Information About "Ballin' The Jack" (Railroad Term, African American Dance, & Song Lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series on the American dance "ballin the jack".

Part I provides information about the railroad term "ballin' the jack" and the African American originated dance with that name. Part I also provides examples of some early 20th century songs that include the phrase "ballin the jack".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/08/youtube-sound-files-video-examples-of.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases four sound files & videos of Jazz compositions entitled "Ballin The Jack". Part II also showcases a 1914 film clip of Black Americans dancing in a nightclub. That film clip is dubbed with a "Ballin' The Jack" Jazz composition. Part II also showcases two movie clips that feature a "Ballin The Jack" song and dance performance.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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EXCERPTS ABOUT "BALLIN THE JACK"
These excerpts are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3balin.htm
Ballin the Jack
"Ballin' the Jack is basically just a sensual, gyration dance with bumps and grinds. Notorious in its day, it was done as a solo dance or along with swing dancing. It's first public appearance was in 1913 at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem, the play was called "The Darktown Follies" produced by Leubrie Hill in the first act called "At The Ball, That's All." Florence Ziegfeld loved it so much he purchased the rights and used it in his Follies of 1913.

In 1913 dancer and composer Chris Smith wrote the song titled "Ballin' The Jack," based on a Negro song that was becoming a dance fad across the nation with white America. Most people think of Ballin' the Jack as a swing variant such as the Big Apple and Truckin'. However in the early 1900's, it was a dance all in its own. When it merged with the Lindy Hop, it lost most of its original form and became just a sidekick to swing dance such as pictured on left.

There are stories that 'Ballin' the Jack' was sung by the African-Americans while laying rail for the rail road companies in the 1890's. The "Jack" was a common name for a locomotive (the jackass carrying the load), and Ballin' was the trainmen's hand gestures to 'Highball it' or "High Balling" which means, "faster or to have fun." a side note:
The vintage 'Little Wonder Records' had the title of 'Ballin' The Jack' in 1909. The last patent date listed on the record is 11/30/1909.

Ballin The Jack dance:
Birth Place USA
Creation Date(song: 1909/1913) | (dance: c.1899)
Creator African-Americans
Dance Type: Swing

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Excerpt #2
From https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/darktown-follies-lafayette-theatre-harlem-1913
"Darktown Follies (Lafayette Theatre, Harlem, 1913) By Templeton, Melissa; 09/05/2016
"One of the earliest large-scale musical revues to be created and performed by an all-Black cast, Darktown Follies premiered in 1913 at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. Darktown Follies exhibited qualities common to minstrel shows of the period with its episodic musical numbers and large group finale. The plot, however, focussed on a romantic storyline between two Black characters, which was rarely seen in minstrel performances. Darktown Follies introduced dances, like Ballin’ the Jack (which would eventually become a popular dance on Broadway) and the Texas Tommy (a predecessor of the lindy hop) to the New York stage. Darktown Follies helped launch a trend of White artists traveling to Harlem in search of new material for their own productions. The show foreshadowed the development Black musicals like Shuffle Along (1921) and was an important precursor to the artistic renaissance that would define Black modernism in Harlem of the 1920s and 1930s."

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Excerpt #3
From http://nkaa.uky.edu/record.php?note_id=1743
My Friend from Kentucky (Darktown Follies)
Start Year : 1913
"The Darktown Follies in "My Friend from Kentucky" was a three act comedy that was produced and initially staged in Harlem by J. Leubrie Hill. The production had been previously named "My Friend from Dixie" and it would go through a series of title and content changes before finally becoming known as Darktown Follies. The show is remembered for the dancing, unlike anything that had been witnessed on Broadway, and it had great drawing power that brought whites into Harlem at night. The production would eventually be moved downtown and performed for white audiences. One of the main characters is Bill Simmons, a businessman from Kentucky, who convinces character Jim Jackson Lee that for a fee he can leave his wife and her father's Virginia plantation (an African American-owned plantation) for a better life and a newer wife in Washington, D.C. For more see "The Darktown Follies" in A Century of Musicals in Black and White, by B. L. Peterson; and Steppin' On the Blues, by J. Malone.
Subjects: Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Kentucky"

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Excrpt #4:
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=1948 "ballin the jack"

[Pancocojams Editor's note:This compilation highlights Selected comments from that post on that online folk music forum. These comments are in response to a request for lyrics for the song "Ballin The Jack". I've numbered these comments for referencing purposes only.]

1. RE: Ballin' the Jack
From: [Gene]
Date: 20 Jun 97 - 12:33 AM

"The following songs refer to BALLin’ the Jack...Perhaps it is one of them...and there’s at least one more I know of.
BRINGIN’ IN THE GEORGIA MAIL
Words and music by Fred Rose

See that engine puffin’, boy she’s making time
That old train’s a going off the rail
Heading for the mountain that she’s got to climb
Bringin’ in the Georgia mail.

Ninety miles an hour and she’s gaining speed
Just listen to that whistle moan and wail
Has she got the power, I say yes indeed
Bringin’ in the Georgia mail.

See the driver scramble, watch it spin the track
They ought to put that engineer in jail
Has he got her rolling, watch her ball the jack
Bringin’ in the Georgia mail.

Rocking and a rolling, spouting off the steam
Stoke the fire and hope the brakes don’t fail
Serving all the people, listen to her scream
Bringin’ in the Georgia mail.

Or this one: CHOO CHOO CH BOOGIE

Gonna settle down by the railroad track
And live the life of Reilly in a beaten down shack
So when I hear a whistle I can peep through the crack
And watch the train a-rollin’ when she’s ballin’ the jack...

Or this one circa the 40’s?

First you put your two knees close up tight,
Then you swing them to the left and swing ‘em to the right,
Then you dance around and dance around with all of your might
Take you loving baby close up tight
And you hug her, hug her, hug her with all of your might
Then you swing her out, and pull her back
And that’s what I call ‘ballin' the jack’!"

-Gene
-snip-
That blogger used bold font in this comment and in his next comment.

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2. RE: Ballin' the Jack
From: [Gene]
Date: 20 Jun 97 - 11:31 AM

"also-"Wanderin"
"My daddy is an engineer
My brother drives a hack
My mother takse in washin'
And the baby balls the jack.......etc.." "

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Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WANDERING
From: Will
Date: 24 Jun 97 - 07:52 PM

""Wandering" is in Rise Up Singing, credited as traditional and arranged by Sammy Kaye.
Nice song. Now, could someone tell us what "balling the jack" is?
C Em
My daddy is an engineer, my brother drives a hack
F G
My sister takes in washing and the baby balls the jack
C Am F G C
And it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wandering.

My daddy longs to see me home, my brother'd share his bed
My sister longs for me to have a roof above my head
And it looks ...

I've been wandering early and late
From Singapore to the Golden Gate
And it looks ...

I've worked on freighters and I've worked on a farm
And what I've got to show for it is muscles in my arm
And it looks ...

There's snakes on the mountain and eels in the sea
I let a red-headed woman make a fool out of me
And it looks ..."

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3. Subject: Lyr Add: BALLIN’ THE JACK (Jim Burris, C Smith)
From: Gene
Date: 14 Aug 97 - 07:12 PM

"Ran across this version of Ballin’ The Jack awhile back...

BALLIN' THE JACK
Words by Jim Burris; Music by Chris Smith
New York: Jos. W. Stern & Co., 1913.

1. Folks in Georgia's 'bout to go insane
Since that new dance down in Georgia came.
I'm the only person who's to blame.
I'm the party introduced it there,
So, give me credit to know a thing or two.
Give me credit for springing something new.
I will show this little dance to you.
When I do you'll say that it's a bear.

CHORUS: First you put your two knees close up tight,
Then you sway 'em to the left, then you sway 'em to the right.
Step around the floor kind of nice and light,
Then you twis' around and twis' around with all your might.
Stretch your lovin' arms straight out in space,
Then you do the Eagle Rock with style and grace.
Swing your foot way 'round then bring it back.
Now that's what I call "Ballin' the Jack."

2. It's being done at all the cabarets.
All society now has got the craze.
It's the best dance done in modern days.
That is why I rave about it so.
Play some good "rag" that will make you prance.
Old folks, young folks, all try to do the dance.
Join right in now while you got the chance.
Once again the steps to you I'll show.


Featured in the movie: THAT’S MY BOY! with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis."

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4. RE: Ballin' the Jack
From: Whip
Date: 15 Aug 97 - 02:28 PM

"There were a number of popular dances in the 19-'teens and '20s that originated in the black community and were commandeered (sp?) by white socialites. The eagle rock was one, as were the buzzard lope and the black bottom. Not sure if the Charleston started out black or not.
Most of them were considered "not nice" by Mrs. Grundy and crew."

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5. Subject: RE: Ballin' the Jack
From: Jon W.
Date: 18 Aug 97 - 01:12 PM

"I've heard of the eagle rock in a few old blues/ragtime/boogie songs from the 30's. And Ballin' the Jack was referred to in a Chuck Berry song - I don't remember the title, something about school days. The line was "we were balling the jack, but were all back in place when the teacher got back."
As for trains, could it refer to the governor mechanism on a steam locomotive? There were two steel balls on a centrifuge-type mechanism. When the balls swung out to a preset point (controlled by the engineer) by centrifugal force, it would automatically decrease the power, thus maintaining a constant speed. I believe the expression "Balls to the wall" meaning full speed came from this."

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6. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 06:49 PM

"I expected to find that the expression "balling the jack" was older than the song, but I failed to find any examples. The closest I could get was this: from The Freeman, an Illustrated Colored Newspaper, December 20, 1913, page 12:

ANNUAL STAGE REVIEW
The Parliament of Intellect as a Lost Cause in a Valley of Imbecility
Immoral Sarcasm—Managers and Alliances—Colored Shows
The Southern Situation—Picture Houses—Artists Illustrated
. . .
Cost of Slang and Immoral Dances

There is no cost so dear as the price of slang and immorality seen enacted upon the stage by brazen, illegitimate performers, who vaguely think the applause of a few noisy rowdies is an endorsement that will meet the approval of managers who forfeit their pride and disregard the welfare of children for the sake of revenue only. The actor who swears too much is a nuisance. Some theaters don't allow it at all. But when it comes to smutty slang managers should not allow it: actors should be watched and chided and the limit of the law regarded. Stories that suggest ill repute are especially offensive. It is quite the same with suggestive dances. The shivering bodice, twitching of the shoulders, centralized emotion and balling the jack are all sufficient reason for the revoking of any manager's license.

[Note: the song BALLIN' THE JACK was published in October, 1913, only a couple of months before this article was published. The writer doesn't explain the expression "balling the jack"—he assumes his readers already know what it means, and that they understand why he considers it obscene.

[Furthermore, it is hard to believe that anyone would consider the song obscene, or the movements described in the song. Am I justified in concluding that the original meaning of "balling the jack" must have been something quite different from what is described in the song?—and that the song somewhat sanitized the concept of "balling the jack"?—JD.]"

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7. Subject: RE: Ballin' the Jack
From: Jon W.
Date: 18 Aug 97 - 01:12 PM

"I've heard of the eagle rock in a few old blues/ragtime/boogie songs from the 30's. And Ballin' the Jack was referred to in a Chuck Berry song - I don't remember the title, something about school days. The line was "we were balling the jack, but were all back in place when the teacher got back."

As for trains, could it refer to the governor mechanism on a steam locomotive? There were two steel balls on a centrifuge-type mechanism. When the balls swung out to a preset point (controlled by the engineer) by centrifugal force, it would automatically decrease the power, thus maintaining a constant speed. I believe the expression "Balls to the wall" meaning full speed came from this.

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8. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 07:02 PM

From The Atlanta Constitution, December 4, 1917, page 3:

Actresses Go Free After Girl Shows Dance to Recorder
It Was a "Naughty Little Wiggle," According to Assistant Chief Jett, So Judge Johnson Orders Demonstration.

... the attorney for the defense, called upon the leading lady to show the judge a sample of the dance which he stated was called "Balling the Jack." ...

[Unfortunately, you can't see more of the article without paying a fee.]

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9. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 08:14 PM

"J. E. Lighter, Historical Dictionary of American Slang

Ball the jack. 1. To go fast (said esp. of a railroad train), make haste; hence to run away.
"1913 quot. from a well-known ragtime song gave the phrase wide currency and ref. specifically to the performance of a dance step presumably introduced by the song: whether the phrase itself was coined at the same time is uncertain.
"1913 Burris and Chris Smith song "Now that's what I call 'ballin' the jack'."
"1914, in Handy, Blues Treasury Said a black headed gal make a freight train jump the track / But a long tall gal makes a preacher ball the jack.
"1918 Niles Singing Soldiers I come to France to make de Kaiser ball de jack." "

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10. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 08:37 PM

" Originally a railroad term.

"Balling the jack (High Balling the Jack)
Giving a proceed signal to a locomotive (see High Ball, Jack) a series of proceed signals allows a train to make sufficient speed to maintain a schedule".
A Book of Railroad Terms, W. E. Bill Wood.

"Highball- Signal made by waving hand or lamp in a high, wide semicircle, meaning "Come ahead" or "Leave town" or "Pick up full speed." Verb highball or phrase ball the jack means to make a fast run. Word highball originated from old-time ball signal on post, raised aloft by pully when track was clear. A very few of these are still in service, in New England and elsewhere."

http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/glossary1.html"

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11. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Tinker
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 09:23 PM

"Here is another definition
http://www.slangcity.com/ask_ac_archive/balling%20_the_%20jack.htm

Dear Slang City:

1. What does "balling the jack" mean and what is its origin? I hope it's not gross......
To answer your first question…you can find later uses of the expression [ballin the jack] where it has a sexual meaning, similar to "balling" (having sex). For example, in the 1940s, blues artist Big Bill Broonzy sang:

My baby's coming home.
I hope that she won't fail because I feel so good, I feel so good.
You know I feel so good, feel like balling the jack.

Well, he could be talking about dancing… but maybe not.
11.14.05
More information on the railway origins from Steve, who says
"Believe it or not I was looking for "balling the jack" after listening to my new Hobart Smith record. He sings the Broonzy tune you quoted and there's no doubt what he meant there :-). But I think the phrase has it's origins in how men worked on the railway. Hobart does another song with the lines "Balling the jack, lining track / You can't shovel no more" and the liner notes say it comes from railroad section gangs in the early 1870's. Now if you look up railway know-how on http://madisonrails.railfan.net/lewman10.html you will see that to fix a crooked rail you had one person sit on the track and site along it to see where it needed to be straightened (lining the track), then two men would put jacks at an angle against the inside ball of the rail and lever it until it was straight. Then you had to shovel ballast back in under the ties and tamp it down. The ball of the rail is the curved part going up to the flattened surface on top of the rail. The jack had a groove across the top that fit against the ball so it wouldn't slip off." "

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12. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 07:11 AM

" Re: Eagle Rock.
In Leadbelly's Titanic he refers to Jack Johnson doing the Eagle Rock when he realises that the racial prejudice that stopped him boarding probably saved his life. So many obscure dances seem only to survive in their introductory song (ie Locomotion), this one seems to have got into several."

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13. Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Ballin' the Jack (J Burris, C Smith)
From: GUEST,dpblais1
Date: 23 Jun 12 - 03:06 PM

"Memphis slim (who worked with bill broonzy) did a version of ballin the jack which I discovered on a bootleg cassette tape in Singapore when I was in the Navy. Not sure which album it came from but it has some of the same lyrics attributed to the Broonzy version referenced in previous post on this thread."

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