The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #131276 Message #3453600
Posted By: GUEST,erielhonan
17-Dec-12 - 11:30 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Give That Nigger Ham (Parker/Woolbright)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Give That Nigger Ham (Parker/Woolbright)
Look I get the upsetness over the word. I don't like it in particular. But it would be absurd to think that old timey Southern white folk music wasn't rife with racist performers. Personally I think the song lyrics (maybe just in a contemporary context) are absolutely absurd - in both an offensive and a somewhat amusing way (c'mon, why ham?!). Objectively, observationally, it's a valuable artifact. There's no shame, no polish, no apology at all for it, and it stands out to me as a polished coprolite (look it up) revealing something of the diet of the culture it came out of.