Banana Boat Song (Day-O)

Harry Belafonte popularized this Jamaican tune with his stunning performances of what came to be known as “Day-O.” Far from a get-up-and-greet-the-day song, it is a work song, sung by laborers toiling through the night picking bananas. They did not work during the day because the daylight sun was too hot. In essence they sang, “The sun is up. Come here, boss, and count the bananas I loaded onto the boat (‘tally me banana’) so that I can go home and sleep.” The right hand in this arrangement shifts back and forth between spanning a sixth, E up to C, and the familiar C position. The left hand meanwhile stays solidly in C.