Sparrow sings out against terror

Sparrow

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD (AP)

THE MIGHTY Sparrow, Trinidad's legendary composer of calypso music, has written a new song condemning the deadly terrorist attacks in the United States.

The first verse of the calypso, published in Wednesday's Trinidad Guardian newspaper, reports the tragic event through rhyme:

Without any provocation, they massacre and destroy Manhattan, read the lyrics. With the World Trade Center gone, they went to Washington to eliminate the Pentagon. Total mayhem and confusion they sought, pandemonium and destruction they brought.

The verse ends on an upbeat note: Remember, God bless America!

The Mighty Sparrow, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, was in an apartment he has in New York City and watched the events unfold on television.

"When the buildings imploded, I just stood there in front the television set in awe," he was quoted as saying in The Guardian. "We ... used to play there ... on the 104th floor. When you're so high in the air, with the breathtaking view all around, you don't have a care or worry in the world."

Calypso was born in Trinidad in the 19th century as carnival music that included protests against colonizers and slave trade. Calypsonians like the Mighty Sparrow, who has been performing around the world since the 1950s, still fill their lyrics with social criticism.

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