So Larry Constantine,
Knight Bachelor,
Black Prince from the British Empire,
Cricket was his life and
through the game,
This grandson of a slave
won great fame.
Born in Trinidad in all humility,
He rose to the ranks of high degree.
Larry, Larry, Constantine
Larry,
An ever boldly body liner,
Honesty and integrity,
Are the sum total of Sir Larry.
So varied and distinguished
was his career,
Cricketer, dynamic and debonair,
Called to the degree of the Uttambara,
He later became High Commissioner,
Sportsman, Politician and Diplomat.
On the Race Relations Board
he calls House that.
Larry, Larry Constantine,
Larry never pulled a body line.
By his efforts he paves the way,
He points this night to a
new day.
West Indies has produced
many cricketers
Deadly were all Walcott,
Weeks and Sobers
And many others too numerous to name
Who likewise have achieved acclaim
Those widely sung little pals of mine
But none quite like Larry Constantine
Larry, Larry Constantine
Larry, an ever boldly body line
Every match he gave his best,
whether Lancashire League
or Oval Test.
When he first encountered
racial prejudice,
the loaded dice of injustice,
The root causes of which he
was well aware,
were insecurity,
ignorance and fear.
Neither biology or history
support notions of innate
supremacy.
Lavey, Lavey, Constantine
Lavey
A never pouty body liner
Honesty and integrity
Are the sum total of Sir Lavey