[Intro]
Call it loud: Malex! — sun on the quay
Market smoke, pandan scent, taro on the tray
Maski u blo we — we kam settle long Clifton
Tencity Boys, Luksave — pasin barata, Clifton kin
[Verse 1]
Small place, big heart — Malex on the map
Children with lanterns, barefoot, running past the clap
Stalls lined with yams, cassava and fried fish
Old men on the corner telling stories like a wish
Strong tumas — hands that never fold
Boys organize, save clean, keep the market gold
Olgeta bai meetim Brixiie na ol boys kandre
Lanterns swing slow, stars answer back to prayer
[Pre-Chorus]
Dust rise, drums call — breath and drum combine
Pandan leaves, salt on skin, smoke that tastes like time
Pasin barata in our step — steady, sure, and kind
This is Clifton — this is Malex — home of hum and grind
[Chorus — Call & Response]
Leader: Malex!
Crowd: Malex!
Leader: Malex!
Crowd: Malex!
Leader: Maski u blo we —
Crowd: We kam settle long Clifton!
Leader: Strong tumas —
Crowd: Heart, heart — Clifton rise!
(Repeat with claps and call-and-response chants)
[Verse 2]
Backstreet corner, I go backstreet, foot on the sand
Olgeta bai sing, olgeta bai lend a helping hand
"kaskas ba givim u panedol one step" — old phrase we keep
One step, two step, weave the night into deep
Uncle Nelo bai greetim u — smile like morning bread
Barata Allox bai tok: "Welcome ol bata blo mi" — said
Samude bai smile lo u, pawarim sort wara strong
One feel to I go — we sing the same song
Inap tulait buruk — light that never fades
Malex boys, patched shoes, parade of sunlit shades
[Chorus — Call & Response]
Leader: Malex!
Crowd: Malex!
Leader: Malex!
Crowd: Malex!
Leader: Maski u blo we —
Crowd: We kam settle long Clifton!
Leader: Strong tumas —
Crowd: Heart, heart — Clifton rise!
[Bridge — Shout / Rap / Chant]
Tencity Boys! — Luksave! — Brixiie! — Ol boys kandre!
Market Lane! — Ocean Road! — Backstreet! — Field Three!
Uncle Nelo! — Barata Allox! — Samude! — Mothers with fire!
We list our names, we lift our drums, we lift our small town higher!
(Shout the streets fast, then slow; call-and-repeat names for stage energy)
[Breakdown — Island Groove]
Short, punchy lines, congas snap — guitar steel slides
Children hum the refrain, harmonies stacked wide
Pasin barata — hearts bold, palms clap, feet slide
Strong tumas — hold the line — Clifton, our pride
[Final Chorus — Big Harmonies]
Leader: Malex!
Crowd: Malex!
Leader: Maski u blo we —
Crowd: We kam settle long Clifton!
Leader: Strong tumas —
Crowd: Heart, heart — Clifton rise!
(Repeat, build — stacked voices, brass stab, steel guitar twine)
[Outro]
Under the island moon the market packs away
Lanterns dim, but Malex stays — living in the day
We carry taro smoke, pandan, sea-salt in our song
Pasin barata, Tencity Boys — Clifton proud and strong
Malex — Clifton rise — one more call before we sleep
Malex! — Malex! — keep the faith we always keep
[Production Notes]
Tempo: 100–110 BPM
Percussion: layered congas, tifa, snare rim
