Stay In Your Own Backyard
1899
Music by: Lyn Udall
Lyrics by: Karl Kennett
Cover artist: Unknown
"This song expresses an unfortunate sentiment that prevailed during the times. The idea of staying in one's own backyard was nothing more than a thinly veiled desire to not mix races and cultures. In this case, the composer and lyricist have come up with a rather clever twist to make the sentiment seem legitimate.
"Rather than a person from the white majority stating the case, the song is written from the perspective of an African-American mother who lectures her children on the need to "stay in your own back yard". I suspect that by writing the song from this angle, the duo was attempting to make the concept more acceptable and demonstrate their own prejudice that surely, if the African-Americans feel that way, it must be ok. However, it does appear from the lyrics that at least they had some empathy for the pain of racism.
"Musically, this song is a delight, if we can set aside the theme and the humiliating ideas behind it, it can actually be a pleasant experience. How very sad that so much great music is tainted by the awful pain and mean spiritedness of the lyrics.
"Here are the lyrics to the Chorus. Many of the lyrics of these songs also very unfairly stereotyped the speech patterns of whichever group was targeted.

Now honey, yo' stay in yo' own back yard,
Doan min' what dem white chiles do;
What show yo' sup-pose dey's a gwine to gib
A black lit-tle coon like yo'?
So stay on dis side of de high boahd fence
And hon-ey doan cry so hard.
Go out an' a-play, jes' as much as yo' please,
But stay in yo' own back yard."

(From THIS PAGE, with cover photo & MIDI)

"Stay in your own back yard" sung by Harry Macdonough (Berliner issue number: 131) is HERE (The Virtual Gramophone).

~Masato