While its roots are in heavy labor, the song has achieved massive recognition through modern media:
: It is famously featured in the dinner party possession scene in Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice .
: Released in 1956, it was the opening track of his album Calypso , the first record by a solo artist to sell over a million copies. Harry Belafonte- Day-O Lyrics Video
The lyrics capture the reality of Jamaican dockworkers who labored through the night loading heavy banana bunches onto ships.
: The "Mister Tally Man" was a real figure who inventoried the load; workers could only leave once he had finished counting their tally. While its roots are in heavy labor, the
: References to "hidey deadly black tarantula" were literal warnings about venomous spiders often found in the banana bunches. Cultural Significance
: The song gained a new generation of fans when its "six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch" line was sampled by Lil Wayne in his 2011 hit "6 Foot 7 Foot". : The "Mister Tally Man" was a real
: The traditional call-and-response style used in the song served to build community and synchronize the rhythm of labor among workers. Pop Culture Legacy