The Last of the West Indians

This one is for my father, currently sunning himself in St Lucia. He taught me everything about being a man, a father and most of all being Black.

Here I stand
What do you see
A man or an ethnic minority
But wait
Our parents helped
To rebuild this country
Came over in the 40s 50s and 60s
Left sunny isles
For the cold North Sea
The rolling Thames
And grey London City
As soon as he landed
My daddy said no way
He knew from the start
That he wouldn't stay
But didn't realise
It would take him so long
Before he could take the flight
That would carry him home

So now we are left to carry it on
The traditions of food and dance and song
Ackee and saltfish
Green banana and yam
'Calypso Calypso'
And the steel pan
You see
The last of the West Indians
Has just said goodbye
With tears in his eyes
He left his offspring behind
And it won't be easy
To maintain the old ways
We were brought up as English
We weren't taught the same
So no matter what your opinion may be
If you're born here you're British
Though it's not plain to see
Because prejudice and racism
Still lives and breathes
So I choose my standards
From what my daddy taught me
And I can't go back
Like the BNP say
This is all that I know
So I'm here to stay

You see
Just like my daddy
I've paved the way
Through the poor education
I faced everyday
Through harassments
And SUSS laws
And being egged on the street
Through the riots and skinheads
Chasing me just to beat
They accused me of diseasing their nation
I remember escaping through Upton Park Station
But I've paid my taxes and I've paid my dues
Walked with pride in my Cecil Gee and snakeskin shoes
My sister wore her pleated skirt
And wrapped her hair
Sharing her pride but still looking smart
Whilst in my Gabicci and Farahs
I soon learnt to kick arse

So I regained what I had once lost
Became re-educated
Became my own boss
Hoping to reclaim
Some of the pride
That my daddy had given me
That they tried to deny
Now the goalposts have shifted
The fugees are coming
New targets of hate
So can I stop running
I'm no longer the threat
The pressure's off me

So why can't I shift this label...
Ethnic Minority

Now it's up to us
To teach the babies
The history and the truth
How it was
How it is
How it should be
How we fought so hard for pride and dignity
Whilst all the time
We lived in a box
With a label saying
'Negroes - Toxic, Caution, Do Not Touch'

Will the next generation care
Think about it soon there won't be
Any pure Black White or Pakistanis
Take a look on the street
Blacks with Chinese
Whites with Asians
Rainbow children
Soon a rainbow nation
It's hard to believe
Dilution could bring peace
So eventually we become the
Ethnic Majority

But for me
Black is beautiful
So I cannot rest
Until all my daddy taught me
Is passed on to the rest
You see
The last of the West Indians
Is no longer here
So it's up to us
To make everything clear
Our children need us
To teach them their history
The legacy now rests with you
And with me
Because despite what you believe
We're all one and the same
West Indian or British
Same blood
Different veins