-------- Q #1 Incidentally, I believe that the chorus is a parody of Mexican or pseudo-Mexican songs, like La Cucaracha or South of the Border, and so should be spelled Ay ay ay ay.
Cecil:
The "Aiyy" songs series have their roots in an Optometrists' Conference held in April 1968 in Colva. After a day of heavy drinking, sponsored by pharmacy companies, they organised a competition to find all songs that have the 'eye' sound very prominently. The prize winning team was from Kerala and hence the name "Aiyy" series although it is pronounced 'eye'. In certain Anglo-Indian dominated sections of Calcutta the same songs are called the "Aye" songs series. So the spelling may differ from region to region but the pronunciation remains the same 'eye".
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Q#2 When in Britto's, I sang "In Goa they do it with bamboos. The bamboos are long, and vee-ry prolonged."
Cecil:
Britto's boys were not renowned for their song writing talents. Hence the extension of the word "very" into "vee-ry" instead of "ve-rrry" where the emphasis and dragging should be on the first half of the second syllable. This gaffe in song writing would not have occurred in St. Thomas School in Aldona which was known to produce multi-talented students, and songwriting legends, unlike St. Britto's.
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Q#3 Isn't the original song got to do with some mountains and suchlike?
Cecil:
Well in certain sections of Bardez, predominantly among students of St. Britto's, St. Mary's and St. Xavier's, there are those who mix the "Aiyy" series with the "She" series of Goan Picnic Songs.
The "She" series in English are best exemplified by the classic song "Coming Down the Mountain"
"She'll be coming down the mountain when she comes, She'll be coming down the mountain when she comes, She'll be coming down the mountain, She'll be coming down the mountain, She'll be coming down the mountain when she comes"
Singing Aiyy Yayy Yippee Yippee...."
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In Konkani the "She" series has its best example in the song "Yettolo Ghara"
"Amado podla dhanv go yetollo ghara Amado podla dhanv go yetollo ghara Younvnee ghara, yetollo ghara, Younvnee ghara...."
This is normally followed by a vulgar sung suggestion to the "she" to remain undressed at home in preparation for her husband's arrival. Along with the sexual overtones of the previous 'She'll be coming" song and similar 'She' series songs, my research shows that these politically incorrect songs served as a ritual passage from young adulthood to not-so-young adulthood and were often used as teaching devices rather than just for purpose of ridicule of the fairer sex. Notice also the clever reference to 'yonee' in the Konkani version.
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I will be glad to answer any further questions of Goan Party and Picnic Songs.
For more information please refer to my book "Goan Party and Picnic Songs - Post Liberation to Present"
Cecil
P.S.
T-Series Cassettes and CDs have no connection with any of the above song series.
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