Attorney: Chalkie on solid ground

Lucky portrayed secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Sat Maharaj on stage at the Dimanche Gras during Chalkdust’s performance.

Lucky said he had the privilege of sitting with Chalkdust the day the song was written.

He said the veteran calypsonian asked him whether there were strains of vulgarity and, “I gave an unequivocal No!” The attorney explained Chalkdust used “calypso masking” in the song, a technique of many calypsonians.

Lucky gave several examples.

He spoke of the late Lord Melody (Fitzroy Alexander) who sang, “Look de devil down dey” a reference to the penis. Also Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco) Salt Fish which referred to the vagina and the late Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman) who wrote, The art of making love.

Lucky said each line in Chalkdust’s song shows he is on safe ground because calypso composition is rarely literal.

On the words margarine and Vaseline in the context of a 75-year-old man desiring a 14-year-old girl, Lucky said the meaning is how the listener perceives it.

“Those words would have to be taken against the background of what is the purpose of calypso given our own culture and history.

“Can it be proven in a debate convincingly that Learning from Arithmetic can be construed as vulgar.

“Chalkdust is saying that even if you apply Vaseline or margarine at the back of the copy book, 75 cannot go into 14.

“Sat is coming against an artform which has been established over many years for its strength in ‘iconing’ those who are higher up in society and the writer has written songs touching the human condition at every level,” Lucky said.