Tief frum Tief, God Laff

“Tief frum Tief, God Laff.” This is an old one from Jamaica. “Steal from a thief and God will laugh.” I would hear my mother and my grandmother say this when someone wicked got their comeuppance. “They wicked bad,” they would say. Some people say the person had “bad mind,” meaning they always think and act poorly. So the turnaround is now just. Hilarious even. Eventually we all have to pay for our actions, and in this case the “thief” got just what they deserved in a beautiful balance—they lost just in the same way they took from others.. The reason they say this is because you should expect no pity for your suffering, since even God see the humor in it.

You cheat and then your lover cheats on you? Tief frum tief, God laff. You spread rumors and bad mouth and now them a bad mouth yuh? Tief frum tief, God laff. It’s a warning. Whatever bad mind you have it go return pon yuh. When it returns, no one will feel any piece of sympathy.

It’s a scary one, for sure, but I understand its importance. I hope I always think on my actions and how they affect others. I try to not live “bad minded.” I won’t tief yuh so nuh tief me.