert the firemen to get ready to put out a fire, also alerted us that sumthin was on.
The youngest of my sisters and I would rush to the window to see what was going on. We were soon caught up with the excitement upon seeing the firemen rushing about. Putting on their helmets and boarding the tender as quickly as they could. The climax for us, was the sound of the siren going "Deee Dahh! Dee Dahh!"
Hang on, I think I tell a lie, it may have been a bell, Ding! Ding!...Ding! Dinggg! as the tender pulled out from the station with speed! Yuh know sumthin? I really surprise myself at remembering dese tings!

There was a big mango tree on the High-Street side of the station, and a biggish star-apple tree on the Lombard-Street side of it. Sometimes in the evenings, we would hear the sound of stones crashing through the leaves of the mango tree. Boys would throw stones at the tree in the hope that they would dislodge a few mangoes from the tree.
But not for long as the firemen would chase the boys away. However, when the tree was fully laden with ripe fruit, they would arrange for a boy to climb the tree and get the mangoes.
Word would soon spread to the local resisdents. The fireman who was sharing out the mangoes would very quickly be surrounded amidst cries of "Me! Me! Me nah get any mango man!" With outstretched hands pleading for a share of mangoes.

Oh Gawd! Friday and Saturday night was bad nights for us chillren trying to sleep. There were two cake shops across the road from us and there was big competition to see which shop could pull the most customers with its blaring jukebox playing the latest calypsos.
This went on through the night! I don’t know how long for sure, somehow I fell asleep before 10 o’clock. How do I know this? There’s a clock on the wall outside my bedroom which chimed every 15 minutes and the full count on the hour. I rarely heard the clock chiming after 9.30 pm though.
But we enjoyed hearing the latest calypsos and watching people leaning on their bicycles outside the cake shops as they listened to the music. It's so amazin how you can get used to enjoy 'earing two different songs being played at the same time.

Oh yes! On Sunday, we had the Salvation Army in attendance. We could hear the characteristic "Boom! Boom! Boom!" and the trumpets blaring out "Onward Christian Soldiers" as they marched to an area on the road in front of the star-apple tree. Oh, the army sang the hymn too, yuh really tink they would march quietly? Nah man, yuh shud know bettah!
From the comfort of looking out through a window at home, I could see that the good Captain(?) would begin by reading a few passages from the Holy Bible.
Then he preached or rather berated all and sundry around him to be God-fearing. We must be very good to avoid everlasting damnation with the flames of hellfire and brimstone raining down on your back! Not nice! Not nice at all!
Perhaps it must have benefited me as I think I turned out to be a fairly good person. ;-)