Liz the Squeak said, in part:


Nowadays the expression is usually 'the pot calling kettle dirty bottom'. The original (or so I understood it) was 'the pot calling the kettle black arse';

I have never in my 75 years heard either 'the pot calling kettle dirty bottom' or 'the pot calling the kettle black arse'.   Perhaps we're talking about UK versus US here, I don't know. I have no idea where/when the proverbial phrase came into use.

    --and--

. . .version of Black Betty actually stated that "she come from Alabam'. . ." which would suggest she was an African American and probably from slave stock.

I don't see anything in 'she came from Alabam' that suggests "she was an African American and probably from slave stock". Betty (for some unknown reason called black in the song) could be any race. Now, that phrase along with the Leadbelly authorship certainly (to me) would suggest that "Black Betty" is/was black. Frankly, I have no doubt of that whatever.

I'm unsure what distinction you intend by "and probably from slave stock". Unless you are just being nicey-nice to avoid using the words "N--", "Negro", or "black".

Leadbelly would not be using the word "black" to mean dark-skinned peoples from, say, the Philippines, or India or Thailand, though we had then and more so have now plenty individuals of those origins. And especially "in Alabam'".

Dave Oesterreich