"Fèy" is a traditional '' Vodou'' folk song in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. In

Haitian Creole Haitian Creole (; ht, kreyòl ayisyen, links=no, ; french: créole haïtien, links=no, ), commonly referred to as simply ''Creole'', or ''Kreyòl'' in the Creole language, is a French-based creole language spoken by 10–12million people wor ...

, "fèy" means "leaf", and the lyrics of the song describe a leaf falling from a tree. Like many traditional songs in ''Vodou'' folklore, the lyrics of "Fèy" can hold many meanings, both religious and political. At least two ''

mizik rasin Rasin, also known as Haitian roots music, is a musical style that began in Haiti in the 1970s when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haitian Vodou ceremonial and folkloric music with various musical styles. The late 20th century ...

'' bands in the 1990s sang adaptations of the traditional song. A version first performed by

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * Ra ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

was

banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...

throughout Haiti during the remaining years of the

Raoul Cédras Joseph Raoul Cédras (born July 9, 1949) is a Haitian former military officer who was the ''de facto'' ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994. Background A mulatto, Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the U.S.-trained ''Leop ...

military

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

. In

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, a military junta headed by Raoul Cédras seized power in a coup d'etat, overthrowing the elected president,

Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...

. RAM, a ''

rasin Rasin, also known as Haitian roots music, is a musical style that began in Haiti in the 1970s when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haitian Vodou ceremonial and folkloric music with various musical styles. The late 20th century ...

'' band in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, which had run © of military authorities before, first performed "Fèy" at the 1992

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

in Port-au-Prince, and then began to perform the song during their weekly concerts at the

Hotel Oloffson The Hotel Oloffson is an inn in central Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Built in the late 19th century as a private home, it was turned into a hotel in 1935, and became known for the many artists and celebrities who stayed there. The hotel was the real-lif ...

. Despite no overt references to the political situation, a recording of the song was widely played on the radio and immediately taken up throughout the country as an unofficial anthem of support for Aristied. Playing or singing the song was soon banned under military authority, and RAM's leader, Richard A. Morse, was subjected to death threats from the regime.Shacochis, Bob (1999). ''The Immaculate Invasion''. New York, New York: Penguin Publishing. . pp. 3-12. In September, 1994, U.S. military troops arrived to oust the Cédras regime and restore Aristide to his presidency. "Fèy" was released on RAM's first album, ''Aïbobo'', in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

.RAM (1996). ''Aïbobo''. Cave Wall Records. ASIN B000008Q17.

Lyrics

"Fèy" is a traditional Haitian vodou folklore song, and as such the lyrics are in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

. The Creole lyrics are as printed in the liner notes of RAM's first album, ''Aïbobo'', and the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

translation is by Bob Shacochis.Shacochis, Bob (1999). ''The Immaculate Invasion''. New York, New York: Penguin Publishing. . pp. 47.

Haitian Creole

Fèy yo gade mwen nan branch mwem, yon move tan pase li voye'm jete. Fèy yo gade mwen nan branch mwem, yon move tan pase li voye'm jete. Jou ou wè'm tonbe a, se pa jou a m'koule, jou ou wè'm tonbe a, se pa jou a m'koule. papa, le ya bezwen mwen kote ya jwenn mwen. Papa Bondye wo St. Nikola ye, Papa bon Dye wo St. Nikola ye, yon sèl piti gason m nan yo fè'l kite peyi al'ale...

English

I'm a leaf. Look at me on my branch. A terrible storm came and knocked me off. The day you see me fall is not the day I die. And when they need me, where are they going to find me? The good Lord, and St. Nicola, I only have one son And they made him leave the country. ;]

Audio samples

References

;Cited References {{DEFAULTSORT:Fey Haitian folk songs Censorship