Meaning
The cargo ship that carried Jamaica's bananas across the sea to markets abroad — the heart of the island's great banana trade. Dockworkers loaded the green banana bunches through the night, a labour immortalised in the folk song 'Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)': 'come, mister tally-man, tally me banana; daylight come an mi wan' go home'.
Examples
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Dem load banana pon di banana boat all night.
They loaded bananas onto the banana boat all night.
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Di banana boat sail fi England wid di fruit.
The banana boat sailed for England with the fruit.
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'Daylight come an mi wan' go home' — di banana boat song.
'Daylight come and I want to go home' — the banana boat song.
Origin
From 'banana' + 'boat'; the fruit-export ships central to Jamaica's banana trade and the 'Day-O' song. See [[banana-trash]], [[higgler]].
How it’s used
The banana-export cargo ship; famous from the 'Day-O' loading song. See [[banana-trash]].