The Meaning of the Word "Gwine"The word "gwine" comes from Reggea-speak and is a contraction of the words "going on". For example, if someone were to come up to you and ask "Wha' be gwine?", you would answer "Nootteen' mooch, mon!" and you would have completed a friendly exchange. (The same goes for "wha'pnin?", which is a contraction of the words "what's happening".) Oscar first introduced this concept to the band when he would call out Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" as "Wha' Be Gwine" and we would have to figure out what he was talking about. As we began to appreciate the significance of this new word, we started to expand its usage to other words such as "gone" or "go 'round". Some examples are more eloquent than others, while some can be a real stretch! So take another look at the Gwine Medley and you should now be able to translate these titles to the actual songs that The Oscar Polk Band plays. We also encourage listeners to come up with their own uses for the word "gwine". You will be a richer person for it and if you come up with any particularly good ones for a given song title that the band plays, let us know and it may find its way into The (Ever Expanding)Gwine Medley!
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