Your Own Comes First Songtext
von Van Dyke Parks

If I talk again it could drive me mad
I try to talk to the people of Trinidad
If I talk again it could set me mad
I'm tired if talkin' to the people of Trinidad
All kinds of people come and doin' well
And you the Trinidadians only catchin' hell
How many times do you want to be told
Your own comes first all over the world

If you think I lie, I invite you please
Just take a trip through the West Indies
Make your first stop at Grenada
Tell them that you come to look for labor
If you miss and say you're from Trinidad
They lick you from Grenada down to Fyzabad
But you can't blame them on a whole
My friend, that's the policy of the world


So, Granadians for Granadians
Jamaicians for Jamaicians
Even Barbados take the same route
Trinidadians, buck up and follow suit
Well now you really lookin' for blows
If you think you goin' anchor in Barbados
The Bajuns goin' tell you you bloomin' fast
Don't you know Bajuns first and outsiders last
Then you heist your anchor to Jamaica
Feelin' that your chances might be better
But as I've led you to understand
Boy, we only have work here for Jamaicans

I'm not all selfish, I love to give
And I believe in the slogan live and let live
If the other islands aren't doin' that
Well I don't see why we should be Miss Howard's cat
It's time to go into the reverse
Do like other nations put your people first
You must do as you are told
Or you would be the laughing stock of the world