Send em back!

If we sent back all the Portagees

From six generations;

If we sent back all the descendants

Of the Caribbean nations;

If we sent back all of the Limeys

That have come here since the wars,

And Canadians, and Americans

Who’ve made home upon our shores:

Then we wouldn’t have Quinton

Harry Viera or Sir John;

We wouldn’t have a Doctor Saul

To rest our future on;

We wouldn’t have a Freddie Wade

Or even a Lois Browne

We wouldn’t have a lot of folks

In front or back of town.

Cause either we’re all immigrants

Or we send ‘em back.

We cannot make distinctions of

White or brown or black

Either we’re together

Or we’ve got to weed ‘em out!

We’ve got to make decisions

Then act without a doubt

For these islands have been peopled

For about four hundred years;

They’ve seen a lot of happiness,

Soaked in a lot of tears;

They’ve watched their forests crumble

And their farmland turned to homes,

But they always held a welcome

For those who crossed the foam.

There was no one before us

‘cept the pigs that swam ashore,

And I think the pigs were Spanish

But I’m not really sure

So if we got really ruthless,

Stuck to true Bermudian vows,

We’d give these lovely islands back,

To de Cedar and the Cahows.

This poem was written over 20 years ago by Jeremy Frith and sadly it holds as much pertinence as it did when it was penned. Thanks to Josiah Frith for sharing