Bajan Proverbs

Crave all, get none at all.
 A warning against covetousness.

Cat luck en' dog luck
What one person may get away, may cause problems for another.

Common dog does bark in church.
Uncivilized individuals will conduct themselves in an uncouth manner irrespective of the situation.

Dead man cant run from he coffin:
It is impossible to run from your responsibilities
De tongue dat does buy yuh does sell yuh:
The same person who talks nicely to you, will betray you later.

De sea ain't got nuh back door:
The sea is not that safe a place; take every precaution necessary.

Don't tek a six for a nine:
Do not misunderstand a person's real intentions.


Don't rush de brush and throw away de paint:
Do not allow haste to create problems for you.

De berry don drop too far from de tree:
Children inherit traits and attitudes from their parents.

De dog dat bring a bone will kaah one.
The very person who gossips with you about other persons may also gossip with them about you too.

De higher de monkey climb, de more he show he tail.
The more you show off, the more your faults are brought to the open.
De las' calf kill de cow.
Attempting to repeat the same action too often may result in disaster.

Donkey got long ear, but he don' like to hear he own story.
People do not like to hear or accept their own faults.

Dont wait till de horse get out de stable to shut de door.
Don't wait until the situation gets out of control then to take corrective action.

De devil does find work fuh idle hands to do.
People with nothing to do, get themselves into mischief.
De more yuh peep, de less yuh sih.
Spying on others is a waste of time, as they will soon devise ways to out maneuver the spy.

Don' rush de brush and trow 'way de paint.
Don't let haste create problems for you.
Don' ship all yuh sugar in one vessel.
Do not risk all your resources in a single venture.

Don' leh nuhbody rub shit in yuh mout and tell yuh it is pudding. Don't let anyone do or say anything harmful or insulting, under the guise that they are being nice.
De same mout dat court yuh, don' marry yuh.
He who encourages you to do certain things is, never around when you desperately need their help.

Don' court Robin fuh he rags.
Don't encourage a friendship only for what you can get out of it.

Every fool got he sense:
No matter how dull and ignorant, everybody is knowledgeable in one area or the other.
Every man yuh see in a shirt and pants en? neider man:
Do not expect all men to act responsibly.

Egg ain't got no right ay rock-stone dance:
You should avoid situations which can be harmful to you.

Evah bush is a man.
Be careful how you talk, as you never know who may be listening.
Eat soldier food, tek soldier blows.
Do not expect to share in the benefits only, but be prepared to share in the problems as well.

Ef yuh wuking wid paint you got tuh get daub (dirty).
If you are working in a particular situation, at some point you will become affected.

Evah pig got a Saturday.
Everyone will pay for his deeds at some point.
Evah fool got 'e sense.
Everybody is knowledgeable in one area or the other, no matter how dull and ignorant they may seem.
Evah skin-teet en' a laugh.
Not all outward signs of friendliness should be taken as genuine.

Fisherman nevah say dat he fish stink.
A person will never give a bad report about himself.
Force ripe fruit don' got nuh taste.
This is used metaphorically to show disapproval of clever behaviour in children.
Force medicine good fuh mad horse.
Nothing, even if it is helpful, should be forced upon anyone.
Give jack he jacket
Give credit where credit is due.
Good looks can' kaah tuh de shop.
Having physical beauty in itself does not offer any practical benefits.

Gold teet don' suit hog mout.
Elegant accessories are inappropriate when used or worn by those who are not accustomed to such.
Hard ears yuh won?t hear, by and by you gine feel:
If you do not take heed to good advice, you will feel the negative effect of it.

Head en brain:
Not everybody is wise.
High wind know where ole house live:
Advantage is often taken of those who are weak.

Home drum beat first.
Before taking on someone else's problems, you should first look after your family interest.

Hungry mek cat eat salt.
Necessity often causes people to act contrary to their regular way of life
Halfway en' nuh warning.
It's no use warning a person to be careful without telling him what it is he should be careful about.

Hold de light fuh de devil tuh sih, and when yuh get a chance, blow it out in 'e face.
When you know that somebody has bad intentions but is pretending they mean well,
you should play along with them until the opportunity comes when you can
foil their plans.

Hurry-hurry nevah dun (done).
Anything done in a hurry is never done properly.

If you didn't at de christening, yuh shouldn't be at the wedding
Do not get involved in something if you do not know how it started.

If rain water en' full yuh barrel, dew water can' full it.
If you did not successfully convert the opportunities offered in your life, it is unlikely
that when there are less or no opportunities available, that you will find success.

It en' de gun dat does kill yuh, it is de shot.
It is usually the small problems, not the big ones that cause the most difficulty.
It don't tek a big axe tuh cut down a big tree.
Size, or lack of it, does not limit capabilities.
If greedy wait, hot wud (would) cool.
Patience will be rewarded.

If crab don' walk 'bout 'e won't get fat.
You accomplish nothing by staying at home.

It en' fuh lack o' tongue dat horse can' talk.
You must learn to control what you say.

It does tek one hand tuh feel a lice, but two tuh tek it out.
Co-operation is essential if anything worthwhile is to be achieved.
"If ah did know.." does come too late.
It is better to think before taking unwise or rash action, which you will later regret.
If yuh can' beat a man yuh got tuh 'gree wid 'e.
If you can't beat them, join them.

Loose goat don't know wha' tie goat sih (see).
One has to be in someone else's shoes in order to understand what he is going through.

Mek sure better than cock-sure.
It is better to make absolutely sure that everything is all right rather than assume that all is well.
Monkey sih, monkey do.
A mild reprimand for imitating the behaviour of others.

News don' lack a carrier.
There is always someone ready to spread anything newsworthy, especially if it's gossip.

Never eat and forget:
Do not show ingratitude by forgetting the hand that feed you.

Nuh name nuh blame:
If no names are called nobody can be accused.

Night talk and day talk should 'gree wid Christian.
Christians or self-respecting persons should show consistent behaviour.

One hand can't clap:
Team-spirit and co-operation is required.
One-one blow does kill ole cow:
What may seem like a trivial irritation may create a catastrophe if repeated often enough.

Only a dog does return to 'e vomit:
Once free of an offensive situation, you should avoid returning to it.

Ole coachman nevah forget de snap o' de whip.
You rarely forget a skill which you have learnt and practised for a long time.

One smart dead at two smart door.
No matter how smart you think you are, there is somebody smarter than you.

Respect due to a dog:
Respect others regardless of their race, gender, religion or status.

Small pitcher got wide ear hole.
Be careful what is said in front of children who might understand far more than you think.

Tongue and teet does got words.
The most loving couples may quarrel on occasions, so don't be overly upset by a little spat

Two poor cow does mek good dung.
A couple can overcome their poverty by pooling their resources together.
Two smart rat can' live in de same hole.
Two tricksters can't get along with each other.

Talk does mek talk:
When somebody tries to pick a quarrel, it is best to remain silent.

Who de cap fit, leh he draw de string:
The person who knows he is guilty about something will react accordingly.

When a bird fly too fast he does fly pas? ?e nest:
It is never wise to be overly ambitious.

Wuhever pun de ground is fuh de cat and de dog:
Finders keepers.

Water does run, but blood does clot:
Relatives should take care of each other,

When yuh en' got horse, ride cow:
Utilize whatever resources you have available.

When yuh keep company wid fowls and dey shit pon yuh table, it is hell to get out de stain:
Associating with undesirable people can bring you trouble which could prove difficult to resolve.

White mout fowl does eat and den wipe 'e mout in de grass
Some people don't show gratitude.

Wait til yuh trough put an' bubble in it.
This is a veritable insult meaning mind your own business.

Wha' yuh do in de dark does come out in de light.
It is impossible to hide all of your actions.

Wha' yuh eye en' sih, yuh stomach will tek.
What you don't know won't hurt you.

When yuh pick corn pon more dan one row, yuh don' know wih yuh get yuh bag full up.
If a woman has relations with several men, she will not be sure which one got her pregnant.

Wha' hurt turkey don' hurt duck.
What may pose a problem for one person may not have that effect on another.

Wha' sweeten goat mout does bun me tail.
A source of great pleasure may turn out to be a problem later on.

Who help yuh buy a big guts mule don' help yuh feed it.
The person who leads you into trouble is never around to help you get back out.

When yuh see a man fishing in a dry pond, don?t call me a fool:
Do not scoff at someone?s actions if you do not know what he is doing

Yuh can' plant yam and reap eddoe.
You are rewarded or punished for your actions.

Yuh can' stop yuh ear from hearing but yuh can stop yuh mout from talking.
A warning against repeating what one has heard.

Yuh got more tricks dan a monkey.
You are very clever.

Yuh got plaster fuh evah sore.
You have an answer for everything.

Yuh got tuh christen yuh own child before yuh can len' out de christening clothes.
You must solve your own problems before trying to solve someone else's.

Yuh can' put mangoose tuh watch chicken.
Never trust people with things which will be a great temptation to them.

Yuh head ain't mek fuh hat alone
You should always used your common sense.

Yuh can't be in de church and de chapel too:You can't be in more than one place at a time.

Yuh can't want it in de glass and in de bottle too:
You just can't have it both ways.

Yuh does rust out before yuh wuck out:
Hard work can't kill you.

Yuh could hide and buy ground but yuh can?t hide and wuk it:
It is impossible to hide your actions all the time.


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