STORYTELLER (MAMA):
There is an island where rivers run deep.
STORYTELLER (TONTON):
Where the sea sparkling in the sun earns in the name "Jewel of the Antillies"
STORYTELLER (TI MOUNE):
An island where the poorest of peasants labor –
STORYTELLER (DANIEL):
And the wealthiest of grands hommes play.
STORYTELLER (ARMAND):
Two different worlds on one island!
STORYTELLER (ANDREA):
The grand hommes, with their pale brown skin and their French ways, owners of the land and masters of their own fates.
STORYTELLER (PAPA GE)
And the peasants black as night, eternally at the mercy of the wind and the sea who pray constantly… to the gods.
STORYTELLER (MAMA):
Asaka, grow me a garden
STORYTELLER (TONTON):
Please Agwe, don't flood my garden
STORYTELLER (TI MOUNE, ANDREA):
Erzulie, who will my love be?
Papa Ge don't come around me.
STORYTELLER (MAMA):
Ah, such powerful, such temperamental gods rule our island.
Asaka, Mother of the Earth.
Agwe, God of Water.
Erzulie, beautiful Goddess of Love.
PAPA GE:
And Papa Ge, sly Demon of Death.
Asaka, grow me a garden
Please Agwe, don't flood my garden
Erzulie, who will my love be?
Papa Ge don't come around me
Please Agwe don't flood my garden
Asaka grow me a garden...
We dance –
We dance-
To the music of the gods
The music of the breezes through
The green plaintain
The murmur of the river and
The roar of rain
And if the Gods decide to
Send a hurricane
We dance...
We dance
To their ever changing moods
STORYTELLERSM (ASAKA)
We know the gods are happy
When the green things grow
STORYTELLERS (AGWE)
They're angry when the river
Starts to overflow
And since we never know
Which way the winds will blow...
We dance to the earth
We dance to the water
The Gods awake and we take no chance
Our hearts hear the song
Our feet move along
And to the music of the Gods
We dance!
STORYTELLERS ANDREA (spoken)
On the other side of the island, safe behind
High walls and iron gates, the grands hommes
Dance to a different tune.
La la la la la la la la
STORYTELLERS DANIEL (spoken)
The drink champagne. Entertain tourists at
Their fine hotels. And tell their servants,
"Polish up the Mercedes!"
STORYTELLERS
La la la la la la la la
STORYTELLERS (PAPA GE)
Two different worlds
Never meant to meet.
STORYTELLERS (ARMAND)
The peasants labor
STORYTELLERS (ASAKA)
The grands hommes... eat!
How fine
Our clothes are! We dance
How fast
We drive! We dance
We dance at parties...
While we are dancing
Just to stay alive...
STORYTELLERS (WOMEN)
We dance
STORYTELLERS (MEN)
We dance
STORYTELLERS
What else is there to do?
STORYTELLERS (MEN)
But plant the seed
And pull the weed
And chop the cane
STORYTELLERS (WOMEN)
And bear the child
And bear the load
And bear the pain
STORYTELLERS
And as the rich go racing
To their own refrain
We dance to the earth
We dance to the water
The Gods awake and we take no chance
Our hearts hear the song
Our feet move along
And to the music of the Gods
We dance to the earth
We dance to the water
The Gods awake and we take
No chance...
PAPA GE:
Two different worlds.
OOH LA!
PAPA GE:
Never meant to meet.
OOH LA!
PAPA GE:
But if the gods move our feet...
We dance!
We dance!
We dance!