Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides twenty-five selected comments from a YouTube viewer comment thread about George W. Johnson's 1891 recording "The Whistling Coon".
This post also includes a soundfile of a 1902 Victor recording of "The Whistling Coon" by George W. Johnson.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
The selected comments are from "George Johnson - The Whistling Coon - 1891 (The first recording by an African-American)" which was uploaded Feb 2, 2009 by raresoulcom - embedding disabled by request http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVYHSlEssYY&list=RD6VtHBkV2dew
Hat tip to raresoulcom for posting the sound file and a lengthy summary about George W. Johnson and that song. An excerpt of that statement is presented below. Hat tip also to malkieshort for posting verses of the lyrics to that song in that viewer comment thread. Thanks also to victrolaman for publishing the 1902 recording of "The Whistling Coon" by George W. Johnson and thanks to Jim Dixon for transcribing the words to "The Happy Whistling Coon" and posting those lyrics on the Mudcat Cafe discussion thread whose hyperlink is given below.
I'm reposting these comments, in part, because I believe that some YouTube viewer comments can be interesting, informative, and worthy of archiving in & of themselves. I'm also reposting these comments on this blog because I want to help raise awareness about this record and I want to read about this record without wading through comments that contain profanity, racist language, racial arguments, remarks about contemporary music, and other problematic and/or extraneous content.
This compilation isn't meant to represent all of what I consider to be on-topic comments from that discussion thread. For instance, I haven't included comments that provide biographical information about George W. Johnson, and I haven't ncluded most of the comments that thank the uploader of that sound file for publishing it on YouTube.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Johnson for information about George Washington Johnson (c. October 1846 – January 23, 1914).
Also, click 1http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=47100#3256251 for the lyrics of this song which were transcribed and posted on that folk music forum by Jim Dixon. As per the Library Of Congress, the words to "The Happy Whistling Coon" were written by Sam Devere and the music was composed by Sam Raeburn. The song was published in Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., ©1889. Both Devere and Raeburn were White Americans.
****
FEATURED EXAMPLE: The Whistling Coon - George W. Johnson - Victor Grand Prize Record 1902
victrolaman, Uploaded on Sep 17, 2009
Here is the first African American to sing on Record, George W. Johnson and his famous song the Whistling Coon, from 1902 on Victor Record
****
EXCERPT OF THE SUMMARY PUBLISHED BY raresoulcom
"George Johnson's song Whistling Coon was one of the most popular of the Coon songs of the 1850-90s. While the records and the imagery that goes along with them are offensive, these are pioneering African-American recordings and songs. There are a number of virtually lost African-American songwriters from this period who tend to be left out of the Great American Song Book. Virtually none of these recordings are available today, although at one point 1 in 15 new records released by the major phonograph companies (Edison, Victor, Columbia) were coon music."...
STATISTICS REGARDING THAT SOUND FILE PAGE
As of 8:00 A.M. ET, November 30, 2013, there were 133,419 page views to the sound file of "The Whistling Coon" that was uploaded by raresoulcom. At that same date & time there were 337 comments [not counting my comment informing readers about this pancocojams post.]
FORMAT USED FOR RE-POSTING THESE COMMENTS
All of these selected comments are grouped according to the year that they were posted. These comments are presented in chronological order with the oldest year's comments presented first. In one case, I added a correction about information that was given in that comment. For referencing purposes, sequential numbers have been assigned to these comments.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions of these commenters are their own and may not be the same as my opinions.
SELECTED COMMENTS
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVYHSlEssYY&list=RD6VtHBkV2dew
[2009]
1. SeanElGatoTelevision
"Nearly all recordings from this era were made on Edison cylinders and the only way to mass-produce recordings in this early format was as you describe: one at a time, ON THE SPOT and sung and played perfectly each time. The more familiar disc record had been invented just four years earlier in Germany but wouldn't be introduced for another four years in America."
**
2. Neurozumim
"Forgot to say the [George W. Johnson] major hit was The Laughing Song. That record outsold any other in the early days."
[2010]
3. fnersch
"For those interested in African American contributions to recorded music in the early years get the 2 CD set on Archeophone: Lost Sounds-Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922."
**
4. ferociousgumby
"I LOVE old sound recordings. They're spooky time machines that pull you back into another era. And yes, it was another time, with very different attitudes, that allowed a title like this, but those were the standards of the era.. Sound recording has improved just a tad, and so have our attitudes, I hope."
**
5. Lumotaku
"One things for sure this guy can whistle. I hate when people from the present keep trying to force their beleifs and assumptions on the past. It was a different time you would have to live there to actually know the people. the whole idea of studying the past is to see what we can lean from it not blanket condemn after all if these people didn;t exist none of us would be here."
**
[2012]
6. sauroid1
"The rascist aspects of course are offensive, yet this slice of American history is just a gem. To think that my great grandparents were young adults when this was recorded and that they probably knew of his work is just astounding. What a treasure, sad that most of Mr. Johnson's work is lost. I bet he did a lot of stage work also. 50,000 records sold for one of his songs must have been like a smash hit today. Thanks raresoulcom for sharing this."
**
7. Samoh Kul
"The first Black EVER recorded in history. They didn't know how to make duplicates back then. What you are hearing is a MASTER COPY. He made as many as 50 recordings a day - individually, with as many recording cones as possible close to his mouth. Singing the song over and over and over again. Some of his recordings sold as many as 50,000 copies - that's 50,000 originals."
**
8. clay pendleton
in reply to Samoh Kul
"Yes, this is a very important recording in the history of recorded music in general but even more so that it is the first known solo recording of a black singer. Although, there are a couple minstrel show wax cylinders featuring black artists that may be a bit earlier."
**
9. playerpianogal
in reply to clay pendleton
"I have a couple of those earlier wax cylinders, but still haven't repaired my cylinder player. As far as the song, it's a part of our history and is a reminder of how far we've come."
**
10. ronaldinhollew
"This is superb. Like one of the top comments said, it is like going back in time, because you never expect to find things like these. It's outstanding! The title just shows how far we've come."
**
11. vulnaviadraco
"How nice that someone has saved these early recordings. They are historical works regardless of their content and losing them would be disastrous.
**
12. Shylok Dread
"@liferasta1 interesting, a good post & of historical importance to african americans & politically correct people in general, p.s, i posted this in a facebook group about the history of black music but this has partly led to me being banned from the group, with me being branded as racist by white folks no less :/"
**
13. EmmetEarwax
"I am not clear on whether this was a cylinder record or a disk record. Both back in 1891 had lots of surface noise, and started with an announcer stating artist,title and company. If they recorded each disk record independently back in the 1890's instead of making a master stamper and pressing each one from that, then when did they start the latter, much less taxing process ?"
**
14. TheSanguineOne
"I can't imagine listening to this in 1891 and not wanting better quality... It would be difficult to understand without hearing live."
**
15. LiquidSoapMusic
in reply to TheSanguineOne
"it would have been better quality, it just degraded over time."
**
16. Shawn Borri
"The thing about cylinder records, they are historic time capsules that can't be "revised" they are history as it was, be it good or bad. George W Johnson was the first African American recording artist, and I think this is an amazing piece of history. The Edison Phonograph is such a well made machine, that I make over 1000 new ""wax" phonogram blanks and recordings per year, my total is 12300 of these kinds of records since 2000."
**
17. Kirke182
"This is a valuable recording because it came out as the irish jig piano craze was ending and ragtime was just getting started. And because the artist is black, it gives us a little window into what kind of stuff the black music consumers and performers were interested in. People get all wrapped up in the racist aspect which meant nothing to people back then and miss the cultural significance of this piece."
**
18. WT Gator
"This is just an amazing recording from 1891. It's racist, offensive and an important musical recording."
**
[2013]
19. TheSanguineOne
"In order to profit from the music, he wrote a catchy song for the period with common language of the day. It was an ingenious idea and wonderful for him and the Black community to gain a foothold in the music industry at its genesis."
-snip-
Correction: George W. Johnson didn't write this song. "The Happy Whistling Coon" was composed by two White Americans around 1889. Refer to the Mudcat Cafe hyperlink given above which includes a link to the Library Of Congress cover page for that song credited to Sam Devere and Sam Raeburn.
**
20. ncisducky4ever
"I find it awe-inspiring that this tune has been recorded 122 years ago and somehow survived to be heard today. As offensive as it may be, Mr. Johnson should be recognized by the music industry as a pioneer (that is if he hasn't been already) and if he hasn't, I certainly hope it isn't because of the coon songs because that was a different era where songs like that were not only the norm but acceptable and he, himself, sang them. Fascinating piece of American history. Thank you for uploading it."
**
21. andrew123456789739
"An important piece of culture history is archived here on youtube. Much gratitude to the original poster. So why are you people debating the merits of dub step and Drake? Comments sections baffle me."
**
22. Ramona Baker
"hmm, I believe I heard Ed Meeker sing this same song in 1917, I know all the lyrics, Interesting to find out that it's older than I thought it was."
**
23. phira360
"He drifted to New York in the 1870s and attracted small bits of money whistling on ferry boats for a living, which is how he was discovered and recorded." Whistling for him was working...
**
24. Skillet Chitlins
"Culture imposes its own rules to satisfy the zeitgeist (spirit of the day).
Labeling something as offensive while listing to a golden piece of history is how revisionism happens.
Please give George Johnson the credit he is due for being a credited talent who placed his performance on record using a brand new technology.
Johnson was a pioneer, it is unfair to him to superimpose anyone's attitude as an overriding issue to his accomplishments."
**
25. Ada Jones Murray Moe
"S. H. Dodley and Billy Murray recorded this song in 1911"
****
Thanks to all those who I've quoted in this post.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Zip Coon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zip Coon. Show all posts
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Black (Race) Markers In Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents comments about Black* (race) markers in Irving Berlin's 1911 composition "Alexander's Ragtime Band". In the context of this post, by "Black (race) markers" or "code for Black people" I mean songs by White lyricists or other non-Black lyricists which by their title, lyrics, and/or grammar signal that the songs are about Black Americans. Those Black (race) markers include Black vernacular, references to aspects of Black life & culture, use of what is (or what was) considered to be Black grammar, and/or the use of what are (or were) considered to be "Black" names (personal names which are/were associated with Black people).
In and of itself, the use of a particular genre of music that is (or was) considered to be a genre of "Black music" -in this case Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" - is another way in which that composer, and others, used/use Black (race) code or markers for their [and in their] compositions.
*"Black" here refers to African Americans.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, sociological, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
LYRICS: ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
(Irving Berlin)
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
It's the best band in the land.
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before,
So natural that you wanna go to war,
That's just the bestest band what am,
Honey lamb.
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, up to the man
Who's the leader of the band.
And if you care to hear the "Swanee River"
Played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Verse Two:
Oh ma honey, oh ma honey,
There's a fiddle with notes that screeches
Like a chicken, like a chicken,
And the clarinet is a colored pet;
Come and listen, come and listen
To a classical band what's peaches
Come now, somehow,
Better hurry along!
Source: http://www.benandbrad.com/alexander.html
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE USE OF BLACK MARKERS IN "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
From http://www.benandbrad.com/alexander.html "Alexander's Ragtime Band" at One Hundred by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner
"March 18, 2011 will be the one hundredth anniversary of Irving Berlin's hit song "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The song's immediate and enduring popularity are now legendary...
Piano rags and the songs called ragtime feature a rhythmic pattern of an accented weak beat, along with a regular short-long-short pattern of notes. Both had their roots in the cakewalk popular in the late nineteenth century. Generally, in the early twentieth century the term "ragtime" covered a wide range of "songs and pieces for instrumental ensembles, particularly marching or concert bands."
One simple definition of "ragtime" was music that "has to do with the Negro."10 Music having "to do with the Negro" is another aspect of how "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was perceived by contemporaries. One genre of popular song in the early twentieth century was the "coon song," a term fortunately now lost.11 Songs dealing with various ethnicities – in particular Irish, Asians, Jews, Negroes, all usually in a derogatory fashion – were common currency in that era. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" has been considered by many to be a coon song, and arguments have been made that 1911 audiences perceived it as such.
"Alexander, Don't You Love Your Baby No More?"
Lawrence Bergreen gives a short history of the name "Alexander" as an ethnic marker (as opposed to the villainous connection made by Woollcott). "The idea behind the song derived from a long line of 'Alexander' songs instigated by Harry Von Tilzer in 1902, and he, in turn, had borrowed the Alexander character from a popular turn-of-the-century minstrel act, Montgomery and Stone. The two white entertainers, who performed in blackface, were sure to get a laugh whenever they started calling each other 'Alexander,' a name their audiences considered too grand for a black man."12
…By Bergreen's definition, audiences in 1911 automatically understood that "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was a coon song by simple virtue of the name Alexander in the title. Berlin had already used that name as a racial marker, in keeping with that cultural norm, when he wrote "Alexander and His Clarinet" in May, 1910, a song clearly about a black protagonist. As Bergreen explains it, "When Berlin and Snyder sat down to write a raunchy 'coon' number entitled 'Alexander and His Clarinet,' they were describing, with the help of numerous double entendres, yet another highly sexed 'coon”"...
-snip-
I consider that entire article to be a very interesting read. Were it not for the limitations imposed by this blog format & the fair market guidelines (which I hope that I've not exceeded), I would have quoted more of that article. Note, for example, that Irving Berlin & other composers - presumably with Berlin's permission, capitolized on the tremendous popularity of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and composed a number of other "Alexander" songs. Two examples of those songs are "When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France" and "Alexander’s Band Is Back In Dixieland".
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_Ragtime_Band
"The opening lines establish the African-American context:
Oh ma honey . . . ain't you goin' to the leaderman, the ragged meter man
and:
If you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime
The new style included new ways of playing traditional instruments as well:
There's a fiddle with notes that screeches
Like a chicken
And the clarinet is a colored pet"
****
A LIST OF & MY COMMENTS ABOUT BLACK MARKERS "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
1. The use of the genre name "Ragtime" [Read comments in the Ben & Brad article whose link is above.]
2. The purposeful use of the name "Alexander"
From the Ben & Brad article quoted above "The two white entertainers, who performed in blackface, were sure to get a laugh whenever they started calling each other 'Alexander,' a name their audiences considered too grand for a black man."
Prior to reading that article by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner, I wasn't aware that the name "Alexander" was once considered to be a Black marker. That quote connects the name "Alexander" to the "Zip Coon" trope. The minstrel characteer "Zip Coon" is a Black dandy who was considered laughable because he unsuccessfully tried to imitate "his betters" (meaning White middle class & upper class men) by putting on citified airs. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html for a pancocojams post about Zip Coon.
3. The use of the colloquial "wanna" instead of "want to" in the line "So natural that you wanna go to war"
4 & 5. The use of African American Vernacular English grammar & African American Vernacular English phrasing in the line "That's just the bestest band what am, Honey lamb.
6. The use of the phrase "ma [my] honey
7. The repetition of "ma honey" and other phrases...
It's not just the use of certain phrases, but also the repetition of those phrases in "Alexander's Ragtime Band" which mark those phrases as referring to and being spoken by Black people. The repeated words in that song are "Oh ma honey, oh ma honey", "Come on and hear, come on and hear", "Come on along", "come on along", "Up to the man, up to the man", "Like a chicken, like a chicken" and "Come and listen, come and listen".
Besides being a rhythmic device, it seems to me that the use of repeateed phrases served to reinforce the belittling perceptions that many White folks of that time had about Black people - that they (we) were so simple minded that we needed to repeat what we said.
8. The reference to the song "Swanee River"
This song envokes Southern culture, and Southern culture envokes Black folks. The addition that "Swanee River" was "Played in ragtime", reinforces that Black marker.
9. Using "country" terms and comparisons: "There's a fiddle with notes that screeches Like a chicken, like a chicken,
10. Referring to "the clarinet" as a "colored pet" [Note that "Colored people" was a referent for Black Americans. A "colored pet" can be an oblique way of saying a favorite musical instrument of Colored people.]
11. The use of African American Vernacular English grammar in the line "To a classical band what's peaches". [meaning "that preaches"; that has as much intensity as a Black sermon.]
12. The use of the internal rhyme "Come now, somehow"
13. The use of the colloquial phrase "Better hurry along!"
-snip-
The reference to the bugle call being "so natural" may also be a Black marker in that some White folks considered/consider Black artistic expertise to be the result of natural talent alone and not talent plus skill that comes from wood shedding (diligent practicing).
****
FEATURED VIDEO: Alice Faye sings Alexander's Ragtime Band
joehb123, Uploaded on Jan 13, 2012
Check out the shoes she is wearing !!!!!!
Movie by Fox is Alexander's Ragtime Band
and music is by Irving Berlin.
****
RELATED LINKS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alexanders-Back-From-Dixie-RAG-1917-Black-Americana-/370370978022 "Alexander's Back From Dixie"
This link leads to a drawing of Black drum major marching in front of a large Black brass band which is parading down an American street.
**
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=151811&messages=72 "Folklore: Pickaninny in closet"
Hat tip to MorwenEdhelwen1 for providing a link in one of her comments in that discussion thread to the above mentioned article by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner about Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band".
****
Thanks to the composer of this featured song. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those performers who appeared in the video and thanks to the publisher of the featured video.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post presents comments about Black* (race) markers in Irving Berlin's 1911 composition "Alexander's Ragtime Band". In the context of this post, by "Black (race) markers" or "code for Black people" I mean songs by White lyricists or other non-Black lyricists which by their title, lyrics, and/or grammar signal that the songs are about Black Americans. Those Black (race) markers include Black vernacular, references to aspects of Black life & culture, use of what is (or what was) considered to be Black grammar, and/or the use of what are (or were) considered to be "Black" names (personal names which are/were associated with Black people).
In and of itself, the use of a particular genre of music that is (or was) considered to be a genre of "Black music" -in this case Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" - is another way in which that composer, and others, used/use Black (race) code or markers for their [and in their] compositions.
*"Black" here refers to African Americans.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, sociological, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
LYRICS: ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
(Irving Berlin)
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
It's the best band in the land.
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before,
So natural that you wanna go to war,
That's just the bestest band what am,
Honey lamb.
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, up to the man
Who's the leader of the band.
And if you care to hear the "Swanee River"
Played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Verse Two:
Oh ma honey, oh ma honey,
There's a fiddle with notes that screeches
Like a chicken, like a chicken,
And the clarinet is a colored pet;
Come and listen, come and listen
To a classical band what's peaches
Come now, somehow,
Better hurry along!
Source: http://www.benandbrad.com/alexander.html
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE USE OF BLACK MARKERS IN "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
From http://www.benandbrad.com/alexander.html "Alexander's Ragtime Band" at One Hundred by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner
"March 18, 2011 will be the one hundredth anniversary of Irving Berlin's hit song "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The song's immediate and enduring popularity are now legendary...
Piano rags and the songs called ragtime feature a rhythmic pattern of an accented weak beat, along with a regular short-long-short pattern of notes. Both had their roots in the cakewalk popular in the late nineteenth century. Generally, in the early twentieth century the term "ragtime" covered a wide range of "songs and pieces for instrumental ensembles, particularly marching or concert bands."
One simple definition of "ragtime" was music that "has to do with the Negro."10 Music having "to do with the Negro" is another aspect of how "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was perceived by contemporaries. One genre of popular song in the early twentieth century was the "coon song," a term fortunately now lost.11 Songs dealing with various ethnicities – in particular Irish, Asians, Jews, Negroes, all usually in a derogatory fashion – were common currency in that era. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" has been considered by many to be a coon song, and arguments have been made that 1911 audiences perceived it as such.
"Alexander, Don't You Love Your Baby No More?"
Lawrence Bergreen gives a short history of the name "Alexander" as an ethnic marker (as opposed to the villainous connection made by Woollcott). "The idea behind the song derived from a long line of 'Alexander' songs instigated by Harry Von Tilzer in 1902, and he, in turn, had borrowed the Alexander character from a popular turn-of-the-century minstrel act, Montgomery and Stone. The two white entertainers, who performed in blackface, were sure to get a laugh whenever they started calling each other 'Alexander,' a name their audiences considered too grand for a black man."12
…By Bergreen's definition, audiences in 1911 automatically understood that "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was a coon song by simple virtue of the name Alexander in the title. Berlin had already used that name as a racial marker, in keeping with that cultural norm, when he wrote "Alexander and His Clarinet" in May, 1910, a song clearly about a black protagonist. As Bergreen explains it, "When Berlin and Snyder sat down to write a raunchy 'coon' number entitled 'Alexander and His Clarinet,' they were describing, with the help of numerous double entendres, yet another highly sexed 'coon”"...
-snip-
I consider that entire article to be a very interesting read. Were it not for the limitations imposed by this blog format & the fair market guidelines (which I hope that I've not exceeded), I would have quoted more of that article. Note, for example, that Irving Berlin & other composers - presumably with Berlin's permission, capitolized on the tremendous popularity of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and composed a number of other "Alexander" songs. Two examples of those songs are "When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France" and "Alexander’s Band Is Back In Dixieland".
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_Ragtime_Band
"The opening lines establish the African-American context:
Oh ma honey . . . ain't you goin' to the leaderman, the ragged meter man
and:
If you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime
The new style included new ways of playing traditional instruments as well:
There's a fiddle with notes that screeches
Like a chicken
And the clarinet is a colored pet"
****
A LIST OF & MY COMMENTS ABOUT BLACK MARKERS "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
1. The use of the genre name "Ragtime" [Read comments in the Ben & Brad article whose link is above.]
2. The purposeful use of the name "Alexander"
From the Ben & Brad article quoted above "The two white entertainers, who performed in blackface, were sure to get a laugh whenever they started calling each other 'Alexander,' a name their audiences considered too grand for a black man."
Prior to reading that article by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner, I wasn't aware that the name "Alexander" was once considered to be a Black marker. That quote connects the name "Alexander" to the "Zip Coon" trope. The minstrel characteer "Zip Coon" is a Black dandy who was considered laughable because he unsuccessfully tried to imitate "his betters" (meaning White middle class & upper class men) by putting on citified airs. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html for a pancocojams post about Zip Coon.
3. The use of the colloquial "wanna" instead of "want to" in the line "So natural that you wanna go to war"
4 & 5. The use of African American Vernacular English grammar & African American Vernacular English phrasing in the line "That's just the bestest band what am, Honey lamb.
6. The use of the phrase "ma [my] honey
7. The repetition of "ma honey" and other phrases...
It's not just the use of certain phrases, but also the repetition of those phrases in "Alexander's Ragtime Band" which mark those phrases as referring to and being spoken by Black people. The repeated words in that song are "Oh ma honey, oh ma honey", "Come on and hear, come on and hear", "Come on along", "come on along", "Up to the man, up to the man", "Like a chicken, like a chicken" and "Come and listen, come and listen".
Besides being a rhythmic device, it seems to me that the use of repeateed phrases served to reinforce the belittling perceptions that many White folks of that time had about Black people - that they (we) were so simple minded that we needed to repeat what we said.
8. The reference to the song "Swanee River"
This song envokes Southern culture, and Southern culture envokes Black folks. The addition that "Swanee River" was "Played in ragtime", reinforces that Black marker.
9. Using "country" terms and comparisons: "There's a fiddle with notes that screeches Like a chicken, like a chicken,
10. Referring to "the clarinet" as a "colored pet" [Note that "Colored people" was a referent for Black Americans. A "colored pet" can be an oblique way of saying a favorite musical instrument of Colored people.]
11. The use of African American Vernacular English grammar in the line "To a classical band what's peaches". [meaning "that preaches"; that has as much intensity as a Black sermon.]
12. The use of the internal rhyme "Come now, somehow"
13. The use of the colloquial phrase "Better hurry along!"
-snip-
The reference to the bugle call being "so natural" may also be a Black marker in that some White folks considered/consider Black artistic expertise to be the result of natural talent alone and not talent plus skill that comes from wood shedding (diligent practicing).
****
FEATURED VIDEO: Alice Faye sings Alexander's Ragtime Band
joehb123, Uploaded on Jan 13, 2012
Check out the shoes she is wearing !!!!!!
Movie by Fox is Alexander's Ragtime Band
and music is by Irving Berlin.
****
RELATED LINKS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alexanders-Back-From-Dixie-RAG-1917-Black-Americana-/370370978022 "Alexander's Back From Dixie"
This link leads to a drawing of Black drum major marching in front of a large Black brass band which is parading down an American street.
**
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=151811&messages=72 "Folklore: Pickaninny in closet"
Hat tip to MorwenEdhelwen1 for providing a link in one of her comments in that discussion thread to the above mentioned article by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner about Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band".
****
Thanks to the composer of this featured song. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those performers who appeared in the video and thanks to the publisher of the featured video.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Deconstructing The Stereotype Of Black People As Apes & Monkeys
Edited by Azizi Powell
I was motivated to publish this post as a result of reading about the Australian football (soccer) player Adam Goodes who was called "monkey" by a 13 year old girl during a game during that nation's week dedicated to honoring indigenous athletes.
Here's a video of an interview of that player in which he talks about that incident:
Adam Goodes response to a racist taunt, unedited.
Published on May 25, 2013
20 years after Nicky Winmar took a historic stand against racist taunts from the crowd, a spectator again hurled racist abuse at AFL star Adam Goodes.
It happened a day after the Australian Football League launched the indigenous round, intended to celebrate the role of aboriginal players.
This was Adam Goodes' response. This video is the unedited news conference.
-snip-
In that interview Adam Goodes talked about how hurtful it was to him, his family, and other Black people to be called ape or monkey. He repeatedly thanked his fellow players and others for the support that he has been given and asked for support for the 13 year old who called him an ape. Goodes indicated that he thought that the girl was repeating what she had heard and didn't understand what such a taunt meant.
Click http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/adam-goodes-full-racism-press-conference-transcript/story-fni5fan7-1226650424034 for a full transcript of that interview.
Click http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/27/1211965/-13-yo-Australian-Spectator-Thrown-Out-of-Football-Stadium-For-Racist-Remark for a discussion about that particular incident & about other incidents in which Black or Brown people are called apes or monkeys.
****
That incident motivated me to surf the internet to find information about the history of the stereotypess of Black peopel as apes & monkeys. Here's an excerpt of one article that I found:
From http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/african/3-coon/6-monkey/
"A hateful association of Blacks with apes and monkeys was yet another way that the antebellum South justified slavery. Blacks were considered by some to be more simian than human, and therefore had no self-evident rights including freedom…The general acceptance of the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin were easily twisted into a means of identifying further “evidence” of the primitive status of Blacks...
The depiction of Blacks as apes and monkeys found expression in mainstream popular culture around the turn of the century*, especially in post cards. Often it was the zip or urban coon that was being caricatured, for the amusement of white consumers. Note the simian appearance of Black Americans in each of the postcards to the left, and how they have been dandified. These images are intended to be ironic, and to cater to the notion that Black coons are too stupid to understand that their efforts to assimilate into white culture only emphasize their inherent inferiority."
-snip-
No century was specified in that paragraph, but given the references to the late 1800s, I think that that sentence refers to the 20th century.
****
There are numerous online documentation in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere of Black people being depicted as apes or monkeys, beng called apes or monkeys, and/or having banana peels thrown at them, alluded to this ape/monkey stereotype. Here's an excerpt from one website:
http://blackathlete.net/2012/11/king-kong-nuthin-me-monkey-business-sports-politcs/
"...this type of blatant in your face racism, especially coming from England, where the 2012 Olympic games were held, is almost the norm.
Just consider the racist history of how Black athletes are mocked, especially Black soccer players during soccer matches in England,Italy and Spain, when they are insulted by fans, who make monkey chants while they play.
Matter of fact, just last year, the Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos walked off the field when a banana was thrown toward him at a league match in Russia.
This is racism in its purest and rawest form.
Unfortunately, however, this evil practice and behavior of throwing bananas at Black athletes has even occurred during a NHL (National Hockey League)game as well.
For instance, a spectator threw a banana at Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds during an overtime shootout attempt during a the Flyers’ preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings in London, Ontario.
This, unfortunately, is not an isolated incident.
Why? Because former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Kevin Weekes had a banana thrown at him during a 2002 playoff series with the Montreal Canadians in Montreal as well.
Yeah, the more things change; the more they stay the same.
Because, unbelievably, just this year, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, it showed up again, when Patricia Carroll, a Black camerawoman who works for CNN had peanuts thrown at her by two Caucasian males, who shouted at her “this is what we feed animals.”...
the real source of this fear of the Planet of Apes, is Barack Hussein Obama, who has had to experience the same type of racist name-calling that Black athletes like Jackie Robinson had to endured when he integrated Major League in April 15, 1947.
Obama, in fact, was called Curious George, who is cartoon monkey by South Carolina political consultant, Sen. Diane Black on Twitter the day after the election in 2008.
Plus, he was portrayed as a gorilla by NY Post cartoonist Sean Delonas who depicted two policemen, one with smoking gun, standing over a dead chimpanzee with the words, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
****
COMMENTS ABOUT ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY INC AND THEIR UNOFFICIAL "APE" ICON
Given the history of Black people (and Brown people) being called apes and monkeys as a short-hand way of saying that we are more simian that human, it's surprising that the first historically Black (African American) Greek lettered fraternity that is still in existence Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has adopted apes as its unofficial mascot.
It's clear from watching videos of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (A Phi A; Alphas) step shows & strolls that persons associated with that fraternity consider apes as their unofficial mascot, symbol, or icon. That this symbolism is unofficial is underscored by the fact that there's no mention of apes being a symbol of A Phi A on that organization's website http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com or on the Wikipedia page about that organization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Phi_Alpha.
Note this overview from that Wikipedia page:
"Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first Black, Inter-Collegiate Greek-Lettered fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) that soon followed in its footsteps. It employs an icon from Ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza as its symbol, and its aims are "manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind," and its motto is First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All."...
-snip-
Yet, the the fact that a number of Alphas associate "apes" with their fraternity is clear in a number of the Alpha Phi Alpha step show/stroll videos as well as in a number of comments in those video's discussion threads. Here's one video example:
Alpha Phi Alpha WIN 2012 Atlanta Greek Picnic step show
Atlanta Greek Picnic, Published on Jun 17, 2012
Alpha Phi Alpha WIN 2012 Atlanta Greek Picnic $10,000 step show
-snip-
In a portion of that video (around 1:42 to around 2:10) & in some other A Phi A step routines, Alphas act mimic apes. They crouch down and jump up & down like apes. They hold their arms to the side like apes, hit their chest & hit the ground in front of where they are standing. And they make ape sounds while looking menacing. In some videos of Alpha strolls [party walks] one or more members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity wear a gorilla mask.
Here are two comments from viewers of the step show video that is featured above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjy2gHKIaqk
"MY BLACK MY BLACK MY BBBBBBBBBLACK!
A Phi to the Apes! Congrats bruhs!"
-Santwon Hines, 2012
**
"thats how APES do it . great performance PHRAT . you APES did your thing ."
PHROZEN spr' 12
Gamma Kappa
Miles College
-tri66z, 2012
Revision February 17, 2019:
Several commenters in discussion threads of videos of the Alpha's Ape Walk wrote that unless you are a member of this organization, you wouldn't understand what "ape" means to them. Consequently, I chose to delete my guesses as to why members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. chose the ape as their fraternity's [unofficial] icon.
That said, even though the reason/s for this choice are a secret, what is done in secret can impact people outside an organization and because historically and in this present time apes, gorillas, and monkeys have very negative connotations for Black people, I continue to look side eye at Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity's choice of an ape for their icon, even though that icon is unofficial.
****
UPDATE September 2, 2016:
A passage from Elizabeth C. Fine's book Soulstepping: African American Step Shows quotes a passage in Howard University's 1988 Bison yearbook mentions apes in reference to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
P.40
..."One of the few descriptions of a different type of step show-the probate show-appears in the 1988 Bison. In “Probation prior to Vacation: Karen Samuels provides colorful details about the performances of five pledge clubs, demonstrating the importance of movement, song, and symbolic costumes....
There are also photographs of the AKA pledge club, the Delta pledges performing their ritual duck walk; and the “Nubian Apes of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Inc.” who “let out whoops and snatched members of the audience into their arms as they prepare to cross the burning sands into Alpha land.” [Samuel, Bison, “Probation Prior to Vacation” 14-15
-snip-
In a comment on a 2000 Greekchat.com discussion about pledging*, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. writes "Yes I know the secret of the ape and what the colors mean.".
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=2770
-end of quote-
I've read in a 2009 Geocities anti-greek forum that in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity pledge process, "a.p.e" means "almost pledged* entirely". http://www.oocities.org/glos_havebeenexposed/sin_and_shame.html don’tgogreek.com
-end of quote-
That may or may not be true.
*"Pledging" may not be always be the same thing as hazing". But it should be noted that hazing has been prohibited by members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council since 1990. And that greekchat.com discussion talks about "underground pledging" (as a way of getting around that hazing prohibition- although that process may still be quite common, it's definitely not legal.)
-snip-
Added to my guesses (shared above) as to what "ape" might mean to members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., I also posit that the word "ape" is spelled almost the same as "A Phi". And I wonder if Alphas promoted/promote the image of the huge, strong, burly ape as a means of counteracting the negative stereotypes of that fraternity's members being "less manly" than the brothers of certain other historically Black Greek lettered fraternities. Maybe that's just an ancillary benefit of that mascot/slogan or maybe that has nothing what so ever to do with "ape" and Alphamen, although the 1988 Howard University description of the Alphas whooping like apes and snatching women from the audience suggests that that action is modeled after the movie King Kong.
I understand that an organization's choice of its mascot/symbol is their members' choice alone. Still, even more so that what I wrote in 2013), I strongly question the efficacy and wisdom of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. choosing the ape as their mascot and I abhor that choice.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
I was motivated to publish this post as a result of reading about the Australian football (soccer) player Adam Goodes who was called "monkey" by a 13 year old girl during a game during that nation's week dedicated to honoring indigenous athletes.
Here's a video of an interview of that player in which he talks about that incident:
Adam Goodes response to a racist taunt, unedited.
Published on May 25, 2013
20 years after Nicky Winmar took a historic stand against racist taunts from the crowd, a spectator again hurled racist abuse at AFL star Adam Goodes.
It happened a day after the Australian Football League launched the indigenous round, intended to celebrate the role of aboriginal players.
This was Adam Goodes' response. This video is the unedited news conference.
-snip-
In that interview Adam Goodes talked about how hurtful it was to him, his family, and other Black people to be called ape or monkey. He repeatedly thanked his fellow players and others for the support that he has been given and asked for support for the 13 year old who called him an ape. Goodes indicated that he thought that the girl was repeating what she had heard and didn't understand what such a taunt meant.
Click http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/adam-goodes-full-racism-press-conference-transcript/story-fni5fan7-1226650424034 for a full transcript of that interview.
Click http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/27/1211965/-13-yo-Australian-Spectator-Thrown-Out-of-Football-Stadium-For-Racist-Remark for a discussion about that particular incident & about other incidents in which Black or Brown people are called apes or monkeys.
****
That incident motivated me to surf the internet to find information about the history of the stereotypess of Black peopel as apes & monkeys. Here's an excerpt of one article that I found:
From http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/african/3-coon/6-monkey/
"A hateful association of Blacks with apes and monkeys was yet another way that the antebellum South justified slavery. Blacks were considered by some to be more simian than human, and therefore had no self-evident rights including freedom…The general acceptance of the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin were easily twisted into a means of identifying further “evidence” of the primitive status of Blacks...
The depiction of Blacks as apes and monkeys found expression in mainstream popular culture around the turn of the century*, especially in post cards. Often it was the zip or urban coon that was being caricatured, for the amusement of white consumers. Note the simian appearance of Black Americans in each of the postcards to the left, and how they have been dandified. These images are intended to be ironic, and to cater to the notion that Black coons are too stupid to understand that their efforts to assimilate into white culture only emphasize their inherent inferiority."
-snip-
No century was specified in that paragraph, but given the references to the late 1800s, I think that that sentence refers to the 20th century.
****
There are numerous online documentation in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere of Black people being depicted as apes or monkeys, beng called apes or monkeys, and/or having banana peels thrown at them, alluded to this ape/monkey stereotype. Here's an excerpt from one website:
http://blackathlete.net/2012/11/king-kong-nuthin-me-monkey-business-sports-politcs/
"...this type of blatant in your face racism, especially coming from England, where the 2012 Olympic games were held, is almost the norm.
Just consider the racist history of how Black athletes are mocked, especially Black soccer players during soccer matches in England,Italy and Spain, when they are insulted by fans, who make monkey chants while they play.
Matter of fact, just last year, the Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos walked off the field when a banana was thrown toward him at a league match in Russia.
This is racism in its purest and rawest form.
Unfortunately, however, this evil practice and behavior of throwing bananas at Black athletes has even occurred during a NHL (National Hockey League)game as well.
For instance, a spectator threw a banana at Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds during an overtime shootout attempt during a the Flyers’ preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings in London, Ontario.
This, unfortunately, is not an isolated incident.
Why? Because former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Kevin Weekes had a banana thrown at him during a 2002 playoff series with the Montreal Canadians in Montreal as well.
Yeah, the more things change; the more they stay the same.
Because, unbelievably, just this year, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, it showed up again, when Patricia Carroll, a Black camerawoman who works for CNN had peanuts thrown at her by two Caucasian males, who shouted at her “this is what we feed animals.”...
the real source of this fear of the Planet of Apes, is Barack Hussein Obama, who has had to experience the same type of racist name-calling that Black athletes like Jackie Robinson had to endured when he integrated Major League in April 15, 1947.
Obama, in fact, was called Curious George, who is cartoon monkey by South Carolina political consultant, Sen. Diane Black on Twitter the day after the election in 2008.
Plus, he was portrayed as a gorilla by NY Post cartoonist Sean Delonas who depicted two policemen, one with smoking gun, standing over a dead chimpanzee with the words, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
****
COMMENTS ABOUT ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY INC AND THEIR UNOFFICIAL "APE" ICON
Given the history of Black people (and Brown people) being called apes and monkeys as a short-hand way of saying that we are more simian that human, it's surprising that the first historically Black (African American) Greek lettered fraternity that is still in existence Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has adopted apes as its unofficial mascot.
It's clear from watching videos of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (A Phi A; Alphas) step shows & strolls that persons associated with that fraternity consider apes as their unofficial mascot, symbol, or icon. That this symbolism is unofficial is underscored by the fact that there's no mention of apes being a symbol of A Phi A on that organization's website http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com or on the Wikipedia page about that organization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Phi_Alpha.
Note this overview from that Wikipedia page:
"Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first Black, Inter-Collegiate Greek-Lettered fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) that soon followed in its footsteps. It employs an icon from Ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza as its symbol, and its aims are "manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind," and its motto is First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All."...
-snip-
Yet, the the fact that a number of Alphas associate "apes" with their fraternity is clear in a number of the Alpha Phi Alpha step show/stroll videos as well as in a number of comments in those video's discussion threads. Here's one video example:
Alpha Phi Alpha WIN 2012 Atlanta Greek Picnic step show
Atlanta Greek Picnic, Published on Jun 17, 2012
Alpha Phi Alpha WIN 2012 Atlanta Greek Picnic $10,000 step show
-snip-
In a portion of that video (around 1:42 to around 2:10) & in some other A Phi A step routines, Alphas act mimic apes. They crouch down and jump up & down like apes. They hold their arms to the side like apes, hit their chest & hit the ground in front of where they are standing. And they make ape sounds while looking menacing. In some videos of Alpha strolls [party walks] one or more members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity wear a gorilla mask.
Here are two comments from viewers of the step show video that is featured above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjy2gHKIaqk
"MY BLACK MY BLACK MY BBBBBBBBBLACK!
A Phi to the Apes! Congrats bruhs!"
-Santwon Hines, 2012
**
"thats how APES do it . great performance PHRAT . you APES did your thing ."
PHROZEN spr' 12
Gamma Kappa
Miles College
-tri66z, 2012
Revision February 17, 2019:
Several commenters in discussion threads of videos of the Alpha's Ape Walk wrote that unless you are a member of this organization, you wouldn't understand what "ape" means to them. Consequently, I chose to delete my guesses as to why members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. chose the ape as their fraternity's [unofficial] icon.
That said, even though the reason/s for this choice are a secret, what is done in secret can impact people outside an organization and because historically and in this present time apes, gorillas, and monkeys have very negative connotations for Black people, I continue to look side eye at Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity's choice of an ape for their icon, even though that icon is unofficial.
****
UPDATE September 2, 2016:
A passage from Elizabeth C. Fine's book Soulstepping: African American Step Shows quotes a passage in Howard University's 1988 Bison yearbook mentions apes in reference to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
P.40
..."One of the few descriptions of a different type of step show-the probate show-appears in the 1988 Bison. In “Probation prior to Vacation: Karen Samuels provides colorful details about the performances of five pledge clubs, demonstrating the importance of movement, song, and symbolic costumes....
There are also photographs of the AKA pledge club, the Delta pledges performing their ritual duck walk; and the “Nubian Apes of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Inc.” who “let out whoops and snatched members of the audience into their arms as they prepare to cross the burning sands into Alpha land.” [Samuel, Bison, “Probation Prior to Vacation” 14-15
-snip-
In a comment on a 2000 Greekchat.com discussion about pledging*, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. writes "Yes I know the secret of the ape and what the colors mean.".
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=2770
-end of quote-
I've read in a 2009 Geocities anti-greek forum that in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity pledge process, "a.p.e" means "almost pledged* entirely". http://www.oocities.org/glos_havebeenexposed/sin_and_shame.html don’tgogreek.com
-end of quote-
That may or may not be true.
*"Pledging" may not be always be the same thing as hazing". But it should be noted that hazing has been prohibited by members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council since 1990. And that greekchat.com discussion talks about "underground pledging" (as a way of getting around that hazing prohibition- although that process may still be quite common, it's definitely not legal.)
-snip-
Added to my guesses (shared above) as to what "ape" might mean to members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., I also posit that the word "ape" is spelled almost the same as "A Phi". And I wonder if Alphas promoted/promote the image of the huge, strong, burly ape as a means of counteracting the negative stereotypes of that fraternity's members being "less manly" than the brothers of certain other historically Black Greek lettered fraternities. Maybe that's just an ancillary benefit of that mascot/slogan or maybe that has nothing what so ever to do with "ape" and Alphamen, although the 1988 Howard University description of the Alphas whooping like apes and snatching women from the audience suggests that that action is modeled after the movie King Kong.
I understand that an organization's choice of its mascot/symbol is their members' choice alone. Still, even more so that what I wrote in 2013), I strongly question the efficacy and wisdom of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. choosing the ape as their mascot and I abhor that choice.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Friday, March 1, 2013
A White & A Black Version of The Song "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is Part II of a two part series on two versions of song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown". Part II features the lyrics of and sound files of these two songs.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-textual-analysis-of-two-versions-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents my textual analysis of the original 1905 lyrics of "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) and the 1969 Rufus Thomas version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
FEATURED SOUND FILE AND LYRICS
"Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown" (Von Tilzer) Ragtime song by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 C 1905
EMGColone, Published on Jun 3, 2012
"What you going to do when the Rent comes 'Round " Ragtime Song sung by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 [song starts at .31]
-snip-
LYRICS:
What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)
music by Harry von Tilzer; words by Andrew B. Sterling
First verse:
Who dat a knockin' at the door below,
Who dat a shivrin' in the hail and snow,
I can hear you grumblin' Mister Rufus Brown,
Just keep on a knockin' babe, I won't come down,
I wants to tell you that you can't get in,
Have you been a gamblin'
Honey, did you win?
what's that you tell me,
coon you lost your breath?
I hopes you freezes to death
(Chorus)
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin’ to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Second verse:
Keep on a bangin’ on the old front door,
In just a minute babe you’ll hear me snore,
If I goes to bed without a bite or sup,
You will be an icicle when I wakes up,
Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring,
Melted all away just like the snow last Spring,
Rufus I loves you, but this serves you right,
Guess that’s sufficient, “goodnight.”
(Chorus)
Disclaimer:
The derogatory terms, images, and ideas that appear in some of this sheet music are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. They do represent the attitudes of a number of Americans at the times the songs were published. As such, it is hoped that the sheet music in this collection can aid students of music, history, and other disciplines to better understand popular American music and racial stereotypes from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sharris/id/1645/rec/6
item date 1905
-snip-
Click http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=150a.018.000;pages=4;range=0-3 for a larger image of this song's cover. The cover shows a drawing of an urban, middle age Black couple standing outside a house. The couple are wearing what I would call "dress up" clothes. Both the man & the woman are drawn with large, red lips, and the man has a cigar in his mouth.
****
Rufus Thomas -- Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown
HoYeahcorp, Published on Oct 13, 2012
"Do The Funky Chicken"Album.
1969.
-snip-
LYRICS: RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN
(Rufus Thomas)
Background singers -Oh! Rastas! [with additional words ???]
Lead Singer: Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Second Male voice: “I don’t know. I don’t know”.
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgement day.
Second male voice: I’m broke. I’m broke.
Lead:Way down yonder about a mile and a half
I can see ole Rastus comin down the path.
He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin.
He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin.
Background singers – Pot!
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
What you been doin ole Rufus
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me.
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me?
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead singer,
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown,
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown
[The Lead singer begins to scat while the background singers continue to sing the words “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown”]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. The words in brackets with question marks mean that I was unable to decipher what was sung. The words in italics mean that I'm not sure about what I transcribed. Additions & corrections are very welcome.
ADDENDUM
I want to be clear that these two versions of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" aren't the only two versions of that song that exists. Some people are very familiar with versions of "Rufus Rastus etc" that ends with a portion of a song called "C. H. I. C. K. E. N." Here's a comment from the Mudcat Cafe discussion thread on "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" about those versions:
-snip-
That comment & both the Mudcat threads cited contain examples of the 1902 song "C-H-I-C-K-E-N".
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the transcriber who is quoted in this post. Thanks also to the uploaders of these sound files.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post is Part II of a two part series on two versions of song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown". Part II features the lyrics of and sound files of these two songs.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-textual-analysis-of-two-versions-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents my textual analysis of the original 1905 lyrics of "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) and the 1969 Rufus Thomas version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
FEATURED SOUND FILE AND LYRICS
"Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown" (Von Tilzer) Ragtime song by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 C 1905
EMGColone, Published on Jun 3, 2012
"What you going to do when the Rent comes 'Round " Ragtime Song sung by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 [song starts at .31]
-snip-
LYRICS:
What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)
music by Harry von Tilzer; words by Andrew B. Sterling
First verse:
Who dat a knockin' at the door below,
Who dat a shivrin' in the hail and snow,
I can hear you grumblin' Mister Rufus Brown,
Just keep on a knockin' babe, I won't come down,
I wants to tell you that you can't get in,
Have you been a gamblin'
Honey, did you win?
what's that you tell me,
coon you lost your breath?
I hopes you freezes to death
(Chorus)
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin’ to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Second verse:
Keep on a bangin’ on the old front door,
In just a minute babe you’ll hear me snore,
If I goes to bed without a bite or sup,
You will be an icicle when I wakes up,
Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring,
Melted all away just like the snow last Spring,
Rufus I loves you, but this serves you right,
Guess that’s sufficient, “goodnight.”
(Chorus)
Disclaimer:
The derogatory terms, images, and ideas that appear in some of this sheet music are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. They do represent the attitudes of a number of Americans at the times the songs were published. As such, it is hoped that the sheet music in this collection can aid students of music, history, and other disciplines to better understand popular American music and racial stereotypes from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sharris/id/1645/rec/6
item date 1905
-snip-
Click http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=150a.018.000;pages=4;range=0-3 for a larger image of this song's cover. The cover shows a drawing of an urban, middle age Black couple standing outside a house. The couple are wearing what I would call "dress up" clothes. Both the man & the woman are drawn with large, red lips, and the man has a cigar in his mouth.
****
Rufus Thomas -- Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown
HoYeahcorp, Published on Oct 13, 2012
"Do The Funky Chicken"Album.
1969.
-snip-
LYRICS: RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN
(Rufus Thomas)
Background singers -Oh! Rastas! [with additional words ???]
Lead Singer: Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Second Male voice: “I don’t know. I don’t know”.
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgement day.
Second male voice: I’m broke. I’m broke.
Lead:Way down yonder about a mile and a half
I can see ole Rastus comin down the path.
He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin.
He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin.
Background singers – Pot!
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
What you been doin ole Rufus
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me.
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me?
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead singer,
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown,
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown
[The Lead singer begins to scat while the background singers continue to sing the words “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown”]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. The words in brackets with question marks mean that I was unable to decipher what was sung. The words in italics mean that I'm not sure about what I transcribed. Additions & corrections are very welcome.
ADDENDUM
I want to be clear that these two versions of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" aren't the only two versions of that song that exists. Some people are very familiar with versions of "Rufus Rastus etc" that ends with a portion of a song called "C. H. I. C. K. E. N." Here's a comment from the Mudcat Cafe discussion thread on "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" about those versions:
In case anyone is still confused about why some versions of RUFUS RASTUS… have verses about chickens and some don't—it's because two different Tin-Pan-Alley songs somehow got blended together by the folk process. The songs are:
DAT'S DE WAY TO SPELL CHICKEN by Sidney L. Perrin and Bob Slater, 1902;
and
WHAT YOU GOIN' TO DO WHEN THE RENT COMES 'ROUND? by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer, 1905
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50037#1451385 Origins: C-H-I-C-K-E-N. [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Jim Dixon, Date: 04 Apr 05 - 12:15 AM]
-snip-
That comment & both the Mudcat threads cited contain examples of the 1902 song "C-H-I-C-K-E-N".
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the transcriber who is quoted in this post. Thanks also to the uploaders of these sound files.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
A Textual Analysis Of Two Versions Of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is Part I of a two part series on two versions of the song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
Part II features lyrics and sound files of the original 1905 version of this song and of Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of this song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-white-black-version-of-song-rufus.html for Part II of this series.
****
PART I
I first heard about the 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown in 2007 when I read about him on this Mudcat Cafe discussion thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=37834 "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" [hereafter given as Mudcat: Rufus Rastus].
I confess that I really don't like the image of Rufus Rastus that was drawn by Andrew B. Sterling, that song's lyricist. Sterling's description of Rufus Rastus fits the stereotype of a Negro coon, only he-Von Tilzer-following the customs of his time-would have written "Negro" with a small "n". Sterling's caricature of Rufus Rastus was that of a good for nothing man who stayed out late, and didn't have the sense to not gamble away his rent money. Von Tilzer's Rufus Rastus also fit the stereotype of a coon in that he was dominated by his wife - or at least his woman- who is actually the one who speaks in that 1905 song. The reason why I'm not sure if that was his wife or not was that Rufus Rastus didn't have a key to his own home. But maybe in the beginning 20th century USA folks, or just struggling poor folks didn't have keys to their homes. Maybe they secured the door with some kind of latch, and that is why that 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown couldn't get in to his house unless someone from the inside let him in.
And it seems to me that Rufus Rastus must have stayed out late more than just that one time that is recorded in that song. And it seems to me that he must have done some other real triflin things for his wife -or his woman- to have such a strong reaction to him staying out late that time. Maybe Rufus Rastus had a habit of gamblin away his money, even down to the rent money. Otherwise why did she jump to that conclusion that Rufus had been gambling just because he stayed out real late that night? But am I right in detecting some acceptance of Rufus Rastus gambling since she asked him "Did you win?" and "Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring"? Isn't that enabling Rufus Rastus' gambling habit? Hmmm.
Yet, according to how Andrew B. Sterling tells it, even before she asked if Rufus Rastus had won any money from his gamblin, his wife or woman- who was given no name in that song- was clearly not happy with Rufus Rastus. She called him out of his name (by calling him a coon), and she said that he didn't have any sense, and he wouldn't have sense to judgment day-which after all, is probably still a long time coming. And Rufus Rastus' wife (I'll give her that benefit of the doubt) called her husband "Honey" and "babe" and said she loved him. But she also said that she wished that he would freeze out in the snow. That was some strange kinda love...
While Andrew B. Sterling's depicted the silent Rufus Rastus as a coon, and even has Rufus Rastus' wife referring to him as such, Sterling's characterization of Rufus Rastus also has elements of the pretentious, living above his means, urban Zip Coon. It seems to me that the main thing in the song that implies that Sterling pictured Rufus Rastus as a Zip Coon was the fact that he gave that character four names instead of a total of three names that most Americans have. Three names - regular. Four names - pretentious. Not only that, I'm sure that it was no accident that Andrew B. Sterling gave that character the names "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
It's possible that in 1905 the name "Rufus" didn't bring to mind a picture of a poor, country Black man. However, although I only have anecdotal proof to back up this assertion, I believe that the name "Rufus" has carried those connotations for some time. My claim that the name "Rufus" is largely associated with Black males is supported by this comment by a blogger on that Mudcat Folk & Blues discussion thread that I referred to earlier:
"In _A Death in the Family_ by James Agee, a little white boy whose name happens to be Rufus is taunted by the neighborhood bullies for having a "n****r name"*, and they use that song. That would have been about 1915.
Then there was
"What does you lahk bestes', Rastus?"
"Ah lahks asbestos, Rufus."
So, yes, the names carry some baggage. Maybe they will manage to shed it by & by." "[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Joe_F, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 09:21 PM]
-snip-
* The "n word" is fully spelled out in this comment.
The name "Rastus" has a long tradition of being associated with Black males. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastus:
" "Rastus" has been used as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men at least since 1880, when Joel Chandler Harris included a Black deacon named "Brer Rastus" in the first Uncle Remus book. However, "Rastus" has never been particularly popular as a Black name. For example, the 1870 census reported only 42 individuals named "Rastus" in the United States, of whom only four were Black or mulatto.[2]
Rastus—as a stereotypically happy black man, not as a particular person—became a familiar character in minstrel shows. This is documented in Every Time I Turn Around: Rite, Reversal, and the End of Blackface Minstrelsy,[3] and Racism and Poverty in Ford City, PA, 1959: Minstrel Show,[4] and in fiction such as Adventures of Rufus Rastus Brown in Darktown (1906)[5] and Rastus Comes to the Point: A Negro Farce,[6] and in popular songs such as Rastus, Take Me Back (1909)[7] and (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) What You Going to Do When the Rent Comes 'Round (1905),[8] on radio,[9] and in films, most notably the Rastus series of short films,[10] with titles that included How Rastus Got His Chicken[11] and Rastus Runs Amuck.[12]"
I'm not sure whether in the late 19th century and the early 20th century the surnames "Johnson" and "Brown" were associated with Black Americans more than with Americans of any other race or ethnicity. However, if people make that connection now they might be surprised to know that, according to the 1990 United States census, "Johnson" is the second most common last name, and "Brown" is the fifth most common last name in that nation ("Smith" is the #2 most common last name in the USA).
http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm. Yet, however many White "Browns" there are, I've no doubt that Sterling selected the last name "Brown" for Rufus Rastus as a reference to that character's race. The name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Smith" doesn't have the same connotations as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
By the way, in one line of that song, another way that Rufus Rastus' wife showed her disrespect for her man was by sneeringly referring to him as "Mister Rufus Brown", and not by his full name. I read the use of the title "Mister" as a taunt, as if Rufus Rastus' wife was implying that he really wasn't man enough to use the title "Mister". And, indeed, the use of "titles" for Black Americans was a new custom, particularly in the South, where before the end of slavery, the only "honorific" that could be used for a Black adult was "auntie" or "uncle".
Before I turn to Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", I feel compelled to note the 19th century, early 20th century stereotypical "Negro" dialect that Andrew B. Sterling used in his lyrics to that song. Sure, some poor Black folks then said "dat" instead of "that". And some Black folks - then and now-incorrectly use incorrect grammar such as "I hopes you freezes to death", "If I goes to bed without a bite or sup", and what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round". But non-Black Americans also use such incorrect standard Emglish grammar. Nevertheless, that dialect is associated with negative stereotypes of Black folks. And because of the negative stereotypes associated with the depiction of Rufus Rastas & his wife, including the dialectic English, I believe that it would be very problematic if this 1905 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" were to be sung to the general public nowadays in any way except a part of an educational historical presentation.
Also, before turning to my briefer analysis of Rufus Thomas' Rufus Rastus song, here's an interesting comment from another Mudcat blogger which provides some background about how Harry Von Tilzer came up with the idea for this song:
"This rent lament is a classic from the late 19th century minstrel song school, and is also known by the compound name of its protagonist, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown. Music historian Sigmund Spaeth describes how the author became inspired to write this song:
Harry Von Tilzer was standing on the platform of the railway station at Miami listening to the conversation of two negroes. The woman was berating the man, and after using every possible adjective to describe his low-down shiftlessness, she worked up to a climax with the question, "What you goin' to do when de rent comes 'round?" The rest was easy."" [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Charley Noble, Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:25 PM]
In contrast to that 1905 depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, Rufus Thomas' 1969 character of the same name is much more sympathetically drawn. In that 1969 song there is no mention of Rufus Rastus gambling, nor is there any wife taunting him- callin him out of his name- and refusing to let him in out of the cold. Unlike that earlier song, in Rufus Thomas' record, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown actually says something. He says "I'm broke. I'm broke". And as any American of any race or ethnicity could tell you, there's more ways of being broke in the US of A then gambling. However, I get the impression from that R&B song that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown must have been broke quite often, and that the lead singer is used to him coming to him to give him some money to help him pay his rent and his other bills. Yet, the picture I get from this song is that the lead singer is shaking his head and saying to himself or to Rufus Rastus "What am I going to do with you". He's not taunting Rufus Rastus, refusing to help him, or wishing that Rufus Rastus were dead.
Rufus Thomas' song is written in a form of African American vernacular English, for example the lines "Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay/Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day." Then again, the Rufus Rastus character in that 1969 song says "I'm broke" and not "I'se broke". And the lead singer says "what you goin' to do when the rent come around" and not "what youse gwine do when the rent come 'round". As a 20th/21st century African American, that latter pronuciation and the rest of that 19th century/early 20th century "Negro dialect" associated with that 1905 "Rufus Rastas" song isn't at all funny to me.
I don't think that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown has any elements of Zip Coon. Those four names & some of the lyrics are lifted from that earlier song, and those names don't appear to be meant to convey pretentiousness as I believe they are meant to convey in that 1905 song. But, while I wouldn't say that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown is that of a coon, I believe that that 1969 depiction definitely has some coonish elements. Notice that the 1969 Rufus Rastus isn't described as a hard-working man or a man who has tried to find work and for some reason is down on his luck. Instead, Rufus Thomas says that "I can see ole Rastus comin down the path/He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin/He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin." That description fits the happy-go-lucky, irresponsible coon stereotype. However, when Rufus Thomas refers to Rufus Rastus as "ole Rufus", I think that word "ole" softens that description, and shows that singer has some affection for that man. (Of course, that may be an incorrect transcription of that word, and Rufus Thomas may have said "old" instead of "ole". Even so, I think that word also conveys some affection toward Rufus Rastus".)
I wonder whether the lead voice in that 1969 song was supposed to be a friend of Rufus Rastus or if he was supposed to be kin to Rufus Rastus. If that lead voice and Rufus Rastus were related, then the implication that Rufus Rastus hoped to get help from that lead voice fits the findings in one recent study that one reason why the household wealth of middle class Black American families is so much lower than the household wealth of middle class White American families is that Black American families give more money to assist their poor relatives. [http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/02/18/family-members-in-need/ Family Members in Need: Why Some Middle Class Blacks Can’t Get Ahead, Lisa Wade, Feb 18, 2013, at 12:00 pm]
There are many causes for poverty besides people gambling their money and otherwise being irresponsible. That brings me to my first reaction to the 1905 song "What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)" when I first read about it on that Mudcat Cafe discussion thread that I've previously cited:
..."Fwiw, I've never heard this song or the chicken song. And I doubt very much that many contemporary African Americans sing this song as the name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" is quite stereotypical and the names "Rufus" and "Rastus" in particular remind folks of what weren't good ole days for many people. Maybe Rufus Rastus would have been able to pay his rent if there wasn't so much institutional and personal racism around.
And yes, I know this song is to be sung just for fun. But still."...
[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Azizi, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 02:39 PM]
****
RELATED LINKS
Information about the coon and Zip Coon stereotypes are given in these articles http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/coon/ and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html "Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies"
****
ACKNOWLEGEMENT AND THANKS
I can't bring myself to thank the composer & lyricists of that 1905 song. Yet, I recognize that in the early 20th century, the characterizations of Black people found in that song may have even been thought to be progressive. At least, the n word wasn't used in that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown song.
I do acknowlege Rufus Thomas' writing and performance & I thank him for his musical legacy. I also thank each of the commenters and authors who are quoted in this post.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post is Part I of a two part series on two versions of the song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
Part II features lyrics and sound files of the original 1905 version of this song and of Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of this song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-white-black-version-of-song-rufus.html for Part II of this series.
****
PART I
I first heard about the 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown in 2007 when I read about him on this Mudcat Cafe discussion thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=37834 "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" [hereafter given as Mudcat: Rufus Rastus].
I confess that I really don't like the image of Rufus Rastus that was drawn by Andrew B. Sterling, that song's lyricist. Sterling's description of Rufus Rastus fits the stereotype of a Negro coon, only he-Von Tilzer-following the customs of his time-would have written "Negro" with a small "n". Sterling's caricature of Rufus Rastus was that of a good for nothing man who stayed out late, and didn't have the sense to not gamble away his rent money. Von Tilzer's Rufus Rastus also fit the stereotype of a coon in that he was dominated by his wife - or at least his woman- who is actually the one who speaks in that 1905 song. The reason why I'm not sure if that was his wife or not was that Rufus Rastus didn't have a key to his own home. But maybe in the beginning 20th century USA folks, or just struggling poor folks didn't have keys to their homes. Maybe they secured the door with some kind of latch, and that is why that 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown couldn't get in to his house unless someone from the inside let him in.
And it seems to me that Rufus Rastus must have stayed out late more than just that one time that is recorded in that song. And it seems to me that he must have done some other real triflin things for his wife -or his woman- to have such a strong reaction to him staying out late that time. Maybe Rufus Rastus had a habit of gamblin away his money, even down to the rent money. Otherwise why did she jump to that conclusion that Rufus had been gambling just because he stayed out real late that night? But am I right in detecting some acceptance of Rufus Rastus gambling since she asked him "Did you win?" and "Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring"? Isn't that enabling Rufus Rastus' gambling habit? Hmmm.
Yet, according to how Andrew B. Sterling tells it, even before she asked if Rufus Rastus had won any money from his gamblin, his wife or woman- who was given no name in that song- was clearly not happy with Rufus Rastus. She called him out of his name (by calling him a coon), and she said that he didn't have any sense, and he wouldn't have sense to judgment day-which after all, is probably still a long time coming. And Rufus Rastus' wife (I'll give her that benefit of the doubt) called her husband "Honey" and "babe" and said she loved him. But she also said that she wished that he would freeze out in the snow. That was some strange kinda love...
While Andrew B. Sterling's depicted the silent Rufus Rastus as a coon, and even has Rufus Rastus' wife referring to him as such, Sterling's characterization of Rufus Rastus also has elements of the pretentious, living above his means, urban Zip Coon. It seems to me that the main thing in the song that implies that Sterling pictured Rufus Rastus as a Zip Coon was the fact that he gave that character four names instead of a total of three names that most Americans have. Three names - regular. Four names - pretentious. Not only that, I'm sure that it was no accident that Andrew B. Sterling gave that character the names "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
It's possible that in 1905 the name "Rufus" didn't bring to mind a picture of a poor, country Black man. However, although I only have anecdotal proof to back up this assertion, I believe that the name "Rufus" has carried those connotations for some time. My claim that the name "Rufus" is largely associated with Black males is supported by this comment by a blogger on that Mudcat Folk & Blues discussion thread that I referred to earlier:
"In _A Death in the Family_ by James Agee, a little white boy whose name happens to be Rufus is taunted by the neighborhood bullies for having a "n****r name"*, and they use that song. That would have been about 1915.
Then there was
"What does you lahk bestes', Rastus?"
"Ah lahks asbestos, Rufus."
So, yes, the names carry some baggage. Maybe they will manage to shed it by & by." "[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Joe_F, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 09:21 PM]
-snip-
* The "n word" is fully spelled out in this comment.
The name "Rastus" has a long tradition of being associated with Black males. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastus:
" "Rastus" has been used as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men at least since 1880, when Joel Chandler Harris included a Black deacon named "Brer Rastus" in the first Uncle Remus book. However, "Rastus" has never been particularly popular as a Black name. For example, the 1870 census reported only 42 individuals named "Rastus" in the United States, of whom only four were Black or mulatto.[2]
Rastus—as a stereotypically happy black man, not as a particular person—became a familiar character in minstrel shows. This is documented in Every Time I Turn Around: Rite, Reversal, and the End of Blackface Minstrelsy,[3] and Racism and Poverty in Ford City, PA, 1959: Minstrel Show,[4] and in fiction such as Adventures of Rufus Rastus Brown in Darktown (1906)[5] and Rastus Comes to the Point: A Negro Farce,[6] and in popular songs such as Rastus, Take Me Back (1909)[7] and (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) What You Going to Do When the Rent Comes 'Round (1905),[8] on radio,[9] and in films, most notably the Rastus series of short films,[10] with titles that included How Rastus Got His Chicken[11] and Rastus Runs Amuck.[12]"
I'm not sure whether in the late 19th century and the early 20th century the surnames "Johnson" and "Brown" were associated with Black Americans more than with Americans of any other race or ethnicity. However, if people make that connection now they might be surprised to know that, according to the 1990 United States census, "Johnson" is the second most common last name, and "Brown" is the fifth most common last name in that nation ("Smith" is the #2 most common last name in the USA).
http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm. Yet, however many White "Browns" there are, I've no doubt that Sterling selected the last name "Brown" for Rufus Rastus as a reference to that character's race. The name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Smith" doesn't have the same connotations as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
By the way, in one line of that song, another way that Rufus Rastus' wife showed her disrespect for her man was by sneeringly referring to him as "Mister Rufus Brown", and not by his full name. I read the use of the title "Mister" as a taunt, as if Rufus Rastus' wife was implying that he really wasn't man enough to use the title "Mister". And, indeed, the use of "titles" for Black Americans was a new custom, particularly in the South, where before the end of slavery, the only "honorific" that could be used for a Black adult was "auntie" or "uncle".
Before I turn to Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", I feel compelled to note the 19th century, early 20th century stereotypical "Negro" dialect that Andrew B. Sterling used in his lyrics to that song. Sure, some poor Black folks then said "dat" instead of "that". And some Black folks - then and now-incorrectly use incorrect grammar such as "I hopes you freezes to death", "If I goes to bed without a bite or sup", and what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round". But non-Black Americans also use such incorrect standard Emglish grammar. Nevertheless, that dialect is associated with negative stereotypes of Black folks. And because of the negative stereotypes associated with the depiction of Rufus Rastas & his wife, including the dialectic English, I believe that it would be very problematic if this 1905 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" were to be sung to the general public nowadays in any way except a part of an educational historical presentation.
Also, before turning to my briefer analysis of Rufus Thomas' Rufus Rastus song, here's an interesting comment from another Mudcat blogger which provides some background about how Harry Von Tilzer came up with the idea for this song:
"This rent lament is a classic from the late 19th century minstrel song school, and is also known by the compound name of its protagonist, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown. Music historian Sigmund Spaeth describes how the author became inspired to write this song:
Harry Von Tilzer was standing on the platform of the railway station at Miami listening to the conversation of two negroes. The woman was berating the man, and after using every possible adjective to describe his low-down shiftlessness, she worked up to a climax with the question, "What you goin' to do when de rent comes 'round?" The rest was easy."" [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Charley Noble, Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:25 PM]
In contrast to that 1905 depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, Rufus Thomas' 1969 character of the same name is much more sympathetically drawn. In that 1969 song there is no mention of Rufus Rastus gambling, nor is there any wife taunting him- callin him out of his name- and refusing to let him in out of the cold. Unlike that earlier song, in Rufus Thomas' record, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown actually says something. He says "I'm broke. I'm broke". And as any American of any race or ethnicity could tell you, there's more ways of being broke in the US of A then gambling. However, I get the impression from that R&B song that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown must have been broke quite often, and that the lead singer is used to him coming to him to give him some money to help him pay his rent and his other bills. Yet, the picture I get from this song is that the lead singer is shaking his head and saying to himself or to Rufus Rastus "What am I going to do with you". He's not taunting Rufus Rastus, refusing to help him, or wishing that Rufus Rastus were dead.
Rufus Thomas' song is written in a form of African American vernacular English, for example the lines "Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay/Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day." Then again, the Rufus Rastus character in that 1969 song says "I'm broke" and not "I'se broke". And the lead singer says "what you goin' to do when the rent come around" and not "what youse gwine do when the rent come 'round". As a 20th/21st century African American, that latter pronuciation and the rest of that 19th century/early 20th century "Negro dialect" associated with that 1905 "Rufus Rastas" song isn't at all funny to me.
I don't think that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown has any elements of Zip Coon. Those four names & some of the lyrics are lifted from that earlier song, and those names don't appear to be meant to convey pretentiousness as I believe they are meant to convey in that 1905 song. But, while I wouldn't say that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown is that of a coon, I believe that that 1969 depiction definitely has some coonish elements. Notice that the 1969 Rufus Rastus isn't described as a hard-working man or a man who has tried to find work and for some reason is down on his luck. Instead, Rufus Thomas says that "I can see ole Rastus comin down the path/He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin/He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin." That description fits the happy-go-lucky, irresponsible coon stereotype. However, when Rufus Thomas refers to Rufus Rastus as "ole Rufus", I think that word "ole" softens that description, and shows that singer has some affection for that man. (Of course, that may be an incorrect transcription of that word, and Rufus Thomas may have said "old" instead of "ole". Even so, I think that word also conveys some affection toward Rufus Rastus".)
I wonder whether the lead voice in that 1969 song was supposed to be a friend of Rufus Rastus or if he was supposed to be kin to Rufus Rastus. If that lead voice and Rufus Rastus were related, then the implication that Rufus Rastus hoped to get help from that lead voice fits the findings in one recent study that one reason why the household wealth of middle class Black American families is so much lower than the household wealth of middle class White American families is that Black American families give more money to assist their poor relatives. [http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/02/18/family-members-in-need/ Family Members in Need: Why Some Middle Class Blacks Can’t Get Ahead, Lisa Wade, Feb 18, 2013, at 12:00 pm]
There are many causes for poverty besides people gambling their money and otherwise being irresponsible. That brings me to my first reaction to the 1905 song "What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)" when I first read about it on that Mudcat Cafe discussion thread that I've previously cited:
..."Fwiw, I've never heard this song or the chicken song. And I doubt very much that many contemporary African Americans sing this song as the name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" is quite stereotypical and the names "Rufus" and "Rastus" in particular remind folks of what weren't good ole days for many people. Maybe Rufus Rastus would have been able to pay his rent if there wasn't so much institutional and personal racism around.
And yes, I know this song is to be sung just for fun. But still."...
[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Azizi, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 02:39 PM]
****
RELATED LINKS
Information about the coon and Zip Coon stereotypes are given in these articles http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/coon/ and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html "Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies"
****
ACKNOWLEGEMENT AND THANKS
I can't bring myself to thank the composer & lyricists of that 1905 song. Yet, I recognize that in the early 20th century, the characterizations of Black people found in that song may have even been thought to be progressive. At least, the n word wasn't used in that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown song.
I do acknowlege Rufus Thomas' writing and performance & I thank him for his musical legacy. I also thank each of the commenters and authors who are quoted in this post.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies
Edited by Azizi Powell
Zip Coon
Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010
Performed by the 2nd South Carolina String Band
****
In order to truly become post-racial, I believe that we need to recognize the racist memes that have influenced the past and that still influence the present. This post serves as an introduction for some to the minstrel character "Zip Coon", and other minstrel Black dandies. Nowadays, these stereotypes of Black males aren't as well known by names as the stereotypes of the shufflin, wide eyed, superstitious, child-like Coons/Sambos.
By no means is this post meant to be a comprehensive overview of this subject. I encourage readers to learn more about "Zip Coon" and other Black sterotypes, in part by visiting the sites whose hyperlinks are provided in this post.
Note: I choose not to spell out the word that is now known as the "n word" because I detest that word. Instead of completely spelling that word out, I use asterisks for some letters.
****
DESCRIPTION OF ZIP COON
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876#48048 "Old Zip Coon"; comment by rich r; 04 Dec 98
****
THE PURPOSE OF THE ZIP COON CHARACTER
The purpose of the Zip Coon character was to provide entertainment for White folks by ridiculing & demeaning Northern, urban, free Black men. The ludicrous Black dandy was created because the existence of free, intelligent, articulate, skilled, ambitious, and well dressed Black men in the North (as well as in the South) was considered by many White people to be an affront & a threat to mainstream White society.
The Zip Coon character is somewhat different from the contemporary characterization of the "uppity n****r" in that Zip Coon had no ambition to do anything but play music, dress in what he considered to be high style, and be a lover of usually more than one Black woman. However, like the "uppity n****r", Zip Coon characterizations were said to be attempting to "live above their station". And both these characters were and are considered to be a threat to White status quo.
****
THE SONG "ZIP COON"
The 1834 song "Zip Coon" explicitly has little to do with a Black dandy (a Black man who is only interested in fashion). However, that song presents a self-assured character who is depicted courting a woman (Suky blue skin-meaning a dark skinned Black woman). Also note verses 4,5, & 6 which focus on the (thought to be ludicrous) possibility of a Black man one day becoming the President of the United States:
ZIP COON
(1834)
1. O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
Sings possum up a gum tree an coony in a holler
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Den over dubble trubble, Zip Coon will jump.
CHORUS: O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
2. O its old Suky blue skin, she is in lub wid me,
I went the udder arter noon to take a dish ob tea;
What do you tink now, Suky hab for supper,
Why chicken foot an possum heel, widout any butter.
3. Did you eber see the wild goose, sailing on de ocean,
O de wild goose motion is a bery pretty notion;
Ebry time de wild goose, beckens to de swaller,
You hear him google google google google goller.
4. I tell you what will happin den, now bery soon,
De Nited States Bank will be blone to de moon;
Dare General Jackson, will him lampoon,
An de bery nex President, will be Zip Coon.
5. An wen Zip Coon our President shall be,
He make all de little Coons sing posum up a tree;
O how de little Coons, will dance an sing,
Wen he tie dare tails togedder, cross de lim dey swing.
6. Now mind wat you arter, you tarnel kritter Crocket,
You shant go head widout old Zip, he is de boy to block it,
Zip shall be President, Crocket shall be vice,
An den dey two togedder, will hab de tings nice.
7. I hab many tings to tork about, but don't know wich come first,
So here de toast to old Zip Coon, before he gin to rust;
May he hab de pretty girls, like de King ob ole,
To sing dis song so many times, fore he turn to mole
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876 for this version and other versions of the song "Zip Coon".
The song "Zip Coon" utilizes the same tune as "Turkey in the Straw" which may have slightly predated it. The blackface performers George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols each claimed to have seperately written both of those songs. An earlier American song "Natchez Under the Hill" was the first published song to use the tune that is most commonly known now as "Turkey In The Straw"...
-snip-
The word "coon" in the name "Zip Coon" is derived from the word "racoon" but is a racial slur used in the United States to refer to Black people. But where does the word "Zip" come from?
My theory is that the name "Zip" is from the Hebrew male name "Zippor". Given the possible meanings of that name, and its Biblical associations, I contend that the name "Zip" might have been interpreted by some 19th century White folks as a coded put-down of Black men.
To support this theory, I present the following information from http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Zippor.html
Also, read the information given about the name "Balak" from that same website at http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Balak.html.
In summation, the name "Zip" in "Zip Coon" may have carried the negative connotations of being bird brained, being a he-goat, and being related to a person who curses the nation of Israel. I consider the following sentence to be particularly striking: "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and chicken out and off Mount Gilead."
-snip-
That sentence is particularly fitting since I believe that it was fear of the Black man that motivated the offensive, demeaning pre-minstrel and minstrel caricature of Zip Coon and other Black dandies.
However, note that the chorus of the song "Zip Coon" includes the word "zip":
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
-snip-
It seems obvious to me that this chorus is the source of the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" which first appeared in the Walt Disney 1946 live action and animated movie "Song of the South". If the 1834 date for that version of the song "Zip Coon" is correct, then I would probably revise my thinking about the Hebrew name "Zippor" being the source of the name & song title "Zip Coon".
I think that "zip" in that Zip Coon chorus and in the Disney song conveys a spirit of zest, carefree energy, and enjoyment, but not necessarily speed. As such that word would be a good fit for the White crafted character of the Black urban dandy- a person who wasn't a threat to the White status quo because he was just carefree and only interested in making music, and courting (if not marrying) Black women.
In conclusion, if I had to choose which one of my theories about the name "Zip Coon" I think is the most plausible, I'd go with door number #2- the word "zip" in the chorus of the Zip Coon song is the source for the name "Zip Coon". It's probable that the similarly spelled and pronounced Hebrew male name "Zippor" is nothing more than a coincidence.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-versions-of-song-old-zip-coon-sound.html for a post on two versions of the Zip Coon song.
****
LONG TAIL BLUE
"Long Tail Blue" (1827) is an early racist song about a black "dandy" trying to fit into Northern white society. "Dandy" means a male who is concerned about keeping up with the latest clothing fashions, or otherwise making a very good fashion statement). The song "Long Tail Blue" has been attributed to George Washington Dixon. "Long Tail Blue" (a referent to a type of suit jacket) focuses more on the Black dandy than does "Zip Coon".
Here are three verses from "Long Tail Blue". These verses are given with asterisks for the spelling of the "n word". Note the verse that references "Jim Crow courting a White girl.
LONG TAIL BLUE (excerpt)
Some N****rs they have but one coat,
But you see I've got two;
I wears a jacket all the week,
And Sunday my long tail blue...
Jim Crow is courting a white gall,
And yaller folks call her Sue;
I guess she back'd a n****r out,
And swung my long tail blue...
If you want to win the Ladie's hearts,
I'll tell you what to do;
Go to a tip-top tailor's shop,
And buy a long tail blue.
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=69384#1176208 "Long Tail Blue"; comment by Q; 01 May 04
****
DANDY JIM
A characteristic of the "Zip Coon" character that usually receives little mention is his self-confidence, particularly when it comes to his relationship with women. That characteristic is found in the following 1844 minstrel song of the "Zip Coon" figuree "Dandy Jim From Caroline":
DANDY JIM FROM CAROLINE (excerpt)
...I drest myself from top to toe,
And down to Dinah I did go,
Wid pantaloons strapp'd down behine,
Like "Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c...
Oh, beauty it is but skin deep,
But wid Miss Dinah none compete;
She chang'd her name from lubly Dine,
To Mrs. Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c.
http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/minstrel/dandyjimfr.html
The 1956 hit R&B song "Jim Dandy To The Rescue" as recorded by African American vocalist Lavern Baker adds new characteristics to the character "Dandy Jim from Caroline". That song also turns on its head the caricature of the ludicrous Zip Coon/Black Dandy by presenting exploits of a heroic man who rescues women in distress. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4esV-NMe3m0 to find a song file of "Jim Dandy To The Rescue".
****
GOLLIWOGS
Golliwog dolls and other golliwog images & products are based on the minstrel character of "Zip Coon".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg
From http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/golliwog/
Click
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/wog_faq.htm for more information about the etymology and history of golliwogs.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS [Updated 4/24/2013]
The Stereotype of the "Zip Coon"
This video appears to no longer be available. However, the video uploader's comments are still informative:
[This is] "A clip from the documentary _Ethnic Notions_ by Marlon Riggs. The film details the history of popular cultural representations of African Americans from the 19th century into the late 20th century. It focuses, in particular, on stereotypes and how they have changed over time and in response to circumstance. Here we see the example of the "Zip Coon" character, an ante-bellum construction that was used to ridicule black aspirations for freedom and autonomy. It was a complement to the Mammy and the Sambo in the sense that it rationalized the "need" for slavery to take care of blacks whose attempts to take care of themselves were "ludicrous."...
****
Ethnic Notions
californianewsreel,Uploaded on Oct 28, 2009
To watch the entire documentary, to read background information and to order DVDs, visit:
http://newsreel.org/video/ETHNIC-NOTIONS
Scholars shed light on the origins and consequences of anti-Black stereotypes in popular culture from the Antebellum period to the Civil Rights era.
****
Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade Advert (1983)
chaoreturnsforgood76, Uploaded on Oct 1, 2010
Here's an animated advert with the "Gollywog" which was axed in 2001
****
THE SONG "OLD ZIP COON" AND THE CHARACTER "ZIP COON"
In discussing Zip Coon, it's important to distinquish "Old Zip Coon" lyrics from the Zip Coon character & characterization. While the character/characterization Zip Coon is racist, the standard lyrics for that song aren't racist.
Click http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/547.html for the lyrics to that song.
****
MORE RELATED LINKS
http://africanamericanhistorynamesandterms.blogspot.com/2007/12/sambo-stereotype-sambo-stereotype-of.html
Here's an excerpt from that post that describes the Sambo stereotype:
"The Sambo stereotype of African American slaves and, by extension, of modern African Americans is that American blacks are by nature servile, fawning, cringing, docile, irresponsible, lazy, humble, dependent, prone to lying and stealing, grinningly happy and basically infantile. In other words, the conception of Sambo is that of a perpetual child incapable of maturity, sitting, grinning and eating in a watermelon patch."
**
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/stereotype-of-african-americans-kool.html Stereotypes of African Americans And Koolaid.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Zip Coon
Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010
Performed by the 2nd South Carolina String Band
****
In order to truly become post-racial, I believe that we need to recognize the racist memes that have influenced the past and that still influence the present. This post serves as an introduction for some to the minstrel character "Zip Coon", and other minstrel Black dandies. Nowadays, these stereotypes of Black males aren't as well known by names as the stereotypes of the shufflin, wide eyed, superstitious, child-like Coons/Sambos.
By no means is this post meant to be a comprehensive overview of this subject. I encourage readers to learn more about "Zip Coon" and other Black sterotypes, in part by visiting the sites whose hyperlinks are provided in this post.
Note: I choose not to spell out the word that is now known as the "n word" because I detest that word. Instead of completely spelling that word out, I use asterisks for some letters.
****
DESCRIPTION OF ZIP COON
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show
Minstrel shows lampooned black people as ignorant, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, joyous, and musical…
Minstrel songs and sketches featured several stock characters, most popularly the slave and the dandy... The counterpart to the slave was the dandy, a common character in the afterpiece. He was a northern urban black man trying to live above his station by mimicking white, upper-class speech and dress—usually to no good effect. Dandy characters often went by [sic: the name] Zip Coon, after the song popularized by George Washington Dixon, although others had pretentious names like Count Julius Caesar Mars Napoleon Sinclair Brown. Their clothing was a ludicrous parody of upper-class dress: coats with tails and padded shoulders, white gloves, monocles, fake mustaches, and gaudy watch chains. They spent their time primping and preening, going to parties, dancing and strutting, and wooing women. Like other urban black characters, the dandies' pretentiousness showed that they had no place in white society while sending up social changes like nouveau-riche white culture.
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876#48048 "Old Zip Coon"; comment by rich r; 04 Dec 98
"Zip Coon" which was popular in the 1830's was one of the earliest pieces of music used extensively by black-face singers before the advent of the minstrel shows. The Zip Coon character was an urban dandy, the complete opposite of the Jim Crow character who was depicted as rural. The unofficial garb for Zip Coon included a blue long-tailed jacket, a frilly lacey front shirt, watch fob and jewelry.
****
THE PURPOSE OF THE ZIP COON CHARACTER
The purpose of the Zip Coon character was to provide entertainment for White folks by ridiculing & demeaning Northern, urban, free Black men. The ludicrous Black dandy was created because the existence of free, intelligent, articulate, skilled, ambitious, and well dressed Black men in the North (as well as in the South) was considered by many White people to be an affront & a threat to mainstream White society.
The Zip Coon character is somewhat different from the contemporary characterization of the "uppity n****r" in that Zip Coon had no ambition to do anything but play music, dress in what he considered to be high style, and be a lover of usually more than one Black woman. However, like the "uppity n****r", Zip Coon characterizations were said to be attempting to "live above their station". And both these characters were and are considered to be a threat to White status quo.
****
THE SONG "ZIP COON"
The 1834 song "Zip Coon" explicitly has little to do with a Black dandy (a Black man who is only interested in fashion). However, that song presents a self-assured character who is depicted courting a woman (Suky blue skin-meaning a dark skinned Black woman). Also note verses 4,5, & 6 which focus on the (thought to be ludicrous) possibility of a Black man one day becoming the President of the United States:
ZIP COON
(1834)
1. O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
Sings possum up a gum tree an coony in a holler
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Den over dubble trubble, Zip Coon will jump.
CHORUS: O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
2. O its old Suky blue skin, she is in lub wid me,
I went the udder arter noon to take a dish ob tea;
What do you tink now, Suky hab for supper,
Why chicken foot an possum heel, widout any butter.
3. Did you eber see the wild goose, sailing on de ocean,
O de wild goose motion is a bery pretty notion;
Ebry time de wild goose, beckens to de swaller,
You hear him google google google google goller.
4. I tell you what will happin den, now bery soon,
De Nited States Bank will be blone to de moon;
Dare General Jackson, will him lampoon,
An de bery nex President, will be Zip Coon.
5. An wen Zip Coon our President shall be,
He make all de little Coons sing posum up a tree;
O how de little Coons, will dance an sing,
Wen he tie dare tails togedder, cross de lim dey swing.
6. Now mind wat you arter, you tarnel kritter Crocket,
You shant go head widout old Zip, he is de boy to block it,
Zip shall be President, Crocket shall be vice,
An den dey two togedder, will hab de tings nice.
7. I hab many tings to tork about, but don't know wich come first,
So here de toast to old Zip Coon, before he gin to rust;
May he hab de pretty girls, like de King ob ole,
To sing dis song so many times, fore he turn to mole
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876 for this version and other versions of the song "Zip Coon".
The song "Zip Coon" utilizes the same tune as "Turkey in the Straw" which may have slightly predated it. The blackface performers George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols each claimed to have seperately written both of those songs. An earlier American song "Natchez Under the Hill" was the first published song to use the tune that is most commonly known now as "Turkey In The Straw"...
-snip-
The word "coon" in the name "Zip Coon" is derived from the word "racoon" but is a racial slur used in the United States to refer to Black people. But where does the word "Zip" come from?
My theory is that the name "Zip" is from the Hebrew male name "Zippor". Given the possible meanings of that name, and its Biblical associations, I contend that the name "Zip" might have been interpreted by some 19th century White folks as a coded put-down of Black men.
To support this theory, I present the following information from http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Zippor.html
Zippor is the father of Balak, the king of Moab who hires Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:4).-snip-
The name Zippor comes from the fertile word-group (sapar 1958-1962): The assumed and untranslatable root (spr) yields the noun (sippor), meaning bird. In Judges 7:3 the word is used as a hard-to-translate verb, (sapar), perhaps literally: "...Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and chicken out and off Mount Gilead."
The assumed root (spr 1960) yields the noun (sepira), meaning a plait, diadem (Isaiah 28:5).
The assumed root (spr) yields the noun (sipporen), meaning fingernail (Deuteronomy 21:12) or engraving pen (Jeremiah 17:1).
The assumed root (spr) yields the noun (sapir), meaning he-goat. This word appears only in later Biblical texts.
The name Zippor is identical to the noun (sippor), and means Bird. NOBS Study Bible Name List reads Sparrow. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Little Bird.
A closely related name is Zipporah.
Also, read the information given about the name "Balak" from that same website at http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Balak.html.
In summation, the name "Zip" in "Zip Coon" may have carried the negative connotations of being bird brained, being a he-goat, and being related to a person who curses the nation of Israel. I consider the following sentence to be particularly striking: "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and chicken out and off Mount Gilead."
-snip-
That sentence is particularly fitting since I believe that it was fear of the Black man that motivated the offensive, demeaning pre-minstrel and minstrel caricature of Zip Coon and other Black dandies.
However, note that the chorus of the song "Zip Coon" includes the word "zip":
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
-snip-
It seems obvious to me that this chorus is the source of the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" which first appeared in the Walt Disney 1946 live action and animated movie "Song of the South". If the 1834 date for that version of the song "Zip Coon" is correct, then I would probably revise my thinking about the Hebrew name "Zippor" being the source of the name & song title "Zip Coon".
I think that "zip" in that Zip Coon chorus and in the Disney song conveys a spirit of zest, carefree energy, and enjoyment, but not necessarily speed. As such that word would be a good fit for the White crafted character of the Black urban dandy- a person who wasn't a threat to the White status quo because he was just carefree and only interested in making music, and courting (if not marrying) Black women.
In conclusion, if I had to choose which one of my theories about the name "Zip Coon" I think is the most plausible, I'd go with door number #2- the word "zip" in the chorus of the Zip Coon song is the source for the name "Zip Coon". It's probable that the similarly spelled and pronounced Hebrew male name "Zippor" is nothing more than a coincidence.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-versions-of-song-old-zip-coon-sound.html for a post on two versions of the Zip Coon song.
****
LONG TAIL BLUE
"Long Tail Blue" (1827) is an early racist song about a black "dandy" trying to fit into Northern white society. "Dandy" means a male who is concerned about keeping up with the latest clothing fashions, or otherwise making a very good fashion statement). The song "Long Tail Blue" has been attributed to George Washington Dixon. "Long Tail Blue" (a referent to a type of suit jacket) focuses more on the Black dandy than does "Zip Coon".
Here are three verses from "Long Tail Blue". These verses are given with asterisks for the spelling of the "n word". Note the verse that references "Jim Crow courting a White girl.
LONG TAIL BLUE (excerpt)
Some N****rs they have but one coat,
But you see I've got two;
I wears a jacket all the week,
And Sunday my long tail blue...
Jim Crow is courting a white gall,
And yaller folks call her Sue;
I guess she back'd a n****r out,
And swung my long tail blue...
If you want to win the Ladie's hearts,
I'll tell you what to do;
Go to a tip-top tailor's shop,
And buy a long tail blue.
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=69384#1176208 "Long Tail Blue"; comment by Q; 01 May 04
****
DANDY JIM
A characteristic of the "Zip Coon" character that usually receives little mention is his self-confidence, particularly when it comes to his relationship with women. That characteristic is found in the following 1844 minstrel song of the "Zip Coon" figuree "Dandy Jim From Caroline":
DANDY JIM FROM CAROLINE (excerpt)
...I drest myself from top to toe,
And down to Dinah I did go,
Wid pantaloons strapp'd down behine,
Like "Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c...
Oh, beauty it is but skin deep,
But wid Miss Dinah none compete;
She chang'd her name from lubly Dine,
To Mrs. Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c.
http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/minstrel/dandyjimfr.html
The 1956 hit R&B song "Jim Dandy To The Rescue" as recorded by African American vocalist Lavern Baker adds new characteristics to the character "Dandy Jim from Caroline". That song also turns on its head the caricature of the ludicrous Zip Coon/Black Dandy by presenting exploits of a heroic man who rescues women in distress. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4esV-NMe3m0 to find a song file of "Jim Dandy To The Rescue".
****
GOLLIWOGS
Golliwog dolls and other golliwog images & products are based on the minstrel character of "Zip Coon".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg
The "Golliwogg" (later "Golliwog", "golly doll") was a character in children's books in the late 19th century and depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, into the 1960s. The doll has black skin, eyes rimmed in white, clown lips, and frizzy hair, and it has been described as the least known of the major anti-black caricatures in the United States.While home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy...-snip-
The 1895 book [by Florence Upton] included a character named the "Golliwogg," who was first described as "a horrid sight, the blackest gnome", but who quickly turned out to be a friendly character, and is later attributed with a "kind face." A product of the blackface minstrel tradition, the character was classic "darkie" iconography. The Golliwogg had jet black skin; bright, red lips; and wild, woolly hair. He wore red trousers, a shirt with a stiff collar, red bow-tie, and a blue jacket with ails — all traditional minstrel attire…
From http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/golliwog/
The Golliwog was created during a racist era. He was drawn as a caricature of a minstrel -- which itself represented a demeaning image of Blacks. There is racial stereotyping of Black people in Florence Upton's books, including The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls -- such as the Black minstrel playing a banjo on page 45. It appears that the Golliwog was another expression of Upton's racial insensitivity. Certainly later Golliwogs often reflected negative beliefs about Blacks -- thieves, miscreants, incompetents. There is little doubt that the words associated with Golliwog -- Golly, Golli, Wog, and Golliwog, itself -- are often used as racial slurs. Finally, the resurgence of interest in the Golliwog is not found primarily among children, but instead is found among adults, some nostalgic, others with financial interests.-snip-
Click
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/wog_faq.htm for more information about the etymology and history of golliwogs.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS [Updated 4/24/2013]
The Stereotype of the "Zip Coon"
This video appears to no longer be available. However, the video uploader's comments are still informative:
[This is] "A clip from the documentary _Ethnic Notions_ by Marlon Riggs. The film details the history of popular cultural representations of African Americans from the 19th century into the late 20th century. It focuses, in particular, on stereotypes and how they have changed over time and in response to circumstance. Here we see the example of the "Zip Coon" character, an ante-bellum construction that was used to ridicule black aspirations for freedom and autonomy. It was a complement to the Mammy and the Sambo in the sense that it rationalized the "need" for slavery to take care of blacks whose attempts to take care of themselves were "ludicrous."...
****
Ethnic Notions
californianewsreel,Uploaded on Oct 28, 2009
To watch the entire documentary, to read background information and to order DVDs, visit:
http://newsreel.org/video/ETHNIC-NOTIONS
Scholars shed light on the origins and consequences of anti-Black stereotypes in popular culture from the Antebellum period to the Civil Rights era.
****
Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade Advert (1983)
chaoreturnsforgood76, Uploaded on Oct 1, 2010
Here's an animated advert with the "Gollywog" which was axed in 2001
****
THE SONG "OLD ZIP COON" AND THE CHARACTER "ZIP COON"
In discussing Zip Coon, it's important to distinquish "Old Zip Coon" lyrics from the Zip Coon character & characterization. While the character/characterization Zip Coon is racist, the standard lyrics for that song aren't racist.
Click http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/547.html for the lyrics to that song.
****
MORE RELATED LINKS
http://africanamericanhistorynamesandterms.blogspot.com/2007/12/sambo-stereotype-sambo-stereotype-of.html
Here's an excerpt from that post that describes the Sambo stereotype:
"The Sambo stereotype of African American slaves and, by extension, of modern African Americans is that American blacks are by nature servile, fawning, cringing, docile, irresponsible, lazy, humble, dependent, prone to lying and stealing, grinningly happy and basically infantile. In other words, the conception of Sambo is that of a perpetual child incapable of maturity, sitting, grinning and eating in a watermelon patch."
**
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/stereotype-of-african-americans-kool.html Stereotypes of African Americans And Koolaid.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)