Also from Jim Dixon's 15 Sep 06 - 06:52 AM post to this thread:


8. Its dangres in Englan when you wet your trottles
To drink your wine at dinner out of blackin bottles
I was challenge toder day by you know who in vain
I say dam your blackin bottle take your card again

I'm wondering if there was a practice of blackening bottles of wine to keep the sunlight out and thus preserve the taste of the wine?
I think that this may be a simple explanation for this verse, though I'm tempted to wander off into thoughts of the significance of the color blue in Louisiana "voodoo" culture, and also the significance of "blackened stools" in traditional Ashanti (Asante) culture. Yet I admit that these last two subjects-interesting as they are-probably have nothing to do with that Jim Along Josie reference to "blackin bottles".

**

I'm sure most people reading this thread know this, but for those who don't know "the pigeon wing" as mentioned in verse #9 of that same example, is the name of a Black dance or a specific dance step:

"I cum de pigeon wing please Diana Moon
Catch de fat Oppossum kick de sly Racoon."

-snip-

And I wouldn't be surprised if "Catch the fat Opposum" and "kick the sly Racoon" also are names of Black dances or specific dance steps from those times.