Harry Belafonte - Come Mister Tally Man (46 Gre... -

: The song uses a call-and-response format, typical of traditional work chants, which fostered a sense of community among the laborers.

: While the rhythm is lively, Belafonte described it as a song about struggle and grueling labor in a colonized life. The reference to a " deadly black taranch-la " highlights the literal dangers workers faced from spiders hidden in the banana bunches. Musical Impact Harry Belafonte - Come Mister Tally Man (46 Gre...

Harry Belafonte's "," famous for the line " Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana ," is a cornerstone of 20th-century music that bridged Caribbean culture with mainstream pop. Origin and Meaning : The song uses a call-and-response format, typical

: Originally a Jamaican folk song , it dates back to the turn of the 20th century. It was sung by dockworkers who loaded heavy bunches of bananas onto ships throughout the night to avoid the intense tropical heat. Musical Impact Harry Belafonte's "," famous for the

: Released on his 1956 album Calypso , the song reached #5 on the Billboard charts and helped make Calypso the first LP in history to sell over a million copies.

: The lyrics describe workers waiting for the " tally man ," the official responsible for counting their load so they could finally go home at sunrise.

: It gained modern fame through the iconic dinner party possession scene in the 1988 film Beetlejuice . It has also been sampled by artists like Lil Wayne in his hit "6 Foot 7 Foot". Album Reference: "46 Greatest Hits"