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Now we're just left wondering what's a "sleng teng". Teng is maybe "thing", so we're left with what's "sleng". Searching for it I'm corrected to "slang", and if

Now we're just left wondering what's a "sleng teng". Teng is maybe "thing", so we're left with what's "sleng". Searching for it I'm corrected to "slang", and if I force "sleng" then all I can find is the song itself.

wzy 5y ago
It's just a euphemism for marijuana. "Unda mi sleng teng" is being under the influence of marijuana.
- Cockbrand 5y ago
  See also Barrington Levy's "Under mi Sensi", with the same riddim played on actual drums and bass: https://youtu.be/yFEvdWHK7GA https://youtu.be/yFEvdWHK7GA
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  Lots of reggae/ragga is slang for ganja. But not all. So quite offtopic, but it reminds me of a related topic, but not as funny or peaceful. In my youth, this song was popular in the clubs we went TOK - chi chi man https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrhfXjIEvY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrhfXjIEvY We loved it. Very energetic. (my body still wants to dance hearing that riddim) It was much later, that I learned, what "chi chi man" and "bun them" means. Burn the homosexuals. To which the artists say, it is only meant in a metaphorical, spiritual fire. Burn the filthy, gay thoughts. But since gay people get murdered and burned for real in jamaica, I cannot really enjoy it anymore. (but I did enjoy the dark humor a bit, witnessing real homosexuals sing and dance to that song, while still being ignorant of its meaning)
  - npteljes 5y ago
    Very good story, thanks for sharing. There's dissonance in every culture and we must take a good look at things like this, if we want to understand our human nature.
  - tinco 5y ago
    Oh no way.. we danced so much to that song. Thanks for teaching me that even though it makes me sad. I would totally randomly put it on to liven up a party.
pishpash 5y ago
If "teng" is "thing" then "sleng" has to be "sling"? Sling thing? This [1] gives the definition as marijuana cigarette, so semantically it checks out. [1] http://wiwords.com/word/sleng-teng http://wiwords.com/word/sleng-teng

wzy 5y ago

It's just a euphemism for marijuana. "Unda mi sleng teng" is being under the influence of marijuana.

Cockbrand 5y ago
See also Barrington Levy's "Under mi Sensi", with the same riddim played on actual drums and bass: https://youtu.be/yFEvdWHK7GA https://youtu.be/yFEvdWHK7GA
hutzlibu 5y ago
Lots of reggae/ragga is slang for ganja. But not all. So quite offtopic, but it reminds me of a related topic, but not as funny or peaceful. In my youth, this song was popular in the clubs we went TOK - chi chi man https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrhfXjIEvY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrhfXjIEvY We loved it. Very energetic. (my body still wants to dance hearing that riddim) It was much later, that I learned, what "chi chi man" and "bun them" means. Burn the homosexuals. To which the artists say, it is only meant in a metaphorical, spiritual fire. Burn the filthy, gay thoughts. But since gay people get murdered and burned for real in jamaica, I cannot really enjoy it anymore. (but I did enjoy the dark humor a bit, witnessing real homosexuals sing and dance to that song, while still being ignorant of its meaning)
- npteljes 5y ago
  Very good story, thanks for sharing. There's dissonance in every culture and we must take a good look at things like this, if we want to understand our human nature.
- tinco 5y ago
  Oh no way.. we danced so much to that song. Thanks for teaching me that even though it makes me sad. I would totally randomly put it on to liven up a party.

pishpash 5y ago

If "teng" is "thing" then "sleng" has to be "sling"? Sling thing? This [1] gives the definition as marijuana cigarette, so semantically it checks out. [1] http://wiwords.com/word/sleng-teng http://wiwords.com/word/sleng-teng