Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Taken from Joe Offer's collection of songs mainly from the BBC programme, "Singing Together", Mango Walk had the following footnotes:
Source: Singing Together, Spring 1970, BBC Publications
Notes:
No information was given in the booklet about this song.
However, in a discussion page in the collection, one contributor asked:
Can anyone tell me the meaning of the Jamaican folk song 'Mango walk' please? My son needs to know for his music homework- we can't find anything except the lyrics on the net and I am intrigued!
The following was the first response and seemed to be the most helpful:
Well I've tried a quick search. The dt entry at Mudcat says:
From Jamaica.
A "mango walk" is a mango orchard, and "Number Eleven" is a variety of
fruit. RW
The tune has been a steel-band staple for at least the last thirty-five years. I suspect that number 'leven refers to the fruit's size, rather than it's variety.
The song as far as I know is a traditional calypso.
As another thought on the meaning of 'leven, I seem to remember when we learned this song in school we were told that a 'leven was the best quality (which I guess need not be a measurment of size) mango.
The chord progression I am using is of my own devising.
Taken from Joe Offer's collection of songs mainly from the BBC programme, "Singing Together", Mango Walk had the following footnotes:
Source: Singing Together, Spring 1970, BBC Publications
Notes:
No information was given in the booklet about this song.
However, in a discussion page in the collection, one contributor asked:
Can anyone tell me the meaning of the Jamaican folk song 'Mango walk' please? My son needs to know for his music homework- we can't find anything except the lyrics on the net and I am intrigued!
The following was the first response and seemed to be the most helpful:
Well I've tried a quick search. The dt entry at Mudcat says:
From Jamaica.
A "mango walk" is a mango orchard, and "Number Eleven" is a variety of
fruit. RW
The tune has been a steel-band staple for at least the last thirty-five years. I suspect that number 'leven refers to the fruit's size, rather than it's variety.
The song as far as I know is a traditional calypso.
As another thought on the meaning of 'leven, I seem to remember when we learned this song in school we were told that a 'leven was the best quality (which I guess need not be a measurment of size) mango.
The chord progression I am using is of my own devising.
