This week, we had a planned power outage in Port of Spain. From 9-3, we knew in advance, we would have no power.  To the dismay of many students and teachers, we still had a full school day.  Students were encouraged not to wear their uniforms, but to wear cool, comfortable clothing.  Teachers, too, wore the coolest clothing they could find.  How dependent we have become on electricity.  The fact that we had no lights was not a big deal, it was actually rather calming, and of course the strong Carribbean sun shining through the windows provided plenty light.  The fact that we didn’t have air conditioning wasn’t so bad either, until the noon sun hit and started making us all feel rather like hot house tomatoes ripening in a greenhouse.

By the time we got home that day, we were pretty hot and sticky, needless to say.  This caused most of us to want to curl up and take a nap.  For others, the experience induced a strong desire to sing, drawing upon as many emotions as she could dig out of her soul.  Thank goodness for the iPad, because none of us actually knew all the lyrics to Grenade.   When I was seven, I was singing “Little Ducky Duddle”  in the back of the volkswagon bus while my siblings groaned for a more mature song, like maybe “This Land is Your Land.”  I loved the ‘quack-quack’ part.  They preferred the ‘from California, to the New York Islands…’ part.  Fast forward a few forty-ish years, and we see seven year old Nicole singing Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” with her sleepily encouraging sibling and the all knowing iPad.

 

This song is so much more mature than even our  big kid’s choice of Woodie Guthrie.  Keep in mind, we cleaned up the lyrics a bit.  Sorry Bruno.  We certainly didn’t take out the passion.

Easy come, easy go, that’s just how you live

Oh take, take, take it all but you never give

Should’ve known you were trouble from the first kiss

Had your eyes wide open,

why were they open?

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash

You tossed it in the trash, you did

To give me all your love is all I ever asked

‘Cause what you don’t understand

Is I’d catch a grenade for ya

Throw my head on a plane for ya

I’d jump around in the rain for ya

You know I’d do anything for ya.

oh, oh, ohhh…

See I would go through all this pain

Take a bullet straight through the rain

Yes I would hide for ya, baby

But you won’t do the same

no, no, no, nooohh…

.Black, black, black and blue

beating  on the drum, tell the devil I said hey

When you get back to where you’re from.

Bad lemon, bad lemon, that’s just what you are, yeah

You smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash

You tossed it in the trash, yes you did

To give me all your  love

Is all I ever asked but what you don’t understand

Is I’d catch a grenade for ya

Throw my hand on a blade for ya

I’d jump in front of a train for ya

You know I’d do anything for ya

oh, oh, oh, oooohhhh…

Listen babe, I would go all through Spain,

Take a bullet straight through the rain

Yes I would cry for ya, baby

But you won’t do the same

If my poodle was on fire, ooh

You would watch it burn down in flames

You said you loved me, you’re a liar

‘Cause you never ever, ever did, baby

Oh, no no…