Are you missing Christmas in the Caribbean this year? Have no fear. If you can’t get to the Caribbean, you have to bring the Caribbean to you. These are some of my Caribbean Christmas songs that will put a pep in your step for the holidays.
It’s not Christmas unless I hear my favourite Caribbean Christmas tunes. There is something about catchy holiday beats that signal Christmas is here. For me, Christmas movies and music are the icing and decorations on the cake that make the season feel just right. And, because I live in the Caribbean, I can enjoy the glorious mix of traditions, which make the holiday season memorable.
[showad block=87]I usually start watching Christmas movies in October (even though I started in April, thanks to COVID-19). Then, Christmas music comes in on the 1st December, right after independence day in Barbados. Then, Christmas activities kick into high-gear and Christmas delicacies follow swiftly behind. However, this year, I started listening to Caribbean Christmas songs in November and now I am sharing them with you.
Caribbean Christmas Songs
I’m not a fan of Dolly Parton or Kenny Rogers’ Christmas songs, but I would readily listen to holiday tunes from my favourite Caribbean artistes. The beat of the music is like no other and the lyrics are familiar and speak of situations that I know. The songs that make my list of must listen Caribbean Christmas songs, are from singers and songwriters in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
1. Drink a Rum (Lord Kitchener)
This is a classic Caribbean Christmas song that highlights the presence of liquor in the holiday season. Sung by Lord Kitchener, one of the finest calypsonians in the world, Drink a Rum is a popular refrain throughout the Caribbean at Christmas time. A few years ago, the lyrics of the song were used in a jingle to encourage safe drinking during the holiday season.
“Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum;
Is Christmas morning;
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum;
Mama, drink if you drinking!
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum;
Let we fete if we feteing;
Drink a rum and a punch a crema, drink a rum.”
Lyrics: Island Lyrics | Drink a Rum (Lord Kitchener)
2. Maizie (Red Plastic Bag)
It takes a masterful lyricist to tell a story of how Santa Claus was his wife’s outside dude. The Red Plastic Bag (lovingly known as “De Bag”) boldly went where no one has gone before. From what he tells us, his wife was having an affair with Santa Claus. When he got home late on Christmas Eve night, he saw her kissing him right outside the gate and under the mango tree. When he confronted her and cast doubt that it was Santa Clause because he did not see the reindeer or the sleigh, she replied,
“Look he had no reindeer or sleigh,
He came on BWIA.”
Lyrics: Stefan Walcott | Maizie (Red Plastic Bag)
3. Calypso Noel/ Sing Me Noel (Becket)
If you know Caribbean music, then you know that any song by Becket is sweet hit. Becket is a Vincentian treasure who has been in the music business for over forty-five years. With big tunes under his belt like Teaser and Small Pin, Calypso Noel is a glorious spin on the Christmas classic by Johnny Mathis. However, this Caribbean adaptation injects rich beats and infectious parang to make this one of the best Christmas songs ever sung.
“Sing we Noel, sing we joyously Noel!
Joyously sing of the news we have to tell!”
4. Why Can’t This Christmas Feeling Go On? (Brian “Bumba” Payne)
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the Christmas feeling all throughout the year? Barbadian calypsonian Brian “Bumba” Payne, is known for his insightful social commentaries that are designed to make you think. Why Can’t This Christmas Feeling Go On is no different. It is a soothing and sultry tune that examines the joys of the Christmas season and puts what we’ve all thought at some point in time into focus.
“Why can’t this Christmas feeling go on?
Why can’t we learn to live together?
Not for a day or season; but for a little bit longer.
Why can’t this feeling go on?”
5. Put Jesus in Your Christmas (Crazy)
In the midst of decorations; shopping for gifts; and pulling down the house only to put it back up again, many people lose sight of the true meaning of the season. Crazy is doing his part to make sure that you do not forget why we celebrate Christmas. Put Jesus in Your Christmas is a catchy and lyrically rich song that urges us to remember that Jesus is the reason why we celebrate. And the best way to do that is to put Jesus in our Christmas.
“Put Jesus in your Christmas,
Put Jesus in your Christmas,
Put Jesus in your Christmas this year.
Came down here to save us from wickedness and chaos.
Put Jesus in your Christmas,
Put Jesus in your Christmas,
Put Jesus in your Christmas this year.”
Lyrics: Island Lyrics | Put Jesus in Your Christmas (Crazy)
6. Pong Aint Getting Naffin (Pong)
Is it really fair for naughty people to receive gifts on Christmas Day? Is Santa Claus’ list really effective if presents for the bad behaved ones are under the tree? If more people were like Pong, we would not have any issues on the big day. He found out the hard way, when he went home to collect something that he forgot. Santa Claus was there and he gave him the unfortunate news. Apparently, he was very naughty and one of the infractions was that he cooked food for people and did not wash the rice. Shameful indeed.
“I’m getting, getting naffin. I’m getting naffin for Christmas.
I’m getting, getting naffin. I’m getting naffin for Christmas.
Cause Pong ain’t getting naffin for Christmas, I’ve been a naughty guy.
Pong ain’t getting naffin for Christmas, I done know the reason why.”
7. It’s Christmas (Baron)
One of my memories of Christmas is the tradition of visiting family and friends. It was the time of year to sample some of the best Caribbean Christmas beverages such as poncha crema, rum, sorrel and other homemade drinks; and partake in ham, plain cake and great cake. Baron, who has one of the sweetest voices that I’ve ever heard, tells a couple tales of enjoying beverages at Christmas. In the song, he tells us about Balliram who tried to trick them last Christmas by hiding the ham.
“Come on fellahs leh we take a next one [Oy yo yoy, ay yay yay]
We have about ten more house to clean [Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
We drinking from paint to kerosene [Oy yoy yoy, ay yay yay]
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas!
It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas!”
Lyrics: Island Lyrics | It’s Christmas (Baron)
8. Hurray Hurrah (For Unto us a Child is Born) – Singing Francine
Hurray Hurrah is one of my favourite Caribbean Christmas songs because of the way it tells the story of Jesus’ birth. Singing Francine is one of the Caribbean’s most beloved female calypsonians who is a great inspiration for young women who are interested in music. In a recent interview, when asked about her involvement in calypso, she replied, ” I never became involved in the calypso art form. I was born in the calypso art form.”
“Hurray, hurray, hurrah! Hurrah, hurrah! they say
Our Saviour is born today!
In swaddling clothes He lie
While the shepherds cry
For they just couldn’t believe dey eyes
And when He come a Man
You know dem non-Christians
Get together and pound nails in He hand
But on the third day, He rose again
So you see, He shed His blood for we.”
Lyrics: Guanaguanare | Hurray Hurrah (Singing Francine)
9. Madd Xmas (Thiller) MADD
It does not feel like Christmas unless I hear Madd’s holiday tunes. Madd is one of the best comedic groups with an immeasurable amount of talent. They can sing and they will make you laugh with their hilarious skits, reenactments and lyrics. Madd Xmas is a play on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but with a twist that Caribbean people will enjoy. Although it’s not included in this list, Madd also released a side splitting Christmas Medley that shows the true colours of Rudolph, the next door neighbour.
“Because it’s Christmas; Christmas time;
We eating ham and turkey and gine church for the first time;
Because it’s Christmas; Christmas time;
When licorish friends would come and drink ya whiskey, sorrel and white rum.”
10. Piece Ah Pork (Scrunter)
The story behind Scrunter’s Christmas hit, Piece Ah Pork is one that I love to hear. As the story goes, Mr. Scrunter wanted to create a parang song, given that the art form was growing in popularity in Trinidad and Tobago. He sat down under a mango tree and wrote the song. To write the lyrics, he relied on his experiences at Christmas time which included raising pigs and then slaughtering them at Christmas. The result was an ode to pork, which declares that nothing else will work for him.
“Ah want ah piece of pork,
Ah want ah piece of pork,
I want a piece of pork for meh Christmas,
I doh want no Manicou,
Yuh could keep the Callaloo
Ah want ah piece of pork
For meh Christmas.”
Lyrics: Island Lyrics | Ah Want Ah Piece Ah Pork (Scrunter)
11. Wuh Yah Gotta Gimme Fuh Christmas – Sach Moore and The Sandpebbles
Another one of my favourite Christmas songs is Wuh Ya Gotta Gimme For Christmas by Sach Moore and the Sandpebbles of Barbados. This is also spouge classic that just makes you feel good about Christmas. The cheeky tune talks about how Vera begs for everything. One line says that if you barely sneeze, she would beg you for it. My favourite part of the song is where the musicians are on show and play the tune without the singers.
“What ya got ta gimme fuh Christmas?
Gimme anything you can spare,
What ya got ta gimme fuh Christmas?
Help me have a happy day,
What ya got ta gimme fuh Christmas?
I need something from you,
Gimme something for Christmas boy,
And I’ll give you something too.”
12. It’s Christmas (Kimberley Inniss)
Kimberley Inniss has one of the best voices in the world. Although she’s very popular because of her Crop Over songs, her Christmas songs deserve just as much attention. It’s Christmas features Kimberley and a choir of children. This is a beautiful medley which brings out those warm Christmas feelings.
“It’s my favourite time of the year;
When all my friends and all my family are here;
Twinkling lights, shining bright;
Carolling through the night;
It’s Christmas. It’s Christmas.”
13. Rocksteady Christmas (Richard Stoute & the Blue Rhythm Combo)
Another one of my beloved Caribbean Christmas songs is Rocksteady Christmas by Richard Stoute. Richard Stoute is one of the Caribbean’s most talented music stalwarts, who has been contributing to the sector for decades. In addition to his work with the The Richard Stoute Teen Talent Show, he has produced and released musical gems. One of these is Rocksteady Christmas, which is a groovy holiday song that captures the feelings of the season.
“Christmas time is here, we all must be gay;
Everybody merry, everybody happy;
We all must be glad, even Santa’s feeling real glad;
So let us join in unity and have a rocksteady Christmas party.”
14. The Things Of Christmas (The Draytons Two)
The Draytons Two are known for their commitment to the development of spouge music. Many people ask “what is spouge?” and are often surprised to learn that it’s a genre of music that was born in Barbados in the 1960s. The late Jackie Opel is the King of Spouge, because he created it! The Things of Christmas is one of the most recognisable Christmas spouge songs thanks to its rich harmonies and melodious beats and the way the lyrics capture the essence of a Caribbean Christmas.
“The mistletoe, the Christmas trees;
The church bells ringing ’round us;
The Christmas cards, the presents too;
These are the things of Christmas.”
15. Christmas Feeling (The Merry Men)
The MerryMen’s discography reveals a slew of Caribbean music hits that transcended to Europe and North America. The group gained prominence with their sweet melodic voices, crafty lyrics and matching costumes. In addition to their popular songs about Barbados, they are well known for their Christmas renditions. Christmas Feeling acknowledges the change in the air when Christmas comes around and laments that the feeling does not last all year long.
“I’ve got that old feeling that seems to fill the air
It’s Christmas in my Caribbean land.
And although there’s no sound of sleigh bells to be heard
This feeling’s oh so grand.”
16. 12 Days of Bajan Christmas (Outpatients)
One of the reasons I love Caribbean Christmas songs is that you get a good mixture of stoic and funny tunes. 12 Days of Bajan Christmas is a hilarious recreation of the classic song The 12 Days of Christmas. The Outpatients are known for their witty and funny Crop Over songs, which always sneak elements of truth into the lyrics. In this Bajan Christmas song, the patients break down the 12 days of Christmas with gifts that Caribbean people can truly appreciate at this time of the year.
“On the fifth day of Christmas, my girlfriend gave to me,
Five cans of 275 millilitre aquamarine paint to paint the shed roof,
Four Christmas worms,
Three yard fowls,
Two packs of Sodabix,
And a blackbird in a pear tree.”
