"CAN'T TAN PON IT LONG.....NAW EAT NO YAM...NO STEAM FISH....NOR NO GREEN BANANA BUT DOWN IN JAMAICA WE GIVE IT TO YOU HOT LIKE A SAUNA"
About this Quote
The food list is doing double duty. “Yam,” “steam fish,” “green banana” are everyday staples that outsiders might stereotype as quaint, “island” comfort. Sean Paul flips them into a kind of anti-menu: not the sanitized, all-inclusive resort plate, but a refusal to reduce Jamaica to consumable exotica. It’s a flex, but also a warning: if you came for a postcard fantasy, you’re going to be confronted with something louder, faster, and less interested in your approval.
The specific intent is hype - a performance of heat, stamina, and authenticity designed for the dancehall circuit and the global pop audience peeking in. The subtext is about control: whose language gets to be “normal,” whose culture gets translated, and who has to do the translating. By keeping the patois intact, he makes the listener do a bit of work, and that friction is part of the pleasure. The track isn’t inviting you to Jamaica; it’s reminding you Jamaica already has its own temperature.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Paul, Sean. (n.d.). CAN'T TAN PON IT LONG.....NAW EAT NO YAM...NO STEAM FISH....NOR NO GREEN BANANA BUT DOWN IN JAMAICA WE GIVE IT TO YOU HOT LIKE A SAUNA. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/cant-tan-pon-it-longnaw-eat-no-yamno-steam-183874/
Chicago Style
Paul, Sean. "CAN'T TAN PON IT LONG.....NAW EAT NO YAM...NO STEAM FISH....NOR NO GREEN BANANA BUT DOWN IN JAMAICA WE GIVE IT TO YOU HOT LIKE A SAUNA." FixQuotes. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/cant-tan-pon-it-longnaw-eat-no-yamno-steam-183874/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"CAN'T TAN PON IT LONG.....NAW EAT NO YAM...NO STEAM FISH....NOR NO GREEN BANANA BUT DOWN IN JAMAICA WE GIVE IT TO YOU HOT LIKE A SAUNA." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/cant-tan-pon-it-longnaw-eat-no-yamno-steam-183874/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.






