Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision- Nov. 12, 2021- Title Change
This is Part III of three part pancocojams series on the word "sambo".
This post showcases two Caribbean Mento songs that include the word "sambo". In those songs "sambo" means "a person who is mixed racial".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-origin-meanings-of-word-sambo-means.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents excerpts of quotes about the origins and meanings of the word (including the name) "sambo".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/sambo-in-examples-of-songs-from-thomas.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents examples of the name "Sambo" in songs/rhymes that are featured in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers and the collectors of this song and other Caribbean songs with the same theme. Thanks also all those who are quoted in this post, thanks to the group that is showcased in this featured sound file, and thanks to the publisher of that sound file on YouTube.
****
LYRICS: BIG BIG SAMBO GYAL
Verse 1
Big big Sambo gyal and she cyaan do a ting.
Big big Sambo gyal and she cyaan do a ting.
Chorus
Sen' she back to she mumma, O!
Sen' she back to she puppa, O!
Di gyal cyaan wash an di gyaal cyaan cook,
Sen she back to she mumma.
Gyal yu waa fi come kill me fi dundas,
Gyal yu waa fi come kill me O,
She tek ackee bwile soup, she tek 'natta color i'.
Gyal yu waa fi come kill mi.
2. Han' full a ring an' she cyaan do a ting.
Han' full a ring an' she cyaan do a ting.
Chorus.
(from "Mango Time: Folk Songs of Jamaica" collected by Noel Dexter and Geoffrey Taylor)
-snip-
These lyrics were posted by MorwenEdhelwen1 in http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244 Date: 01 Jun 11 - 01:46 AM
-snip-
My explanations of certain terms in this song:
Sambo- a person who is mixed racial
gyal = girl
cyaan = can't
ting = thing
dundas =This line uses the word "dundas" meaning "albino" to refer to the woman's mixed racial ancestry: "Gyal yu waa fi come kill me fi dundas" means "Gal, you trying to kill me, you albino".
"She tek ackee bwile soup, she tek 'natta color i'." = "She takes ackee to boil it and make soup but she takes another [?] color [ackee that wasn't ripe] Read this article about the dangers of eating unriped ackee fruit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackee
"Han' full a ring an' she cyaan do a ting" = "Hands full of rings and she can't do a thing
-snip-
An excerpt of a Turks & Caicos song that is obviously adapted from "Big Big Sambo Gyal" can be found in an online article about the music of that Caribbean nation: http://www.timespub.tc/2002/06/rediscovering-the-hidden-culture-folk-songs/
SEND HER HOME
Big, big sambo gal
She can’t wash, she can’t cook
Send her home to her mama gal
The gal can’t wash and the gal can’t cook
Send her home to her mama
-snip-
Here's a sound file of the song "Big Big Sambo Gal" as performed by Lord Fly + Dan Williams & his orchestra
Elenpoika Published on Jul 31, 2010
album: Mento Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento 1951-1956
-snip-
The Jamaican song "Pack She Back To She Ma" (also known as "Jessie Mahon") has the same theme as "Big Big Sambo Gyal".
"Pack She Back to She Ma" was copyright in 1943, Massie Patterson and Lionel Belasco, copyright M. Baron Co., New York.
Massie Patterson, the singer, may have recorded the song.
Re-printed by permission in Jim Morse, Folk songs of the Caribbean, 1958, Bantam Books." posted in http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244 by Q: "Lyr Add: Big Big Sambo Gyal (jamaica)", Date: 11 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM
-snip-
The Jamaican Mento song "Angelique-O" written by William Attaway and Irving Burgie and sung by Harry Belafonte is also clearly patterned after "Big Big Sambo Gyal". Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/angeliqueo-lyrics-harry-belafonte.html for the complete lyrics to that song.
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SONG: SAMBO LADY
"In notes with another "Sambo" song, Walter Jekyll, 1904, remarks: "A Sambo is the child of a brown mother and a black father, being a cross between black and white. The Sambo lady, very proud of the strain of white in her blood, turns up her nose at the black man. She wants a white man for a husband. Failing to find one, she will not marry at all."
Reposted from http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244 by Q: "Lyr Add: Big Big Sambo Gyal (jamaica)", Date: 11 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM
LYRICS: SAMBO LADY
Digging-Sing
Sambo lady ho! Sambo, Sambo lady ho!
Sambo, Sambo no like black man,
Sambo, Sambo, want white man,
Sambo, Sambo, no get white man,
Sambo, Sambo, no want man again,
Sambo, Sambo lady, oh!
Sambo.
With musical score, LXXVI.
Walter Jekyll, 1904, Jamaican Song and Story, Dover reprints.
Reposted from http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244 by Q: "Lyr Add: Big Big Sambo Gyal (jamaica)", Date: 11 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM
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RELATED LINKS
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/more-work-for-undertaker-song-sound.html for a pancocojams post on the British music hall song "More Work For The Undertaker". That song was composed in 1895 and early versions featured a boy named “Sambo”.
Click http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR4181&chapterID=GR4181-5570&path=encyclopedias/greenwood "The Jim Crow Encyclopedia: Racial Stereotypes" for information about the Sambo caricature.
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label sambo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sambo. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Examples Of Songs From The 1922 Book "Negro Folk Rhymes" That Include The Word "Sambo"
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - Nov. 13, 2021 - title change
This is Part II of a pancocojams series about the word "sambo".
This post presents examples of the name "Sambo" in songs/rhymes that are included in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-origin-meanings-of-word-sambo-means.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents excerpts of quotes about the origins and meanings of the word (including the name) "sambo".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/caribbean-folk-songs-include-word-sambo.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases Caribbean folk songs that include the word "sambo".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural, purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of these songs and thanks to Thomas W. Talley for collecting them and editing a book about them.
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in alphabetical order based on the titles that Thomas Talley used for them. They are takeen from the digitalized version of that book that is found at From http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm
I've added italics to highlight the lines in these examples that include "sambo".
The pejorative word that is commonly now known as "the n word" was fully spelled out in these examples, but is either given with asterisks or is given as [the n word]. I recommend that the n word be changed to "black man" or "man" in present day usage.
Note: In some of these examples, "Sambo" may not have been the name of the man being addresses, but instead may have been a namee that was used by White people that was used to address or refer to any Black man.
Example #1: BUCK-EYED RABBIT! WHOOPEE! [P. 175]
Dat Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing;
He tote a bushy tail.
He jes lug off Uncle Sambo's co'n,
An' heart it on a rail.
Dat Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing;
An' so is ole Jedge B'ar.
Br'er Rabbit's gone an' los' his tail
'Cep' a liddle bunch of ha'r.
Buckeyed Rabbit! Whoopee!
Buckeyed Rabbit! Ho!
Buckeyed Rabbit! Whoopee!
Squir'l's got a long way to go.
-snip-
Explanations:
Buck eyed= a term that either meant "big eyes" or eyes that protrude
Uncle = During slavery in the United States south, the title "Mr" [and Mrs. or Miss were usually reserved for White malees and White females. However, note that "Mistah" is used in example #2,
Instead of Mr., the title "Uncle" was used for eldeerly Black men, and the title "Aunt" was used for elderly Black women.
co'n = corn
Jedge b'ar = judge [?] bear
liddle = little
ha'r = hair
****
Example #2: HE LOVES SUGAR AND TEA [84, 85]
Mistah Buster, he loves sugar an' tea.
Mistah Buster, he loves candy.
Mistah Buster, he's a Jim-dandy!
He can swing dem gals so handy.
Charlie's up an' Charlie's down.
Charlie's fine an' dandy.
Ev'ry time he goes to town,
He gits dem gals stick candy.
Dat Ni&&ah, he love sugar an' tea.
Dat Ni&&ah love dat candy.[Pg 85]
Fine Ni&&ah! He can wheel 'em 'round,
An' swing dem ladies handy.
Mistah Sambo, he love sugar an' tea.
Mistah Sambo love his candy.
Mistah Sambo; he's dat han'some man
What goes wid sister Mandy.
****
Example #3: MY MULE [p. 19]
Las' Saddy mornin' Mosser said:
"Jump up now, Sambo, out'n bed.
Go saddle dat mule, an' go to town;
An' bring home Mistiss' mornin' gown."
-snip-
Explanations:
las' = last
Mosser = Master
Mistiss= Mistress [Master's wife]
****
Example #4: PROMISES OF FREEDOM [p. 25]
My ole Mistiss promise me,
W'en she died, she'd set me free.
She lived so long dat 'er head got bal',
An' she give out'n de notion a dyin' at all.
My ole Mistiss say to me:
"Sambo, I'se gwine ter set you free."
But w'en dat head git slick an' bal',
De Lawd couldn' a' killed 'er wid a big green maul.
My ole Mistiss never die,
Wid 'er nose all hooked an' skin all dry.
But my ole Miss, she's somehow gone,
An' she lef' "Uncle Sambo" a-hillin' up co'n.
Ole Mosser lakwise promise me,
W'en he died, he'd set me free.
But ole Mosser go an' make his Will
Fer to leave me a-plowin' ole Beck still.
Yes, my ole Mosser promise me;
But "his papers" didn' leave me free.
A dose of pizen he'ped 'im along.
May de Devil preach 'is fūner'l song.
-snip-
Explanations:
Gwine= going to
****
RELATED LINK
Click http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sambo.aspx for information about the history of the "Sambo" stereotype.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome
Latest revision - Nov. 13, 2021 - title change
This is Part II of a pancocojams series about the word "sambo".
This post presents examples of the name "Sambo" in songs/rhymes that are included in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-origin-meanings-of-word-sambo-means.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents excerpts of quotes about the origins and meanings of the word (including the name) "sambo".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/caribbean-folk-songs-include-word-sambo.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases Caribbean folk songs that include the word "sambo".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural, purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of these songs and thanks to Thomas W. Talley for collecting them and editing a book about them.
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in alphabetical order based on the titles that Thomas Talley used for them. They are takeen from the digitalized version of that book that is found at From http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm
I've added italics to highlight the lines in these examples that include "sambo".
The pejorative word that is commonly now known as "the n word" was fully spelled out in these examples, but is either given with asterisks or is given as [the n word]. I recommend that the n word be changed to "black man" or "man" in present day usage.
Note: In some of these examples, "Sambo" may not have been the name of the man being addresses, but instead may have been a namee that was used by White people that was used to address or refer to any Black man.
Example #1: BUCK-EYED RABBIT! WHOOPEE! [P. 175]
Dat Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing;
He tote a bushy tail.
He jes lug off Uncle Sambo's co'n,
An' heart it on a rail.
Dat Squir'l, he's a cunnin' thing;
An' so is ole Jedge B'ar.
Br'er Rabbit's gone an' los' his tail
'Cep' a liddle bunch of ha'r.
Buckeyed Rabbit! Whoopee!
Buckeyed Rabbit! Ho!
Buckeyed Rabbit! Whoopee!
Squir'l's got a long way to go.
-snip-
Explanations:
Buck eyed= a term that either meant "big eyes" or eyes that protrude
Uncle = During slavery in the United States south, the title "Mr" [and Mrs. or Miss were usually reserved for White malees and White females. However, note that "Mistah" is used in example #2,
Instead of Mr., the title "Uncle" was used for eldeerly Black men, and the title "Aunt" was used for elderly Black women.
co'n = corn
Jedge b'ar = judge [?] bear
liddle = little
ha'r = hair
****
Example #2: HE LOVES SUGAR AND TEA [84, 85]
Mistah Buster, he loves sugar an' tea.
Mistah Buster, he loves candy.
Mistah Buster, he's a Jim-dandy!
He can swing dem gals so handy.
Charlie's up an' Charlie's down.
Charlie's fine an' dandy.
Ev'ry time he goes to town,
He gits dem gals stick candy.
Dat Ni&&ah, he love sugar an' tea.
Dat Ni&&ah love dat candy.[Pg 85]
Fine Ni&&ah! He can wheel 'em 'round,
An' swing dem ladies handy.
Mistah Sambo, he love sugar an' tea.
Mistah Sambo love his candy.
Mistah Sambo; he's dat han'some man
What goes wid sister Mandy.
****
Example #3: MY MULE [p. 19]
Las' Saddy mornin' Mosser said:
"Jump up now, Sambo, out'n bed.
Go saddle dat mule, an' go to town;
An' bring home Mistiss' mornin' gown."
-snip-
Explanations:
las' = last
Mosser = Master
Mistiss= Mistress [Master's wife]
****
Example #4: PROMISES OF FREEDOM [p. 25]
My ole Mistiss promise me,
W'en she died, she'd set me free.
She lived so long dat 'er head got bal',
An' she give out'n de notion a dyin' at all.
My ole Mistiss say to me:
"Sambo, I'se gwine ter set you free."
But w'en dat head git slick an' bal',
De Lawd couldn' a' killed 'er wid a big green maul.
My ole Mistiss never die,
Wid 'er nose all hooked an' skin all dry.
But my ole Miss, she's somehow gone,
An' she lef' "Uncle Sambo" a-hillin' up co'n.
Ole Mosser lakwise promise me,
W'en he died, he'd set me free.
But ole Mosser go an' make his Will
Fer to leave me a-plowin' ole Beck still.
Yes, my ole Mosser promise me;
But "his papers" didn' leave me free.
A dose of pizen he'ped 'im along.
May de Devil preach 'is fūner'l song.
-snip-
Explanations:
Gwine= going to
****
RELATED LINK
Click http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sambo.aspx for information about the history of the "Sambo" stereotype.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Origins & Meanings Of The Word "Sambo"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a three part series on the word "sambo".
This pancocojams post focuses on the etymology (the origin and meaning) of the name "Sambo".
I've included a comment from a folk discussion forum about the Caribbean meaning of the word "sambo" and I've also included an excerpt of a critique of Helen Bannerman's 1899 book Little Black Sambo. I've included that last excerpt because of the undeniable influence that book has had on cultural connotations about the name "Sambo".
Click http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sambo.aspx for information about the history of the "Sambo" stereotype.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/sambo-in-examples-of-songs-from-thomas.html for Part II of this series. Part II of this series presents examples of the name "Sambo" in songs/rhymes that are featured in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/caribbean-folk-songs-include-word-sambo.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases Caribbean folk songs that include the word "sambo".
These posts are presented for cultural and informational purposes.
All copyrights remain wth their owners.
Thanks to those who are quoted in this post.
****
DISCLAIMER: These posts aren't meant to imply that these are the only songs that include the word "sambo".
Also, I'm aware that the word "sambo" may be from more than one traditional African language. I'm also aware that the word "sambo" and the name "Sambo" may have different meanings in traditional African languages, aside from the meanings that were given that word outside of African cultures. Furthermore, I believe that it's also likely that the word "sambo" meaning "mixed racial" came from a different source than the personal name "Sambo".
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MY COMMENTS ABOUT THESE SELECTED QUOTES
I've assigned numbers to these excerpts for referencing purposes, but must confess that I prefer the etymologies for the word "sambo" that are given in the first three excerpts than the etymology that is given in for that word in the Wikipedia excerpt which I assigned #4.
Excerpt #5 refers to the meaning of the word "sambo" in the Caribbean [as does a portion of Excerpt #1]
Excerpt #6 is from an critique of the 1899 book "Little Black Sambo".
****
VARIOUS QUOTATIONS ABOUT THE WORD "SAMBO"
Excerpt #1: From http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sambo
"sambo (n.2) stereotypical name for male black person (now only derogatory), 1818, American English, probably a different word from sambo (n.1); like many such words (Cuffy, Rastus, etc.) a common personal name among U.S. blacks in the slavery days (first attested 1704 in Boston), probably from an African source, such as Foulah sambo "uncle," or a similar Hausa word meaning "second son."
It could be used without conscious racism or contempt until circa World War II. When the word fell from polite usage, collateral casualties included the enormously popular children's book "The Story of Little Black Sambo" (by Helen Bannerman), which is about an East Indian child, and the Sambo's Restaurant chain, a U.S. pancake-specialty joint originally opened in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1957 (the name supposedly from a merging of the names of the founders, Sam Battistone and Newell "Bo" Bohnett, but the chain's decor and advertising leaned heavily on the book), which once counted 1,200 units coast-to-coast. Civil rights agitation against it began in 1970s and the chain collapsed, though the original restaurant still is open. Many of the defunct restaurants were taken over by rival Denny's.
sambo (n.1) "person of mixed blood in America and Asia," 1748, perhaps from Spanish zambo "bandy-legged," probably from Latin scambus "bow-legged," from Greek skambos. Used variously in different regions to indicate some mixture of African, European, and Indian blood; common senses were "child of black and Indian parentage" and "offspring of a black and a mulatto."
****
Excerpt #2: From https://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/upd4-3.html
Vol. IV, no. 3 (Summer 1997) Africa Update Archives
“African Languages and Ebonics" by Dr. Katherine Harris, Central Connecticut State University
..."It is nevertheless too simplistic to conclude that African Americans retained nothing of their multilingual heritage. One can look briefly at naming practices to find evidence of linguistic ties. For example, Juba, one of the day names given to a male child along the Guinea coast, was also a nickname given to a girl born on Monday in slave communities to describe "tomboy" (1620s-1800). The name Juba, which was fairly common among African men in the l7th and l8th centuries, was also the name of a region in modern Kenya/Somalia and Sudan.
The erosion of African names also occurred. Samba, meaning comfort in Wolof, is still recalled in musical form in Brazil, where there remains a strong African presence. A possible derivation of Samba is Zambo (Southern/Central Africa), which also means to give comfort. Other derivatives are Sambu in Mandinka and Sambo in Hausa. The fact that the name was at one time fairly common and no longer used may have relationship to a song popularized by white Americans during the war from 1861-1865, "Sambo's Right To Be Kilt," and especially the derogatory usage of the name enshrined in the book Little Black Sambo."
****
Excerpt #3
http://www.answers.com/topic/sambo-3 "Oxford Companion to African American Literature:
"Variants of the name Sambo can be found in several African cultures, including Samba in Bantu; Samb and Samba in Wolof; Sambu in Mandingo; and Sambo in Hausa, Mende, and Vai. Throughout census materials and assorted other eighteenth-century documents, these names emerge as those of new world slaves. The name also has possible Hispanic antecedents: the sixteenth-century word “zambo” refers to a bowlegged or knock-kneed individual.
By the late eighteenth century, whites had begun to use the name in a generic fashion to refer to male slaves. Before long, comic associations were commonplace; childishness, sloppiness, and a propensity to mispronounce multisyllabic words were the key traits of a Sambo figure. Such characters emerged in late eighteenth-century plays and sheet music, and became mainstays of nineteenth-century minstrelsy. By the time Helen Bannerman's The Story of Little Black Sambo was published in 1898, the name was thoroughly linked with the image of an immature, fun-loving, inept, black male."...
***
Excerpt #4: From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo_(racial_term)
"The word "sambo" came into the English language from the Latin American Spanish word zambo, the Spanish word in Latin America for a person of mixed African and Native American descent.[2] This in turn may have come from one of three African language sources. Webster's Third International Dictionary holds that it may have come from the Kongo word nzambu (monkey). Note that the z of (Latin American) Spanish is pronounced like the English s rather than as the z in the word nzambu. The Royal Spanish Academy gives the origin from a Latin word, possibly the adjective valgus[3] or another modern Spanish term (patizambo,) both of which translate to "bow-legged".
The equivalent term in Portuguese-speaking areas, such as Brazil, is cafuzo.
Examples of "Sambo" as a common name can be found as far back as the 18th century. In Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair (serialised from 1847), the black skinned Indian servant of the Sedley family from Chapter One, is called Sambo. Similarly, in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), one of Simon Legree's overseers is named Sambo. Instances of it being used as a stereotypical name for African Americans can be found as early as the Civil War. The name does not seem to have acquired the intentional, open derogatory connotation until the first half of the 20th century”...
****
Excerpt #5: From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Big Big Sambo Gyal (jamaica)
From:Q; Date: 11 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM
..."In notes with another "Sambo" song*, Walter Jekyll, 1904, remarks: "A Sambo is the child of a brown mother and a black father, being a cross between black and white. The Sambo lady, very proud of the strain of white in her blood, turns up her nose at the black man. She wants a white man for a husband. Failing to find one, she will not marry at all."
-snip-
* "Another "Sambo" song = another song that includes the word "sambo" other than the song "Big Big Sambo Gyal" which is the focus of that folk music forum's discussion thread. I'm not sure about the name of that other song. However, the lyrics for and comments about "Big Big Sambo Gyal" are included in Part III of this pancocojam series.
****
Excerpt #6: http://people.lis.illinois.edu/~heinric3/514LBS/LittleBlackSambo5.html "Helen Bannerman's Little Black Sambo:
Critical Evaluation
"Sambo’s name also worked against him in the United States. Bannerman’s choice of the name Sambo was understandable in her setting. Although the content and context of the tale are decidedly Indian (tigers, ghi, the bazaar, curly but not kinky hair, and the Indian place of authorship), Bannerman biographer Elizabeth Hay believes the author consciously chose a name she knew was associated with Africans (161). But the name Sambo could easily have been a variant of Sambasivan, a common boys’ name for the Tamil ethnic group among whom the Bannermans lived in Madras (“Tamil Names”)....
In any case, uprooted from India and transplanted in American soil, the name turned out to be most inopportune. Sambo had become the generic name for a stereotyped, subservient, dim-witted African American male. As early as 1843, “Sambo” was the title character in the song “The Fine Old Color’d Gentleman” by Dan Emmett, founder of the first blackface minstrel troupe".
-snip-
I've also read the theory that the name "Sambo" in Helen Bannerman's book could have come from the name for the Indian god "Shiva"*. However, I agree with "Bannerman biographer Elizabeth Hay [that] the author consciously chose a name she knew was associated with Africans" in large part because Bannerman also used other African words as names in that book [i.e. Black Mumbo for Sambo's mother and Black Jumbo for Sambo's father]. She also wrote and had published other books that used names which "were associated with Africans". Read my comment below for more about this.
-snip-
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva "The name Śambhu (Sanskrit: शम्भु), "causing happiness", also reflects this benign aspect [of Shiva].
Also, http://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/%C5%9Bambhu/index.html
"Śambhu, another common name or epithet of Śiva, has been compared with the Tamil chempu or Śembu meaning "copper," i.e. "the red metal."
-snip-
While the name "Sambo" and the name "Sambu" are spelled simiarly, they have different etymologies and meanings. I doubt that Helen Bannerman, the author of "Little Black Sambo" was alluding to Sambhu when she named that character "Sambo"..
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part I of a three part series on the word "sambo".
This pancocojams post focuses on the etymology (the origin and meaning) of the name "Sambo".
I've included a comment from a folk discussion forum about the Caribbean meaning of the word "sambo" and I've also included an excerpt of a critique of Helen Bannerman's 1899 book Little Black Sambo. I've included that last excerpt because of the undeniable influence that book has had on cultural connotations about the name "Sambo".
Click http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sambo.aspx for information about the history of the "Sambo" stereotype.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/sambo-in-examples-of-songs-from-thomas.html for Part II of this series. Part II of this series presents examples of the name "Sambo" in songs/rhymes that are featured in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/caribbean-folk-songs-include-word-sambo.html for Part III of this series. Part III showcases Caribbean folk songs that include the word "sambo".
These posts are presented for cultural and informational purposes.
All copyrights remain wth their owners.
Thanks to those who are quoted in this post.
****
DISCLAIMER: These posts aren't meant to imply that these are the only songs that include the word "sambo".
Also, I'm aware that the word "sambo" may be from more than one traditional African language. I'm also aware that the word "sambo" and the name "Sambo" may have different meanings in traditional African languages, aside from the meanings that were given that word outside of African cultures. Furthermore, I believe that it's also likely that the word "sambo" meaning "mixed racial" came from a different source than the personal name "Sambo".
****
MY COMMENTS ABOUT THESE SELECTED QUOTES
I've assigned numbers to these excerpts for referencing purposes, but must confess that I prefer the etymologies for the word "sambo" that are given in the first three excerpts than the etymology that is given in for that word in the Wikipedia excerpt which I assigned #4.
Excerpt #5 refers to the meaning of the word "sambo" in the Caribbean [as does a portion of Excerpt #1]
Excerpt #6 is from an critique of the 1899 book "Little Black Sambo".
****
VARIOUS QUOTATIONS ABOUT THE WORD "SAMBO"
Excerpt #1: From http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sambo
"sambo (n.2) stereotypical name for male black person (now only derogatory), 1818, American English, probably a different word from sambo (n.1); like many such words (Cuffy, Rastus, etc.) a common personal name among U.S. blacks in the slavery days (first attested 1704 in Boston), probably from an African source, such as Foulah sambo "uncle," or a similar Hausa word meaning "second son."
It could be used without conscious racism or contempt until circa World War II. When the word fell from polite usage, collateral casualties included the enormously popular children's book "The Story of Little Black Sambo" (by Helen Bannerman), which is about an East Indian child, and the Sambo's Restaurant chain, a U.S. pancake-specialty joint originally opened in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1957 (the name supposedly from a merging of the names of the founders, Sam Battistone and Newell "Bo" Bohnett, but the chain's decor and advertising leaned heavily on the book), which once counted 1,200 units coast-to-coast. Civil rights agitation against it began in 1970s and the chain collapsed, though the original restaurant still is open. Many of the defunct restaurants were taken over by rival Denny's.
sambo (n.1) "person of mixed blood in America and Asia," 1748, perhaps from Spanish zambo "bandy-legged," probably from Latin scambus "bow-legged," from Greek skambos. Used variously in different regions to indicate some mixture of African, European, and Indian blood; common senses were "child of black and Indian parentage" and "offspring of a black and a mulatto."
****
Excerpt #2: From https://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/upd4-3.html
Vol. IV, no. 3 (Summer 1997) Africa Update Archives
“African Languages and Ebonics" by Dr. Katherine Harris, Central Connecticut State University
..."It is nevertheless too simplistic to conclude that African Americans retained nothing of their multilingual heritage. One can look briefly at naming practices to find evidence of linguistic ties. For example, Juba, one of the day names given to a male child along the Guinea coast, was also a nickname given to a girl born on Monday in slave communities to describe "tomboy" (1620s-1800). The name Juba, which was fairly common among African men in the l7th and l8th centuries, was also the name of a region in modern Kenya/Somalia and Sudan.
The erosion of African names also occurred. Samba, meaning comfort in Wolof, is still recalled in musical form in Brazil, where there remains a strong African presence. A possible derivation of Samba is Zambo (Southern/Central Africa), which also means to give comfort. Other derivatives are Sambu in Mandinka and Sambo in Hausa. The fact that the name was at one time fairly common and no longer used may have relationship to a song popularized by white Americans during the war from 1861-1865, "Sambo's Right To Be Kilt," and especially the derogatory usage of the name enshrined in the book Little Black Sambo."
****
Excerpt #3
http://www.answers.com/topic/sambo-3 "Oxford Companion to African American Literature:
"Variants of the name Sambo can be found in several African cultures, including Samba in Bantu; Samb and Samba in Wolof; Sambu in Mandingo; and Sambo in Hausa, Mende, and Vai. Throughout census materials and assorted other eighteenth-century documents, these names emerge as those of new world slaves. The name also has possible Hispanic antecedents: the sixteenth-century word “zambo” refers to a bowlegged or knock-kneed individual.
By the late eighteenth century, whites had begun to use the name in a generic fashion to refer to male slaves. Before long, comic associations were commonplace; childishness, sloppiness, and a propensity to mispronounce multisyllabic words were the key traits of a Sambo figure. Such characters emerged in late eighteenth-century plays and sheet music, and became mainstays of nineteenth-century minstrelsy. By the time Helen Bannerman's The Story of Little Black Sambo was published in 1898, the name was thoroughly linked with the image of an immature, fun-loving, inept, black male."...
***
Excerpt #4: From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo_(racial_term)
"The word "sambo" came into the English language from the Latin American Spanish word zambo, the Spanish word in Latin America for a person of mixed African and Native American descent.[2] This in turn may have come from one of three African language sources. Webster's Third International Dictionary holds that it may have come from the Kongo word nzambu (monkey). Note that the z of (Latin American) Spanish is pronounced like the English s rather than as the z in the word nzambu. The Royal Spanish Academy gives the origin from a Latin word, possibly the adjective valgus[3] or another modern Spanish term (patizambo,) both of which translate to "bow-legged".
The equivalent term in Portuguese-speaking areas, such as Brazil, is cafuzo.
Examples of "Sambo" as a common name can be found as far back as the 18th century. In Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair (serialised from 1847), the black skinned Indian servant of the Sedley family from Chapter One, is called Sambo. Similarly, in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), one of Simon Legree's overseers is named Sambo. Instances of it being used as a stereotypical name for African Americans can be found as early as the Civil War. The name does not seem to have acquired the intentional, open derogatory connotation until the first half of the 20th century”...
****
Excerpt #5: From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=138244
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Big Big Sambo Gyal (jamaica)
From:Q; Date: 11 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM
..."In notes with another "Sambo" song*, Walter Jekyll, 1904, remarks: "A Sambo is the child of a brown mother and a black father, being a cross between black and white. The Sambo lady, very proud of the strain of white in her blood, turns up her nose at the black man. She wants a white man for a husband. Failing to find one, she will not marry at all."
-snip-
* "Another "Sambo" song = another song that includes the word "sambo" other than the song "Big Big Sambo Gyal" which is the focus of that folk music forum's discussion thread. I'm not sure about the name of that other song. However, the lyrics for and comments about "Big Big Sambo Gyal" are included in Part III of this pancocojam series.
****
Excerpt #6: http://people.lis.illinois.edu/~heinric3/514LBS/LittleBlackSambo5.html "Helen Bannerman's Little Black Sambo:
Critical Evaluation
"Sambo’s name also worked against him in the United States. Bannerman’s choice of the name Sambo was understandable in her setting. Although the content and context of the tale are decidedly Indian (tigers, ghi, the bazaar, curly but not kinky hair, and the Indian place of authorship), Bannerman biographer Elizabeth Hay believes the author consciously chose a name she knew was associated with Africans (161). But the name Sambo could easily have been a variant of Sambasivan, a common boys’ name for the Tamil ethnic group among whom the Bannermans lived in Madras (“Tamil Names”)....
In any case, uprooted from India and transplanted in American soil, the name turned out to be most inopportune. Sambo had become the generic name for a stereotyped, subservient, dim-witted African American male. As early as 1843, “Sambo” was the title character in the song “The Fine Old Color’d Gentleman” by Dan Emmett, founder of the first blackface minstrel troupe".
-snip-
I've also read the theory that the name "Sambo" in Helen Bannerman's book could have come from the name for the Indian god "Shiva"*. However, I agree with "Bannerman biographer Elizabeth Hay [that] the author consciously chose a name she knew was associated with Africans" in large part because Bannerman also used other African words as names in that book [i.e. Black Mumbo for Sambo's mother and Black Jumbo for Sambo's father]. She also wrote and had published other books that used names which "were associated with Africans". Read my comment below for more about this.
-snip-
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva "The name Śambhu (Sanskrit: शम्भु), "causing happiness", also reflects this benign aspect [of Shiva].
Also, http://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/%C5%9Bambhu/index.html
"Śambhu, another common name or epithet of Śiva, has been compared with the Tamil chempu or Śembu meaning "copper," i.e. "the red metal."
-snip-
While the name "Sambo" and the name "Sambu" are spelled simiarly, they have different etymologies and meanings. I doubt that Helen Bannerman, the author of "Little Black Sambo" was alluding to Sambhu when she named that character "Sambo"..
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, December 2, 2013
"More Work For The Undertaker" Song (sound file, lyrics, & examples)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is part of an ongoing series on English language songs and rhymes that include the name "Sambo".
This post focuses on the song "More Work For The Undertaker". That song is also known as "Sambo Got A Job At The Railroad",
"Sam Got A Job At The Railroad" and other similar names.
The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "MORE WORK FOR THE UNDERTAKER" [MWFTU]
From http://stalkingthebelleepoque.blogspot.com/2011/10/at-music-hall-more-work-for-undertaker.html At the Music Hall: More Work for the Undertaker
..."This rather macabre and grim song predates this recording. It had a long life in the Nineteenth Century as a British music hall favorite. As was often the case, the song found its way to America, where, as always, it was Americanized with different lyrics. The newer lyrics are those printed above and those you’ll hear in Quinn’s recording.
The original version seems to have been by Fred W. Leigh with words by “Burton and Brooks.” The British Music Hall version concerned the dangerous misadventures of a youth named Sambo (yes, Sambo—fill in the blanks). The refrain of “another little job for the casket maker” seems to have originally been “another little job for the tombstone maker.” Like all of these popular songs which pre-date major efforts at recording, their original versions all differ slightly."
-snip-
Editor's Comment:
Versions of "More Work For The Undertaker" are documented in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and in other English speaking nations. One person wrote on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread about this song that "my mom sang [this song] to me when I was little, in the early 1960's. What's interesting is that my mom is Jamaican, so the song was not "Sammy" (or Sambo, as I've seen elsewhere) but "Jumbo" (or Jambo?). Guest, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72967 "Sam got a job on the railroad", 06 Aug 08 - 08:02 PM
In addition to its performance in British music halls and in United States vaudeville theatre, versions of "More Work For The Undertaker" have been taught as a "fun, nonsense" song in schools, in Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and other children's groups. This song is also documented as having been sung by Yale University Glee Clubs, and other university Glee club. MWFTU is also documented as being chanted as a playground skipping rhyme in the United Kingdom. (For example, read the comment posted by
cobber on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520 ,19 Apr 03 - 04:40 AM
In some versions of "More Work For The Undertaker", although not the Dan Quinn version, the character who worked on the railroad and met his death in various ways was named "Sambo". The character's name was "cleaned up" in other versions, resulting in the title "Sam Worked On The Railroad", "Sam Got A Job On The Railroad", and similar titles. The character's name is also given as "Soloman Levi".
The name "Sambo" is intricately tied in the English speaking world to a depiction of Black men as childish, happy go lucky, lazy, and irresponsible. However, it appears from reading online blogs about this song [including at least two discussion threads on the Mudcat folk music forum, and a Google Answers page] that a number of people still have nostalgic feelings about the "More Work For The Undertaker" song - regardless of whether it includes the Sambo name or not.
This song and songs like "The Crazy Old Man From China" which has at least two active Mudcat discussion threads are evidence of how difficult it is to stop the transmission of songs to new generations of children when people have fond childhood memories of those songs, and when they either don't know or don't care about what other people consider to be socially offensive and socially problematic lyrics in those songs.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song
"Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a racist and stereotyped image of Blacks. They were popular in the United States and around the English-speaking world from 1880 to 1920.
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520
More Work for the Undertaker (F W Leigh) [hereafter given as Mudcat MWFTU] for more information about this song & for the lyrics of the Dan Quinn version of that song.
Also, click http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR4181&chapterID=GR4181-5570&path=encyclopedias/greenwood The Jim Crow Encyclopedia: Racial Stereotypes for more information about the Sambo caricature.
****
EXAMPLES OF "MORE WORK FOR THE UNDERTAKER" THAT INCLUDE THE NAME "SAMBO"
Example #1:
This is a song my Mum sang to me when I was a little nipper; she had learned it when she was young. Unfortunately, this is all I can remember (it was a long time ago). Hope it is the one you are looking for.
By the way, for those of you not from the UK, two-and-six refers to two shillings and sixpence - a lot of money back when Mum was a young girl.
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very rich,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll give you two-and-six."
Sambo feeling thirsty, went inside a shop;
Six Lemonades, Two Ginger Beers
And Sambo went off, Pop!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
There in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo the Brave and Free."
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very poor,
One day she said to Sambo, "Go and clean the floor."
Sambo feeling tired tried to go to bed,
Tried to climb the banister and fell down on his head!
Crash! Bang!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
There in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo the Brave and Free."
- GUEST,Minstrel, Mudcat: MWFTU, 22 May 00 - 05:45 PM
****
Example #2
Minstrel gave one version (from memory). My version differs (Also from memory)
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very rich,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll give you two-and-six."
Sambo feeling thirsty, went into a shop;
Ten Ginger Beers and ten lemonades
And Sambo went off, Pop!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
Down in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo CC"
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very poor,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll make you clean the floor."
Sambo didn't like it, went upstairs to bed,
Sliding on the bannister he fell and cracked his head!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
Down in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo CC."
Another verse which I can't fully recall was about Sambo working as a cleaner on the railways. Something about cleaning the lines with "a bar of Sunlight soap" Again he comes to a sticky end.
The last line of the chorus is decidedly 'non-PC' as I was told that the inscription on the tombstone was "Sambo CC" where the 'CC' stands for 'Chocolate Coon'.
-Nigel Parsons,Mudcat- MWFTU, Date: 13 Apr 03 - 08:44 PM
****
Example #3:
I learnt the song at an Autralia primary school in the 1970's. I
loved it but didnt understand the racial slur overtones it contained.
I remember parts of another verse that went something like.
Sambo went for a swimg one day, in his overcoat
He climbed aboard the diving board, and kicked off his left boot.
Suddenly the board it broke and Sambo gave a yell,
In his overcoat, without let boot and into the water he fell.
Bang... more work for the under taker
7/6 for the tombstone maker
off the local cemetery, on a tombstone you'll see
Sambo thats me.
.. continued rfom above...
Also my recollection of the railway verse is :.
Sambo joined the railway, his heart was full of hope,
He tried to scrub the railway line with a bar of mouldy soap
A train came around the bend, screaming down the track
Would you beleive, he rolled up his sleeves and push that engine back!
Bang...
(I hope yo teach my little baby daughter this song but maybe I will
remove the racial name Sambo and replce it maybe with something like Banjo.)
-bbakerman-ga, http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=172483 "school song", 25 Oct 2004
****
FEATURED EXAMPLE [added November 1, 2016]
Dan W. Quinn "More Work for the Undertaker" RARE VISUALS Edison cylinder
Tim Gracyk, Published on Jun 23, 2014
Dan W. Quinn sings "More Work for the Undertaker" on Edison Gold Moulded Record 7669.
The song is by Burton, Carney Brookes, and Fred W. Leigh.
Dan W. Quinn was born in San Francisco, perhaps in 1859 since Jim Walsh reports in the December 1961 issue of Hobbies that Quinn was 79 years old when he died.
He was occasionally identified as a baritone but most often as a tenor.
Quinn was a boy soprano in an Episcopal choir and was evidently a vaudeville performer when he was a young man. His photograph is on the cover of sheet music of the 1890s.
He recounted how he began recording in a letter sent to Walsh, who quotes it at length in "Reminiscences of Dan W. Quinn," published in the July 1934 issue of Music Lovers' Guide.
Quinn explained why he was among the most successful recording artists of the 1890s: "It was while working for Vic Emerson [a Columbia executive in the 1890s] that I began to work like a good fellow and went after all the latest songs. I learned everything, whether it naturally suited my style or not. The good singers--I mean fellows like John W. Myers and George Gaskins [sic]--were slow getting up their stuff, and I, being a sight reader, just couldn't keep from learning every new number."
Quinn recorded regularly from 1892 to 1905. He made recordings for the Phonograph Record and Supply Company ("Laboratory, 97, 99 & 101 Reade Street, New York").
Columbia's November 1896 catalog, which lists over 60 Quinn titles, states, "Mr. Quinn's reputation as a vocalist is so well established that the mere announcement of his name is a guarantee of the record."
He was one of Berliner's most important artists, recording nearly a hundred titles. The only singer to cover more titles for the disc company was tenor George J. Gaskin. Perhaps the earliest Quinn discs to be issued were "Girl Wanted" (935), recorded on November 3, 1895, and "Henrietta, Have Your Met Her?" (151), also recorded in November 1895.
An April 1899 catalog issued by the National Gram-o-phone Company, maker of Berliner discs, identifies Quinn as "The King of Comic Singers."
Berliners made by Quinn featuring show tunes include a "popular Hebrew dialect song" (as the National Gram-o-phone catalog characterizes it) titled "Ikey Eisenstein," from the show An American Beauty (1737--it was also recorded as Edison 1039) and, from the show Hurly Burly, "Little Old New York Is Good Enough For Me" (030), recorded on April 4, 1899.
In contrast to singers who recorded standards, Quinn as a Berliner artist covered new songs, nearly all of them quickly forgotten, few being recorded by other artists. They include "Down in Poverty Row" (Berliner 161), "I've Been Hoodoed" (198), "The Irish Cake Walk" (1822), and "Then Pour Us A Drink Bartender" (1600), recorded on November 11, 1896. Songs recorded by Quinn that were genuine hits of the day, as evident by the variety of singers who recorded them, include "The Belle of Avenoo [sic] A" (184) and Dresser's "Just Tell Them That You Saw Me" (189). Quinn confirms in his letter to Walsh that he recorded mostly topical numbers though he wished to sing more hymns: "I made my living in the frivolous field, but my heart was in the other."
He estimated cutting some 2,500 titles during his more than 20 years of recording experience. He listed for Walsh some companies that issued his records: "During my active days I recorded for practically all American companies: Edison, Victor, Columbia, United States, New Jersey, Chicago, Ohio, Boston, Gramophone, Gennett, Leeds-Catlin, and a number of others."
Columbia moved its headquarters to New York City in 1897. An 1899 cylinder catalog duplicates an agreement dated May 1, 1898, establishing that Quinn, along with more than a dozen others, was exclusive to Columbia. The arrangement lasted a year. His last session for Berliner, before his exclusive contract with Columbia began, was on March 31, 1898. He next recorded for Berliner on April 4, 1899.
Quinn usually worked as a solo artist.
He was among the few artists who recorded for Eldridge R. Johnson's talking machine and disc company when it was briefly known as the Consolidated Talking Machine Company (it was later the Victor Talking Machine Company).
During most of his recording career, Quinn was a free-lance artist, singing for practically all American companies. He made a few records in 1906 and then retired for a time. He continued to perform in vaudeville and operated a theatrical booking agency almost to the day of his death. In "Reminiscences of Dan W. Quinn," Walsh gives the address as 312 West 20th Street, New York City.
Though nearly 60, he attempted in 1915 a recording comeback, beginning with a Columbia session on September 23, 1915.
The singer died on November 7, 1938, of intestinal cancer in his home at 312 West 20th Street, New York City."
****
ADDENDUM
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84511#2469827 for a Mudcat Cafe comment that I wrote in 2008 about my theory that "More Work For The Undertaker" includes (borrowed) several elements of the "Bang Bang Lulu" song.
Also, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520&messages=29#2469775 click for a comment that I wrote on Mudcat Cafe in 200 8about the etymology of the name "Sambo" in various African languages.
****
Thanks to all those who I quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of that sound file on YouTube.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post is part of an ongoing series on English language songs and rhymes that include the name "Sambo".
This post focuses on the song "More Work For The Undertaker". That song is also known as "Sambo Got A Job At The Railroad",
"Sam Got A Job At The Railroad" and other similar names.
The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "MORE WORK FOR THE UNDERTAKER" [MWFTU]
From http://stalkingthebelleepoque.blogspot.com/2011/10/at-music-hall-more-work-for-undertaker.html At the Music Hall: More Work for the Undertaker
..."This rather macabre and grim song predates this recording. It had a long life in the Nineteenth Century as a British music hall favorite. As was often the case, the song found its way to America, where, as always, it was Americanized with different lyrics. The newer lyrics are those printed above and those you’ll hear in Quinn’s recording.
The original version seems to have been by Fred W. Leigh with words by “Burton and Brooks.” The British Music Hall version concerned the dangerous misadventures of a youth named Sambo (yes, Sambo—fill in the blanks). The refrain of “another little job for the casket maker” seems to have originally been “another little job for the tombstone maker.” Like all of these popular songs which pre-date major efforts at recording, their original versions all differ slightly."
-snip-
Editor's Comment:
Versions of "More Work For The Undertaker" are documented in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and in other English speaking nations. One person wrote on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread about this song that "my mom sang [this song] to me when I was little, in the early 1960's. What's interesting is that my mom is Jamaican, so the song was not "Sammy" (or Sambo, as I've seen elsewhere) but "Jumbo" (or Jambo?). Guest, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72967 "Sam got a job on the railroad", 06 Aug 08 - 08:02 PM
In addition to its performance in British music halls and in United States vaudeville theatre, versions of "More Work For The Undertaker" have been taught as a "fun, nonsense" song in schools, in Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and other children's groups. This song is also documented as having been sung by Yale University Glee Clubs, and other university Glee club. MWFTU is also documented as being chanted as a playground skipping rhyme in the United Kingdom. (For example, read the comment posted by
cobber on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520 ,19 Apr 03 - 04:40 AM
In some versions of "More Work For The Undertaker", although not the Dan Quinn version, the character who worked on the railroad and met his death in various ways was named "Sambo". The character's name was "cleaned up" in other versions, resulting in the title "Sam Worked On The Railroad", "Sam Got A Job On The Railroad", and similar titles. The character's name is also given as "Soloman Levi".
The name "Sambo" is intricately tied in the English speaking world to a depiction of Black men as childish, happy go lucky, lazy, and irresponsible. However, it appears from reading online blogs about this song [including at least two discussion threads on the Mudcat folk music forum, and a Google Answers page] that a number of people still have nostalgic feelings about the "More Work For The Undertaker" song - regardless of whether it includes the Sambo name or not.
This song and songs like "The Crazy Old Man From China" which has at least two active Mudcat discussion threads are evidence of how difficult it is to stop the transmission of songs to new generations of children when people have fond childhood memories of those songs, and when they either don't know or don't care about what other people consider to be socially offensive and socially problematic lyrics in those songs.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song
"Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a racist and stereotyped image of Blacks. They were popular in the United States and around the English-speaking world from 1880 to 1920.
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520
More Work for the Undertaker (F W Leigh) [hereafter given as Mudcat MWFTU] for more information about this song & for the lyrics of the Dan Quinn version of that song.
Also, click http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR4181&chapterID=GR4181-5570&path=encyclopedias/greenwood The Jim Crow Encyclopedia: Racial Stereotypes for more information about the Sambo caricature.
****
EXAMPLES OF "MORE WORK FOR THE UNDERTAKER" THAT INCLUDE THE NAME "SAMBO"
Example #1:
This is a song my Mum sang to me when I was a little nipper; she had learned it when she was young. Unfortunately, this is all I can remember (it was a long time ago). Hope it is the one you are looking for.
By the way, for those of you not from the UK, two-and-six refers to two shillings and sixpence - a lot of money back when Mum was a young girl.
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very rich,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll give you two-and-six."
Sambo feeling thirsty, went inside a shop;
Six Lemonades, Two Ginger Beers
And Sambo went off, Pop!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
There in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo the Brave and Free."
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very poor,
One day she said to Sambo, "Go and clean the floor."
Sambo feeling tired tried to go to bed,
Tried to climb the banister and fell down on his head!
Crash! Bang!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
There in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo the Brave and Free."
- GUEST,Minstrel, Mudcat: MWFTU, 22 May 00 - 05:45 PM
****
Example #2
Minstrel gave one version (from memory). My version differs (Also from memory)
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very rich,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll give you two-and-six."
Sambo feeling thirsty, went into a shop;
Ten Ginger Beers and ten lemonades
And Sambo went off, Pop!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
Down in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo CC"
Sambo had an auntie, an auntie very poor,
One day she said to Sambo, "I'll make you clean the floor."
Sambo didn't like it, went upstairs to bed,
Sliding on the bannister he fell and cracked his head!
More work for the undertaker,
Another little job for the tombstone maker,
Down in the local cemetery, on a tombstone you will see;
"Sambo CC."
Another verse which I can't fully recall was about Sambo working as a cleaner on the railways. Something about cleaning the lines with "a bar of Sunlight soap" Again he comes to a sticky end.
The last line of the chorus is decidedly 'non-PC' as I was told that the inscription on the tombstone was "Sambo CC" where the 'CC' stands for 'Chocolate Coon'.
-Nigel Parsons,Mudcat- MWFTU, Date: 13 Apr 03 - 08:44 PM
****
Example #3:
I learnt the song at an Autralia primary school in the 1970's. I
loved it but didnt understand the racial slur overtones it contained.
I remember parts of another verse that went something like.
Sambo went for a swimg one day, in his overcoat
He climbed aboard the diving board, and kicked off his left boot.
Suddenly the board it broke and Sambo gave a yell,
In his overcoat, without let boot and into the water he fell.
Bang... more work for the under taker
7/6 for the tombstone maker
off the local cemetery, on a tombstone you'll see
Sambo thats me.
.. continued rfom above...
Also my recollection of the railway verse is :.
Sambo joined the railway, his heart was full of hope,
He tried to scrub the railway line with a bar of mouldy soap
A train came around the bend, screaming down the track
Would you beleive, he rolled up his sleeves and push that engine back!
Bang...
(I hope yo teach my little baby daughter this song but maybe I will
remove the racial name Sambo and replce it maybe with something like Banjo.)
-bbakerman-ga, http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=172483 "school song", 25 Oct 2004
****
FEATURED EXAMPLE [added November 1, 2016]
Dan W. Quinn "More Work for the Undertaker" RARE VISUALS Edison cylinder
Tim Gracyk, Published on Jun 23, 2014
Dan W. Quinn sings "More Work for the Undertaker" on Edison Gold Moulded Record 7669.
The song is by Burton, Carney Brookes, and Fred W. Leigh.
Dan W. Quinn was born in San Francisco, perhaps in 1859 since Jim Walsh reports in the December 1961 issue of Hobbies that Quinn was 79 years old when he died.
He was occasionally identified as a baritone but most often as a tenor.
Quinn was a boy soprano in an Episcopal choir and was evidently a vaudeville performer when he was a young man. His photograph is on the cover of sheet music of the 1890s.
He recounted how he began recording in a letter sent to Walsh, who quotes it at length in "Reminiscences of Dan W. Quinn," published in the July 1934 issue of Music Lovers' Guide.
Quinn explained why he was among the most successful recording artists of the 1890s: "It was while working for Vic Emerson [a Columbia executive in the 1890s] that I began to work like a good fellow and went after all the latest songs. I learned everything, whether it naturally suited my style or not. The good singers--I mean fellows like John W. Myers and George Gaskins [sic]--were slow getting up their stuff, and I, being a sight reader, just couldn't keep from learning every new number."
Quinn recorded regularly from 1892 to 1905. He made recordings for the Phonograph Record and Supply Company ("Laboratory, 97, 99 & 101 Reade Street, New York").
Columbia's November 1896 catalog, which lists over 60 Quinn titles, states, "Mr. Quinn's reputation as a vocalist is so well established that the mere announcement of his name is a guarantee of the record."
He was one of Berliner's most important artists, recording nearly a hundred titles. The only singer to cover more titles for the disc company was tenor George J. Gaskin. Perhaps the earliest Quinn discs to be issued were "Girl Wanted" (935), recorded on November 3, 1895, and "Henrietta, Have Your Met Her?" (151), also recorded in November 1895.
An April 1899 catalog issued by the National Gram-o-phone Company, maker of Berliner discs, identifies Quinn as "The King of Comic Singers."
Berliners made by Quinn featuring show tunes include a "popular Hebrew dialect song" (as the National Gram-o-phone catalog characterizes it) titled "Ikey Eisenstein," from the show An American Beauty (1737--it was also recorded as Edison 1039) and, from the show Hurly Burly, "Little Old New York Is Good Enough For Me" (030), recorded on April 4, 1899.
In contrast to singers who recorded standards, Quinn as a Berliner artist covered new songs, nearly all of them quickly forgotten, few being recorded by other artists. They include "Down in Poverty Row" (Berliner 161), "I've Been Hoodoed" (198), "The Irish Cake Walk" (1822), and "Then Pour Us A Drink Bartender" (1600), recorded on November 11, 1896. Songs recorded by Quinn that were genuine hits of the day, as evident by the variety of singers who recorded them, include "The Belle of Avenoo [sic] A" (184) and Dresser's "Just Tell Them That You Saw Me" (189). Quinn confirms in his letter to Walsh that he recorded mostly topical numbers though he wished to sing more hymns: "I made my living in the frivolous field, but my heart was in the other."
He estimated cutting some 2,500 titles during his more than 20 years of recording experience. He listed for Walsh some companies that issued his records: "During my active days I recorded for practically all American companies: Edison, Victor, Columbia, United States, New Jersey, Chicago, Ohio, Boston, Gramophone, Gennett, Leeds-Catlin, and a number of others."
Columbia moved its headquarters to New York City in 1897. An 1899 cylinder catalog duplicates an agreement dated May 1, 1898, establishing that Quinn, along with more than a dozen others, was exclusive to Columbia. The arrangement lasted a year. His last session for Berliner, before his exclusive contract with Columbia began, was on March 31, 1898. He next recorded for Berliner on April 4, 1899.
Quinn usually worked as a solo artist.
He was among the few artists who recorded for Eldridge R. Johnson's talking machine and disc company when it was briefly known as the Consolidated Talking Machine Company (it was later the Victor Talking Machine Company).
During most of his recording career, Quinn was a free-lance artist, singing for practically all American companies. He made a few records in 1906 and then retired for a time. He continued to perform in vaudeville and operated a theatrical booking agency almost to the day of his death. In "Reminiscences of Dan W. Quinn," Walsh gives the address as 312 West 20th Street, New York City.
Though nearly 60, he attempted in 1915 a recording comeback, beginning with a Columbia session on September 23, 1915.
The singer died on November 7, 1938, of intestinal cancer in his home at 312 West 20th Street, New York City."
****
ADDENDUM
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84511#2469827 for a Mudcat Cafe comment that I wrote in 2008 about my theory that "More Work For The Undertaker" includes (borrowed) several elements of the "Bang Bang Lulu" song.
Also, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21520&messages=29#2469775 click for a comment that I wrote on Mudcat Cafe in 200 8about the etymology of the name "Sambo" in various African languages.
****
Thanks to all those who I quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of that sound file on YouTube.
Thanks 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
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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".
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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.
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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."...
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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.
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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
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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.
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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."
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/stereotype-of-african-americans-kool.html Stereotypes of African Americans And Koolaid.
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