Mark John, better known as Contender, is poised to return to the Queen's Park Savannah stage in Port of Spain for the Calypso Monarch competition this Carnival season, with his 2012 hit "In the Zoo".

Taking its cue from a statement made by Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs during the State of Emergency last year, John answers the question, "Who's who in the zoo?" with the refrain that there are "only African lions in the zoo". The witty lyrics note that the zoo does not house polar bears, pandas or kangaroos, and only a "Bengal tiger or two".  

"In the Zoo" has hit the airwaves and can be heard on all major radio stations, according to John. He also says the song has only received positive responses and was a hit at the opening night of the Trinbago Unified Calypso Organisation's (TUCO) Klassic Russo Calypso Tent on January 20.

"The season is shaping up to be a very great one. It's very promising. The opening night, that was the song. The way people accepted it, I got double encores based on the concept of the song. It has a call-and-answer melody, so the crowd was totally involved. All I've been getting is positive comments about how far the song will reach. People are rating the song as a Dimanche Gras song," says John. According to the calypsonian, fans have given such praise as calling "In the Zoo" the "people's calypso" or referring to him as the "vehicle" through which important messages are passed.  

John hopes to make a second attempt in his 47-year-long career at receiving the National Calypso Monarch title.

"In 2009, after 45 years in the calypso arena, was the first time that I went to Dimanche Gras, and people are saying, "Boy, this is the second time you going to the Savannah," he says.

The song that took him to the finals in 2009 was "Yuh Cyah Buy an Extempo."

Victory in this year's competition would be a third title for John, who won the National Junior Monarch competitions in 1966 and 1967.  

For 2012, John says he had initially penned another song entitled "Twenty How Much", which also focused on issues related to the Government but was inspired by fellow calypsonian William Banister, better known as Dr Will B at their weekly calypso workshop, along with calypsonian Kaiso Mark.

He says the lyrics are self-explanatory. "The song says it all. It is a running commentary of events as they unfolded during the State of Emergency."

John says humorous social commentary is his forte and notes the popular songs he has performed over the years: "East Mourings", "Calypso Quiz", "Let the War Continue" and "Now Talk."

"Over the years, I've been known for humour. The way I approach most of my songs is as social commentary but laced with humour. I always feel that when you put sarcasm, and humorous sarcasm at that, into a song, it flavours it with humour. So I have a number of songs that are very serious, but it's like giving somebody medicine and flavouring that bitter taste with something sweet. I take serious topics and relate it to the people."  

He also believes that "In the Zoo" is important for its capacity to "record history and in a particular kind of way. This SoE will be recorded in history, and people down the road will know that at some point in time, somebody wanted to know who was who in the zoo, and this was written.

"Fifty years from now, people could analyse this. They might be able to pull from it certain information. That is what kaiso is," he says, adding he has recently been asked permission to use lines from a song he wrote 30 years ago for an upcoming book on the history of Trinidad and Tobago. John said he hardly remembered the song, but it dealt with his personal views of society and remains relevant.

While calypsoes about the State of Emergency are on trend in calypso tents, John says his song is different in the methodology he employed to get his point across.

"What makes my song unique is the way I capture it. That is what creates the impact of the song. It's not offensive, per se."

John also cites his costuming as another unique aspect to his performance. For opening night, John wore a costume depicting the African lions in the song, with tears coming down the lion's eyes. He also wore a commissioner's hat.

Mark John is the chairman of TUCO North Zone.