Ugh!! Sorry about that.

What I meant to say is since I first heard that song about twenty years ago, I have vehementally disliked the song Black & Blue.

Judge for yourself if you think this song should be considered anti-racist or anti-Black:

What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue
Words by Andy Razaf and Music by Thomas "Fats" Waller and Harry Brooks
[Copyright ©1929 Santly Brothers, Inc. and renewed by Chappell & Co., Inc.]

Verse: Out in the street, shufflin' feet,
Couples passin' two by two,
While here am I, left high and dry,
Black, and 'cause I'm black I'm blue.
Browns and yellers, all have fellers,
Gentlemen prefer them light,
Wish I could fade, can't make the grade,
Nothing but dark days in sight:

Chous 1: Cold, empty bed, Springs hard as lead,
Pains in my head, Feel like old Ned.
What did I do, to be so Black And Blue?
No joys for me, No company,
Even the mouse ran from my house,
All my life through, I've been so Black And Blue.

I'm white inside, It don't help my case
'Cause I can't hide, what is on my face, oh!
I'm so forlorn, Life's just a thorn,
My heart is torn, Why was I born?
What did I do, to be so Black And Blue?

'Cause you're black, Folks think you lack
They laugh at you, And scorn you too,
What did I do, to be so Black And Blue?
When you are near, they laugh and sneer,
Set you aside and you're denied,
What did I do, to be so Black And Blue?

How sad I am, each day I feel worse,
My mark of Ham seems to be a curse!
How will it end? Ain't got a friend,
My only sin Is my skin.
What did I do, to be so Black And Blue?

Source:
http://www.perfessorbill.com/lyrics/lyblckbl.htm

Btw: I learned from reading commentary in Thomas W. Talley's Negro Folk Songs that "Old Ned" was an African American referent for the devil. This explains this referent in that song "Cold, empty bed, Springs hard as lead, Pains in my head, Feel like old Ned."

-snip-

I also found the same lyrics for this song on:
http://www.singulartists.com/artist_l/louis_armstrong_lyrics/black_and_blue_lyrics.html


I first heard this song when the Black music teacher in my daughter's integrated middle school selected four Black students to sing a modified version of this song at a public concert. In my opinion, that was a very poor choice on his part-the singers could sing but the words...Terrible!

I'd rather have them sing "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud!"