Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part series on versions of "She's My One Black, Two Black" song. "She's My One Black, Two Black" songs have their source in the 1928 Blues song "Chocolate To The Bone".
This post reprints comments #27- #50 of the comments that were published in the discussion thread for the 2012 pancocojams post "Examples of & Comments About The Song And Rhyme "She's My One Black, Two Black". Most of those comments include examples of that "She's My One Black, Two Black" song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/11/shes-my-one-black-two-black-complete.html for Part I of that pancocojams post. That post presents a complete reprint of the 2012 pancocojams post with the title "Examples of & Comments About The Song And Rhyme "She's My One Black, Two Black".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/11/shes-my-one-black-two-black-complete_20.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents #1-#26 of the comments that were published for that 2012 pancocojams post. Most of those comments include examples of the "She's My One Black Two Black" song.
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The content of this post is presented for historical ,socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks also to all these who are quoted in this post.
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COMPLETE REPRINT OF COMMENTS FROM THE 2012 PANCOCOJAMS POST FROM #27-#50
These comments are reprinted as they appear in the discussion thread for the 2012 pancocojams post entitled "Examples of & Comments About The Song And Rhyme "She's My One Black, Two Black"."
I wrote most of the replies and a few of the other comments. My comments are given "as is" with no spelling or punctuation corrections and no additions.
Numbers are added for all of these comments for references purposes only.
As of this date (Nov. 20, 2024), if there are any more comments published to the discussion thread of that 2012 pancocojams post, I will reprint them in the comment section for this 2024 post.
27. UnknownJanuary 7, 2016 at 3:26 PM
"I just found this thread while trying to find out the
original lyrics. I'm no more sure now that I was when I started. I learned the
song from my grandfather, the son of Irish immigrants from the Detroit area. It
was always added to the end of I've Been Working on the Railroad with the
version given by Anna on 12/14/13. Being Caucasian, I was always afraid to be
called a racist for even knowing the lyrics, but it was so catchy. It was never
sung with malice, but only ever by my grandfather, an Episcopal priest with a
big bellowing voice. I'm glad to have stumbled upon this blog."
Reply
"Greetings, Michael Gass. I'm glad you found this blog!
Thanks for sharing your memories about this song and thanks for including demographical information. It's interesting that the song "She's My One Black" was added to the end of "I've Been Working On The Railroad". I'm not sure what the origin of that "...Railroad" song is, but I believe it's old."
29.
"The version I learned (mid-1950's, east Tennessee, white,
Scots-Irish, German, AmerIndian) was the same as Anna's, except for the line,
" If you see my gal, walkin down the street, boy, you better leave her
alone!" I heard it sung by adults (I was a child) as a sort of drinking
song. A medley, with "Railroad," "Dinah, Won'tcha Blow,"
"Someone's Inna Kitchen With Dinah", "Fee, Fi, Fiddly Eye
Oh," and ending with "One Black, Two Black." I have often
wondered if it were a show-tune, maybe from a musical, Broadway, Vaudeville,
etc. Just a guess. They're all dead, now. No one left to ask."
I don't think that "She's My One Black" is a
racist song. On the contrary, the lyrics praise a woman who is "chocolate
to the bone". Yet, I can understand your concern about how some people who
are Black and/or some people who aren't Black could misunderstand the lyrics to
this song and also misjudge people who sing this song in public.
Best wishes!"
**
Reply
30. Azizi Powell, March 21, 2016 at 7:00 PM
Wim, you win the commenting prize for demographical
information. Thanks!!
The combination of songs that were sung with "One Black
Two Black" sounds like that might have been "a musical, Broadway,
Vaudeville,". We may never know- unless someone else remembers this and
shares that information.
Here's hoping...
Thanks again!!"
**
Reply
31. Azizi Powell, March 21, 2016 at 7:07 PM
"PS: I know "Wim you win" is really corny, but, hey
I can't help being me :o)"
**
32. Diane, August 28, 2016 at 8:07 PM
"I learned a very similar string of songs as Wim described
from my parents when we sang songs on road trips in the late 1950s and early
60s. My father has died but my mom says he was the one who introduced it to us
and she thinks he learned it in Lutheran high school or Lutheran college or
possibly at camp. He was white, German heritage, born in 1931 and raised and
went to both schools in the Chicago area.
His version started with the Railroad song that included Dinah Wontcha Blow, Someones in the Kitchen with Dinah and Fee,Fi, Fiddly Eyoh. Then he would continue:
Now you may think that there aint no more.
Now you may think that there aint no more.
Now you may think that htere aint no more.
Well there aint!
(LONG PAUSE)
But there is!
She's my one black, two black, eyes like a shoeblack
Chocolate to the bone.
Hair like a Jezebel, teeth like pearls,
Mama Moses, she's some girl!
She's my one black two black, eyes like a shoeblack,
chocolate to the bone.
(very slow) You better leave her alone!
When he would sing it to me he would change
"Dinah" to "Diane" (my name) and implied that the girl with
the dark tan was Diane, too. Even though my eyes were actually blue it made me
feel like he was telling all the boys not to mess with his beautiful and wild
daughter!"
**
Reply
33. Azizi Powell, August 29, 2016 at 10:51 AM
"Hi, Diane!
Thanks for sharing your memories of your father and those songs.
I appreciate your inclusion of demographics (years, race, and city, state) for the folkloric record.
The "one black, two black" song may be more widely
remembered than I thought."
**
Reply [Written on November 20, 2024- Pancocojams Editor's Note: Part of this is a reprint from comment #34, as if I didn't realize I had already replied to Diane.]
Reply
34.Azizi Powell, August 29, 2016 at 11:31 AM
"Hi, Diane!
The "one black, two black" song may be more widely remembered than I thought. And that fact that a number of people from different locations were taught "One Black Two Black" as a medley, with "Railroad," "Dinah, Won'tcha Blow," "Someone's Inna Kitchen With Dinah", "Fee, Fi, Fiddly Eye Oh" suggests that it probably was (as commenter Wim guessed) "a show-tune, maybe from a musical, Broadway, Vaudeville, etc."
**
35. Anonymous, March 28, 2018 at 9:51 AM
"I learned this song at a summer camp when I was 11 or 12. A
female, white counselor around 18 yrs old taught it to us. I don't think she
realized the meaning, and I didn't realize it until now because I wanted to
find the title of the song. Her version went like this
"I've got a one black
Two black
Eyes like a true black
Chocolate to the bone
If you see that cow walking down the street
You better leave that cow alone
She's got eyes like a Jezebel, teeth like a pearl
Gosh, oh gee, she's out of this world
She's a one black
Two black
Eyes like a shoe black
Chocolate to the bone"
**
36.
"As I was reading the above comments, I saw a verse that went
"Harmony, my baby harmony
first thing you do is you get 4 boys
next thing you do is you make a lot of noise
Harmony, my baby harmony
This is harmony, my baby harmony...yeah"
And I remember this (or some variation of this) added to the
end of the song. As a kid, I thought she was talking about an actual cow and I
had no idea what four boys would've helped with. I still don't really
understand what the four boys part was about."
**
Reply
37.
"Hello, Anonymous March 28, 2018 at 9:51 AM
Thanks for sharing that version of "She's my one black" and including how you learned it.
I learned the "She's My One Black" song from reading about it online, but it might be more widely known in the USA then I had originally thought.
Anonymous March 28, 2018 at 10:05 AM
If I understand you correctly, you read an example of the
"Harmony, my baby harmony" verse that was added to the end of the
"She's my one Black" song.
I think this addition is risque and isn't really pertinent to that focused song itself.
Thanks again for commenting!"
**
38. Katie Simons, January 4, 2021 at 2:43 PM
"My mother used to sing this song -- she learned it at church
camp in Indiana in the 1940s. She sang:
Chocolate to the Bone...
If you see that gal of mine, won't you tell her to come
home?
She's got hair like a raven and teeth like a pearl
O Land's Sake, what a Beautiful girl!
One Black, Two Black, Blacker than Shoe Black,
Chocolate to the Bone."
Reply
39.
"The tune she sang was NOT the same as other folk songs
mentioned. it was more like doo wop."
**
Reply
40. Azizi Powell, January 4, 2021 at 5:06 PM
"Katie Simons, thanks for sharing the example of "One
Black, Two Black" that your mother taught you.
Thanks for also including demographic information about that example.
It seems that "One Black Two Black" used to be a rather commonly sung song."
41.
"Katie Simons version is the same version my grandmother and
mother sang except "chocolate to the bone, bone, bone, bone"."
**
Reply
42. Azizi Powell, July 10, 2022 at 10:18 AM
"Thanks for your comment Anonymous.
I appreciate it."
**
43. Anonymous, October 18, 2022 at 12:43 AM
"We learned the version that Laura offered in January 2014.
We learned it at a predominantly white YWCA camp in Southern California in the
late ‘60s/early ‘70s."
Reply
44.
"Hello, Anonymous.
Thank you for sharing your memories of a version of "She's My One Black, Two Black" and thanks for adding demographic information for the folkloric record abou this song.
Best wishes!"
**
45. Anonymous, November 7, 2023 at 3:38 PM
"My dad, born in the early 1920’s, sang this as a
refrain/bridge in the middle of I’ve been workin’ on the railroad during my
childhood in the 60’s & 70’s.
She’s my one, black, my two black
Honest goodness shoe black
Chocolate to the bone
Now if you see my gal a-walkin’ down the street
You better leave my gal alone
She’s got hair like a Jezebel
Teeth like a pearl
I’m tellin’ you boys she’s a gift to this world
She’s my one black, my two black
My honest goodness shoe black
Chocolate to the bone."
**
Reply
46.
"Hello, Anonymous. Thanks for adding to the collection of
folkloric record of examples and anecdotes about the She's My :One Black Two
Black song". please add to note by sharing where you lived (city, state.
nation if outside of the USA).and and racial information (your father's race).
Also you wrote that he sang this in the middle of "I've been working on
the railroad" song. Did he return to that song after singing the
'Chocolate to the bone" line?"
**
47. Chuck, June 23, 2024 at 2:11 AM
"I also learned this song at YMCA camp in the mid 1960's. Our
version was:
One black Two black eyes like shoe black
Chocolate to the bone
She's got eyes like a jezzabelle, teeth like a pearl
Gosh o gee she's a gift to this world
She's got One black Two black eyes like shoe black
Chocolate to the bone
Harmony, my baby harmony
first thing you do is you get 4 boys
next thing you do is you make a lot of noise
Harmony, my baby harmony
This is harmony, my baby harmony...yeah!"
**
Reply
48.
"Hello, Chuck. Thanks for adding the version of "One
Black Two Black: that you remember from the mid 1960s to this collection. I
hadn't come across that version before.
It took me a while, but I finally guessed that "jezzabelle" is a respelling of the female Biblical Old Testament princess Jezebel.
Also, I wonder if the "Harmony, my baby harmony" verse in this example comes from a different rhyme. I've never come upon it before.
Best wishes!"
**
Reply
49. Chuck, June 25, 2024 at 4:18 PM
"The spelling for jezzabelle came from my spell checker. I
didn't have a clue how to spell it. I never saw the song written down. This was
our favorite campfire song at Y camp.
Reply
50.
"Hey, Chuck. thanks again for adding more info about this
rhyme/song.
I think that spell checker got it wrong and "Jezebel" is the correct spelling fort hat female name. Here's an excerpt from an online page about the Biblical Queen "Jezebel":
https://study.com/academy/lesson/who-was-jezebel-biblical-story-characteristics-death.html
"Who was Jezebel's husband?
In the Jezebel Bible story, Jezebel's husband was King Ahab,
the seventh King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Both Jezebel and her
husband worshiped the Canaanite storm god Ba'al, which was why they were
portrayed unfavorably in the Book of Kings.
What did Jezebel do in the Bible?
In the Jezebel Bible story, Jezebel was infamous for several
things: persecuting the prophets of Yahweh, instituting worship of Ba'al in
Israel, trying to have the prophet Elijah killed, and framing and executing
Naboth to get his vineyard."
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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