Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Coyote Breath Lyr Req: meaning of the words in DIXIE (31) RE: Lyr Req: meaning of the words in DIXIE 11 Mar 04


Doesn't any see the irony in Dixie?

It was written by a Northern black-face minstrel, the tune was adopted by the confederacy whose words were completely different, calling loyal southerners to arms against the "Northern Agression"

I remember marching in a protest to the Hunstville, Alabama, Board of Education, demanding that Dixie no longer be played at half-time. This was back in 1970.

The song is more of an insult to blacks than a "in-your-face" reminder of the Civil War, due to it's terribly racist mockery of black speech.

Our black high school students wanted the tune (a lively march) removed from the Huntsville High School band's repetoire because of it's connection to the confederacy, almost none of my Alabama A&M students knew any but the first few words and no one in Hunstville (to my knowledge) knew the confederate words. (We marched in sympathy with the HHS students.)

I don't know if the confederate words are in the DT but they can be found in the Mel Bay publication: "Ballads and Songs of the Civil War" by Jerry Silverman.

Of course the words to "Year of Jublio" are at least as insulting due to the "dialect" purporting to be black speech, though the sentiment is more appropriate.

CB


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.