Íčko, Íčko, god is watching

14.10.2015 - EB

The Mardi Gras classic "Iko Iko" is a call-and-response chant about a clash between two Indian tribes in the traditional New Orleans parade. When the "spy boy" of one tribe spots the "flag boy" of the other, he threatens to "set the flag on fire." When Dr. John sings "Iko Iko unday," which can be translated as "I'm going, I'm going, and god is watching," he follows it with "I'm gonna set your tail on fire." This is the version Ivan Íčko Langer and Andrej Bureš Babiš are singing. They were so close once that Babiš attended Langer's wedding, but Íčko now calls Bureš the biggest threat to freedom since Nov. 1989. Yesterday's raids against Langer et al. probably can't be attributed directly to Babiš's spy boys, but just like the raids on ODS that brought down Petr Nečas, they certainly help clear out some of the little Indians and leave more of the plunder for Babiš and the big chiefs. In an atheist country, they're often the only gods doing the watching.

Glossary of difficult words

chant - a repeated rhythmic phrase, typically one shouted or sung in unison by a crowd;

to spot - to catch sight of;

tail - one's rear end; buttocks;

plunder - property acquired illegally and violently.



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