BS: Mason-Dixon Line

Subject: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: muppett
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 05:28 AM

Over the weekend I was listening to a Mark Knopler album I had for awhile now. One of the tracks, well the title track, he does duet with James Taylor called sailing to Philadelphia. The song tells of 2 guys going over t' America from England, one a gordie and one a West Country lad and they end up having the Mason - Dickson line named after them, can anyone tell more about this line then, is it something like the Greenich Merdian line and where does it run.

Cheers

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 05:31 AM

Its a bit like the Grennwich Meridian except it goes across instead of up and down. It was designed to divide people who sang blues from people who didnt, but then some blues singers moved to Chicago and it all went wrong.

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: Dead Horse
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 06:20 AM

Greg. You gonna burn!

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: BanjoRay
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 07:48 AM

I've always been intrigued by the history of the Mason-Dixon Line, but, being an idle git, never enough to do some research. However, I've now been inspired by this thread, and here's the history: Mason-Dixon Line.
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: muppett
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 07:56 AM

Cheers Ray for that link, it was very interesting

Ta very muchly.

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 07:59 AM

Well I've followed that link and it doesnt say anything about blues singing at all.

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 09:57 AM

In the mid-1700s, when the M-D Line was being surveyed, what we know as the blues was still evolving from minuets, round singing, madrigals, and operatic arias. By the early 1800s, however, what was then called "the violets" (a precursor of the blues) was already demonstrating to musicologists what its future would be -- heavy metal rap music (I didn't say that it was a viable line, just a precursor). After Mogan David and Manischewitz windes became popular in the early 1900s, the blues took on its own life because it was now possible to truly feel the line, "Woke up this mornin' with my...."

And that, by the way, is why it's known as the M-D Line. Yankees couldn't abide calling it the "Mogan David Line", and called it the "Mason-Dixon Line" instead.

The original surveyors were two guys name William Roque and Harold Ireland, but there were copyright lawsuits about the use of the name "Roque-Ireland Line."

Subject: RE: BS: Mason - Dickson Line
From: muppett
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 10:04 AM

Rapaire, run all that by me again, you've totally lost me, wot you on abart?

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Dead Horse
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 10:26 AM

Right, here goes........
In the early 1800's scurvy was rife amongst seamen, and one of the symptoms was a darkening of the extremities.
This gave rise to the name of one of the most famous of all shipping companies.
When James. S. Baines wished to run his fleet of packets ships on the N.Atlantic trade, he wanted only prime sailors aboard his vessels, none of "yer lubbers" as sailed with his competitors.
So he sent a message to all his captains to only sign seamen who have "had the scurvy" and were, therefore, old salts.
He further told his captains that the best way to decide whether a sailor had ever had the complaint, was to check for a "darkening of extremities, in particular, discolorisation of the genitals" as limbs tended to revert to a more normal hue.
This, of course, gave rise to "The Blackball Line".
Boom Boom.

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: mack/misophist
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 11:10 AM

Very clever Rapaire. I like it better than the original storey.

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 12:14 AM

Rapaire, except for a minor error here and there, you've got it.

I repeat: wot you on abart?

:)

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Peace
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 12:46 AM

LINE? LINE? What about the Mason-Dixon Lion that starred in the Ringling Brothers Circus, hey? Is nothing sacred anymore? What is it with you people?

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: dianavan
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 01:57 AM

So what do Mason Jars and Dixie Cups have to do with all this?

d

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Dead Horse
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 04:37 AM

Line dancing was invented by short sighted Apache indians, who wanted to see how many cowboys they could shoot in the head with just one arrow!

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 09:30 AM

Ebbie, muppet -- y'all just gotta have the background. Mad Dog 20/20, for instance. And try reading the post out loud, pronouncing "Roque" as "Rock."

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: muppett
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 09:41 AM

Rapaire are going t' share this background Mad Dog 20/20 then, as I still Don't know wot yer on abart, do you Ebbie or is it just me?

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 09:51 AM

Mogan David wines make a wine called "MD 20/20". MD = Mad Dog. It's a sweet kosher wine (as is Manischevitz) and will, if consumed in large quantities, produce a hangover of absolutely monumental proportions.

Do a search for the lyrics to the song "Rock Island Line."

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: muppett
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 09:56 AM

Oh I see now cheers

Subject: uack!!
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 03:33 PM

Pretty sure the line has baan discussed and explained previously in Mudcay. Was the thread titled somethuing like "What / where is Dixie"?
Q

Subject: RE: BS: Mason-Dixon Line
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 03:35 PM

Don't know what happened to the "spelling" finger on my tripewriter. I even managed to sign it wrong and send the post when attempting to delete the Q which appeared by magic when I tried to type "GtD"
Quack!!!