"Where The Watermelons Rot" (an original song by Madelynne Whitt based on "Down By The Bay Where The Watermelons Grow")

Brat TV, Aug 7, 2020

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post focuses on the 2019 song "Where The Watermelons Rot" by Madelynne Whitt. That song is partly based on the folk song "Down By The Bay"/"Down By The Sea" (Where the watermelons grow)..

The complete lyrics for "Where The Watermelons Rot" are included in this post along with a few comments from that video's discussion thread.

In addition, this pancocojams post showcases a shortened version of "Where The Watermelons Rot" with the lyrics for that shortened version. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composer/s of the "Down By The Sea" ("Down By The Banks")  song.

Thanks also to Madelynne Whitt for her song "Where The Watermelons Rot". 
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series about the history of the song "Down By The Sea"/ "Down By The Bay" (including the 2020 adaption "Down By The Bay Where The Watermelons Rot." 

Although almost all pancocojams posts focus on African American culture and other Black cultures around the world, this "Down By The Sea"/"Bay" series is presented for general folkloric purposes. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-earliest-known-source-for-lyrics.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "The Earliest Known Sources For The Lyrics "Have you Ever Seen A Cow With A Green Eyebrow?" In "Down By The Sea Where The Watermelons Grow" Songs"

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COMPLETE LYRICS - WHERE THE WATERMELON ROTS 
(composed by Madelynne Whitt)

Down by the bay (Down by the bay)
Where the watermelon rot ( where the watermelon rot)
If you go home (if you go home)
Just don't get caught (just don't get caught)

But if you do
Your mother will say
"Never trust a man under the sand
Down by the bay

When I go to sleep (when I go to sleep)
The book in my hand ( the book in my hand)
I know in my dream (know in my dream)
I'll see her there ( I'll see her there )

She isn't real
My parents lie
I know the truth but I can never tell you
Or thеy will all cry
Down by the bay (down by the bay)
Wherе the watermelons rot (where the watermelon rot)
If you go home (if you go home)
Just don't get caught ( just don't get caught)

But if you do
Our mother will say
"Don't run away I'll keep you safe
Down by the bay"

My father's home ( my fathers home)
Got me some shoes ( got me some shoes)
Out with the old (out with the old)
In with the new
He isn't real
My parents lie (lie)
I know the truth
But I could never tell you
Or they will all die

Down by the bay (down by the bay)
Where the watermelon rot (where the watermelon rot)
If you go home (If you go home)
Just don't get caught (just don't get caught)

But if you do
My mother will say
"You don't wanna know what's outside the window
Down by the bay'
But if you do
My mother will say
"You don't wanna know what's outside the window
Down by the bay''

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- "Where The Watermelons Rot/Down By The Bay" 🎃 By Madelynne Whitt (Maya Zoey)

 

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Here's the lyrics to this shortened version of  "Where The Watermelons Rot":

Down by the bay (Down by the bay)
Where the watermelon rot ( where the watermelon rot)
If you go home (if you go home)
Just don't get caught (just don't get caught)
But if you do
My mother will say
"You don't wanna know what's outside the window
Down by the bay''
-snip-
Based on TikTok clips, YouTube videos that I've watched and comments about this song that I've read, this appears to be the most common shortened lyrical version of Madelynne Whitt's song "Where The Watermelons Rot". 

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT "WHERE THE WATERMELONS ROT"
"Where The Watermelons Rot" can be considered a contemporary version of the song "Down By The Sea (or "Down By The Bay' Where The Watermelons Grow".  "Down By The Sea" predates World War I (1914-1918). Early versions of this song include British soldier's song, a English language shanty (chanty) work song, and a children's nonsense rhyme version that includes the line "Have you ever seen a cow with a green eyebrow?" The most well known contemporary version of this song is the version by Canadian singer Raffi which was recorded in 1976.

In contrast to earlier "versions" of  "Down By The Sea"/"Bay", "Where The Watermelons Rot" has a known writer. Also, in contrast to those earlier versions, Madelynne Whitt's song doesn't include silly  rhyming verse such as "Did you ever see a cow with a green eyebrow?" and "Did you ever see a bear combing his hair?" Instead, "Where The Watermelons Rot" has a horror movie vibe.

Instead of focusing on the silly rhymes that were made in these earlier "versions" of "Down By The Bay" and/or making up their own nonsense rhyming verses, many commenters in YouTube videos of "Where The Watermelons Rot" (and other "versions" of "Down By The Bay" share their ideas of the what that song means. The interest in what the songs mean also extends to Raffi's and other singers' versions of "Down By The Bay". These "backstories" include tales of murder, kidnapping, the mother having dementia, the mother being on drugs, and more. 

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SOME COMMENTS ABOUT "WHERE THE WATERMELONS ROT"
These online sources are given in no order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Online Source #1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnXZLA44u5Y [This is the video that is embedded in this pancocojams post.]
1.Scelly 19,2020
"I just love how they take a children’s song and make it to a whole horror song"

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2. Noelle Wastaken, 2020
"I remember a more kid friendlier version in elementary school

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Reply
3. 𝑳𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒚 ♥ 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔, 2021
"That’s what this is based off"

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4. Clover 🍀, 2020
"I heard my friend singing this and got very confused at first because I grew up knowing the more happy nursery rhyme / round. This is so surreal to listen to"

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5.Cherry,2020
"I... want theories, I want guesses, I want answers, I want to know the meaning behind this dark twist of the song."

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6. lee., 2020
"This song remind me of the show 'The Promised Neverland', the fake fosters, mother, new shoes, "I can never tell you or they will all die", "If you go home, just don't get caught". 'The Promised Neverland' is a show about Emma, Norman, and Ray, three 12 year old orphans living in a orphanage with Mother Isabella (I think was her name). After their friend Connie gets 'adopted' and leaves behind her favorite toy, Ray suggest the two go catch up to her before she leaves, they soon realize the 'orphanage' and Mother Isabella aren't what they seem."

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7. live_laugh_watermelon,2020
"I was listening to this and my sister obsessed with murder mysteries that was sitting beside me playing roblox suddenly started theorizing.

She was like:

OMG I feel like she's blind and was kidnapped by two people who keep her because they lost their daughter that looked like her and murdered her parents, (out with the old in with the new) and she knew these people weren't really her parents and the stench down by the bay she thought to be her actual parents corpses but the people who kidnapped her told her they were just rotting watermelons (my parents lie, he isn't real) . (don't trust the man from the sand) and she knows but has to keep pretending she doesn't until she finds a way to get away.

( if you go home, just don't get caught).

And I was like:

That sounds like a tiktok pov you watched earlier-"

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8. Azealia Banks, 2020
"Theory based on the Lyrics:

Her Father died at a very young age, he was a Watermelon Farmer so they thought it was fitting to bury him under the sand down by the bay near the Watermelons. (Never trust the man under the sand.) Her Mother tells her to never go down by the bay and that she'll keep her safe at home. She also tells her to lock the windows at night. One day however, she forgets too and she sees the spirit of her Father haunting her, curious she decides to investigate and she finds her Father's diary, the one she's holding the entire video, she gets curious and finally decides to go down the bay. She tries to find something but she sees the washed up shoes of her Father (My Father's Home, Bought me new Shoes) She starts to get haunted by her Father, she finally finds out the truth that her Father was killed by her Mother, She panics and doesn't know what to do (If you go home, just don't get caught) her mother than finds out that she knows and she murders her daughter and buries her body down by the bay. Her mother then is seen exiting the Bay."

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9. noonesnormal,2020
"Theory: She lost her husband and her baby girl. Her parents are trying to protect her and tell her that her hallucinations of them are real. She is aware they are dead and wants to go back home, but her parents don't want her going back home where her family died. She tries to kill herself down at the bay.

 

Edit: Thank you to everyone who liked my theory! I didn't even know people read it!"
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As of March 28, 2023 at 9:41 EDT, this comment has 7,200 likes and 91 replies.

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10. Dizzy_AnimeLover, 2021
"This would be perfect for an actual horror movie"

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11. JByepitsme, 2021
"I absolutely love this version❤. She sings and plays creepy very well. One my faves"

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12.☆ Existing ☆,2021
"I love this song, even if it's creepy :>"

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13. Priyanka Behera, 2022
"Yes true this is perfect for horror scenes and songs"

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14. Honey bunny,2022
"I actually have a theory about this song …. she actually killed her family by the bay and she buried them in the sand and her parents are trying to keep her from going to her home by the bay and her parents don’t want her going home because she’s mentally not OK this is just a theory"

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15. ♡ French-bread-vanilla ♡, 2023 
"The part where it says “she isn’t real, my parents lie” gives me horror movie chills. It sounds like one of the characters having like a spirit or demon or imaginary friend or enemy and nobody believing them and just trying to tell them it isn’t real but they know it is so there saying people are lying. It also ties well with the “I know the truth, but I couldn’t tell you or they would cry” it’s like the character wanting to tell people about it but they can’t."

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