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The idea of the song is that a guy is walking through the neighborhood with a load of watermelons to sell. He repeats a simple chant, announcing his presence and his wares to the housewives as he passes by.

I lived in Puerto Rico as a kid, and we had these hawkers passing through all day long. They made up the words as needed. They melodies were usually catchy and oh, did they have beautiful voices!

A similar tradition was that local musicians would gather on the corner and sing about the news of the neighborhood. This developed into the styles known as _Bomba_ and _Plena_. When these guys got transplanted to New York City in the 70s, it evolved into salsa and rap.

Flatfoot sez: Call me when 'Talent-in-a-Box' is ready to ship! -- [8{>

Got some tunes on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/flatfoot50
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My BiaB lesson site:
http://jdwolfe0.wixsite.com/learnbiab