Children & Adult Adaptations Of The "I Love Coffee" Rhyme

Edited by Azizi Powell

I came across this video of the children's song "I Love Ice Cream" while my three year old granddaughter and I searched Youtube looking for nice pre-school songs:

The Calendar Song - Kids + Children Learn English Songs



Uploaded by wearebusybeavers on Nov 17, 2008

...Sometimes known as "The Ice Cream Song", this song aims to teach the days of the week and the months of the year. Everyone loves ice cream!! Billy and Betty Beaver love ice cream every day of the year. Have fun teaching and learning with this song but BE CAREFUL! You'll be singing it all day long!
You can download an mp3 of this song for free from our website here http://busybeavers.com/audio/.
-snip-
My granddaughter Sarah and I both love this song. And I agree with the uploader's statement that not only is the song a great teaching tool for the days of the week and the months of the year, but it has a nice, catchy slow Bluesey-like tune.

But there was something about the words of the song, if not the tune itself that bugged me. While I listened to that "I Love Ice Cream" song, I tried to figure out what other song it reminded me of. I thought I had heard another song like it, but for the life of me, couldn't come up with what song it was.

And then, at 2 am this morning I had an "Ureka!" moment. For some reason, I was awake at that time. And for some reason, it occurred to me that the title "I Love Ice Cream" was almost the same as the title to the children's rhyme "I Love Coffee. I Love Tea".

Here's a video of children playing a handclap game while singing a version of that rhyme:

Sesame Street: Handclapping Chants



SesameStreet | March 27, 2009
-snip-

As soon as I made the connection between the "I Love Ice Cream" song and the "I Love Coffee. I Love Tea" rhyme, I though to this 1940s "Pop" song:

the ink spots- java jive



Uploaded by tomovox on Jul 17, 2010


The amazing Ink Spots!

Anyone for coffee?
-snip-

All this goes to show that creativity isn't limited to any decade or any age group, and creative connections can be found when you least expect them.

Enjoy!

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/negro-folk-rhymes/negro-folk-rhymes%20-%200230.htm for a version of "I Love Coffee" which was included in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Other Wise

**
Click http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes for multiple examples of the rhyme "I Love Coffee. I Love Tea". That rhyme is also known as "I Like Coffee. I Like Tea", and "Down Down Baby".

**
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html for the pancocojams post "Racialized Versions Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea"

**
Click http://www.lyrics007.com/Ink%20Spots%20Lyrics/Java%20Jive%20Lyrics.html for the lyrics to "Java Jive"

The lyrics to "I Love Ice Cream" are superimposed on that video.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the known and unknown composers of these compositions. My thanks also to those persons featured on these videos, the producers of these videos, and the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Dancing Carrying Object On Head (Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases selected videos of people dancing while carrying a basket or some other object on their head. This post also provides general information about this custom.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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OVERVIEW
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_on_the_head

Carrying on the head is a common practice in many parts of the world, as an alternative to carrying a burden on the back, shoulders, and so on. People have carried burdens balanced on top of the head since ancient times, usually to do daily work, but sometimes in religious ceremonies or as a feat of skill, such as in certain dances...

There are several traditional dances of West African cultures that include balancing an object on the head as a skillful feat. Ritual dancing among worshippers of the thunder deity, Shango, sometimes balance a container of fire on their heads while dancing. The Egbado Yoruba have dances that include balancing "delicate terracotta figures" on the head while the arms and torso are moving.[11] This tradition continued among Africans taken to America during the Atlantic slave trade. African-Americans in the 19th century had a popular type of dance competition called "set the floor" ("set de flo'"), during which individual dancers would take turns dancing. Competing dancers would try to perform complicated steps given to them by a caller (usually a fiddler), without stepping outside the bounds of a circle drawn on the ground. To add to the challenge, some dancers would compete while balancing a glass full of water on top of their heads, trying not to spill the water while they danced.

[11. Source: Welsh-Asante, Kariamu (1996). African Dance: An Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Inquiry. Africa World Press. pp. 107.]

-snip-
From Tap Roots: The Early History Of Tap Dancing by Mark Knowles (McFarland & Company Jefferson, North Carolina, 2002, Page 33)

The Shango cult, brought to the Caribbean from Nigeria, was similar to Voodoo in that its main function was to induce possession. In Shango, the skill and aptitude in dancing was especially valued. During the ritual, dancers circled single file as they bent and straightened their knees rapidly with bouncing steps, becoming more and more animated until they were possessed by the deity. Anthropologist Melville and Frances Herskovits observed one female Shango dancer who danced while balancing water on her head...

Balancing water on the head while dancing was a common practice during jig and buck and wing contests in the United States and was often used in minstrel and vaudeville specialty acts to demonstrate a dancer’s skill.

-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shango
"In the Yorùbá religion, Ṣàngó (also spelled, Sango or Shango, often known as Xangô or Changó in Latin America and the Caribbean, and also known as Jakuta) (from '=shan, 'to strike') is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder. Shango is historically a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Kingdom prior to his posthumous deification. In the Lukumí (Olokun mi = "my dear one") religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered the center point of the religion as he represents the Oyo people of West Africa, the symbolic ancestors of the adherents of the faith"...

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order.)

Video #1: This is the best tribal dancing group of Botswana Africa



Uploaded by el T Morales on Jan 20, 2011

It really is! They won countless awards! I miss you guys ...

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Video #2: Zambezi Express - The Amazing New African Dance Musical... [Zimbabwe, South Africa]



Uploaded by gypsiiboy on Oct 6, 2009

Highlights from this amazing new show. The story follows a boy named Zilli, born in the slums of a township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who dreams of becoming a top-flight footballer. His adventures on the Zambezi Express - the train that leaves Bulawayo for South Africa once a week - and his struggles in the big city have created this extraordinary, pulsating new show straight from the heart of Africa. Pounding, multi-layered African beats and powerful acapella vocals alongside jumping, jiving, and acrobatic dance numbers by a 30 strong company. A soccer-based musical for the approaching World Cup in South Africa 2010
-snip-
[Women dancing with objects is shown at .034-1.18]

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Video #3: Rwandan women dancing with baskets on their heads [Rwanda]



5cense | November 12, 2007

Women dancing with baskets balanced on their heads, at the gorilla's nest, near Ruhengeri, Rwanda

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Video #4: Yeni Molinet - Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba 2005 - Ochun [Cuba]



Uploaded by danzaestelar on Oct 28, 2009
-snip-
Oshun is the Yoruba (Santeria, Lucumi) orisha (goddess) of love, beauty, rivers & waterfalls. Click http://blog.onbeing.org/post/10237320823/dancing-the-stories-of-the-orishaste for information about Ochun. Here's an excerpt from that blog post:
"....orishas are revered deities who rule over different earthly elements. They are called through dance and drum rituals to interact with humans.

Oshun, for example, is an orisha associated with fresh water. She represents female sensuality and beauty. Oshun’s movement is fluid and coquettish, which is what you’d expect from a goddess of beauty. Her signature color is yellow and she typically carries a fan with her, which she sometimes wields as a weapon. When Oshun laughs, she’s preparing to punish someone. It’s only when she cries that she’s truly happy".
-snip-
Click http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/OCHUN/ for more information about Ochun.

Also, read the reference in the "Overview" section above about another orisha "Shango".

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Video #5: Mexican Mayan Dancers, dancing with things on their head, Chichen Itza area of Mexico, Aug 09



Uploaded by devildogpackrat on Aug 12, 2009
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's viewer comment thread:
"THESE ARE MEXICAN PEOPLE ,MMM YEAH FROM MAYAS BUT THIS IS NOT A MAYAN DANCE !!!!"
-cobra87west, 2011
-snip-
This custom may have its source in the African people who were enslaved in Mexico. For information about slavery in Mexico, click http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/666-slavery-in-mexico.

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BONUS VIDEO: BURUNDI DRUMMERS [Burundi]



Uploaded by borosjutub on Mar 5, 2008

Amazing drum show from Burundi
-snip-
Some may consider these drummers to be strutting "on stage" and not dancing. Be that as it may, I decided to add this video because their movements while carrying an object is custom is very similar to the subject of this post. Besides, these men walking while carrying drums on their head is so impressive that I wanted to share a video of it in case people here hadn't seen it before.

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqEdvkeywZg for another video of the Burundi drummers and for commentary about this custom.

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UPDATE: 3/15/2013
ሽንግርዋ - ናይ ሳአስዒት ውድድር (9 year old eritrean girl)



goblel, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2007
-snip-
Here's a comments from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TavHQEZrGTs

"This is a typical ERITREAN syle. What a talent! Wonderful Guayla."
-Amche10, 2008

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to all those dancers & musicians who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to those whose comments are quoted in this post, and those who uploaded the videos which are featured in this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Yoruba Andabo (Orisa Song & Dance Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases selected videos of Orisa [Orisha] (pronounced oh REE shah) religious songs & dances as performed by the Cuban group Yoruba Andabo (Friends Of Yoruba Culture). The Yorubas are a Western Nigeria ethnic group.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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OVERVIEW OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ifa.htm Ifa: the religion of the Yoruba peoples

Yoruba refers to a group of cultures linked by a common language. They occupied an area bounded by the Niger River, and including what is now known as the Benin Republic, southwestern Nigeria, and part of Togo. They held a belief system in common: the Ifa religion.

Starting in the 16th century, large numbers of Yoruba natives were transported as slaves to the Caribbean and the Americas. They combined beliefs and practices from their Ifa religion with elements of Roman Catholicism to produce the syncretistic religions of Candomblé, Palo Mayombe, Santeria, Vodun, etc. These are now flourishing in the Caribbean, South America and North America, notably in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Grenada, the Guyanas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Tobago, and Trinidad.

-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha for information about specific Orisas. The dances (dance movements, clothing, mannerisms, articles carried etc) reflect the descriptions of the specific Orisa.

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INFORMATION ABOUT YORUBA ANDABO
From http://worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=4111

Yoruba Andabo is a Cuban band and a company of 17 talented singers, percussionists and dancers, performing original sacred West African music preserved as it has been interpreted locally, after it had been brought there by slaves in the late 16th century. The ensemble takes its name from two African words loosely translated as ?the friends and followers of the Yoruba lands and culture?.

Born out of spontaneous musical get-togethers held at the Havana harbor in 1961 by a group of dock workers, Yoruba Andabo - back then with another name - began performing in 1986 at the Havana seat of UNEAC (the organization grouping Cuba's professional writers and artists). Following its involvement in a recording for the local top label EGREM, the band worked in close contact with renowned singer Mercedita Vald?s, which led it to turn into a company in 1994 under the name of Compañia Folklorica Yoruba Andabo...

-snip-
From http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2012/11/30/0930/PM/Yoruba-Andabo/

The legendary folkloric group Yoruba Andabo ("friends of Yoruba culture") presents an evening of Cuban rumba. With singers, percussionists, and dancers, Yoruba Andabo performs ecstatic percussion-driven dances that reveal the ongoing influence of African religion and traditions in contemporary Cuba.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order.)

Video #1: Yoruba Andabo: Canto a Yemaya



Uploaded by awobabaeyiogbe on Jan 17, 2010

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Video #2: Yoruba Andabo: Canto a Eleggua, Oggun y Oshun



Uploaded by awobabaeyiogbe on Jan 17, 2010

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Video #3: Yoruba Andabo: Canto a Oya y Shango



Uploaded by awobabaeyiogbe on Jan 17, 2010

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Video #4: Yoruba Andabo: Canto a Babalu Aye y Obbatala



Uploaded by awobabaeyiogbe on Jan 17, 2010

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Maferefún (Praises be) to the Orisas.

Thanks to the drummers, singers, and dancers featured in these videos, and to awobabaeyiogbe who uploaded those videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Myrna Summers - I'm Determined (Sound File & Lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a 1967 sound file & lyrics of Myrna Summers and her Gospel group singing the song "I'm Determined".

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, religious, and aesthetic purposes.


All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED SOUND FILE: Myrna Summers 1st group singing I'm Determined 1967



Uploaded by gospellin on Feb 18, 2009
-snip-

The group may be named "The Refeshenettes". That's the name on the record cover that is shown in the sound file.

****
LYRICS: I'M DETERMINED (as performed by Myrna Summers & Group)*
(Composer ?)

Group -I’m determined
[“To run this race”]
Leader – In spite of all the [“real”] evil things
That are said about me.
Though things may go wrong
I’ll keep on singin my song
For I’ll gain the victory.
I don’t care what you say
I’m gonna live this life day by day and
Group- I’m determined
Leader-Oh Lord
Group- [To run this race]
Leader – Lord
Leader – Now you see I have trials and trials
Group-I’ve had trials.
Leader -[“Great”] tribulations
Group-[“Great”] tribulations
Leader – [“I’ve had tryin times”]
Group - [“Tryin times”]
Leader – [“Many a day”]
Group – [“Many a day”]
Leader – I’ve been up
Group- Oh yes
Leader – I’ve been down
Group – Um hum
Leader – I’ve been almost
Group – Oh yes
Leader – To the ground
Group –Um hum
Leader – But God
Group-Oh yes
Leader – [“Delivered up”] my soul
Group –Um hum
Leader – And I’m determined
Group – Oh yes
Leader –To reach my goal.
And I got
Entire Group – Jesus
Leader –Oh!
Entire Group –I got the Master on my side.
Leader – Yeah! And I got
Entire Group – Jesus!
Leader – Yeah! Yeah!
Group –[“And He’ll work it all out. He’ll work it all out.”]

Leader – Now you see I’ve been [“cryin sometime”]
Group-[“Cryin sometime”]
Leader – [“I’ve had great”] tribulations.
Group –[”Great tribulations”]
Leader-[“Tryin times”]
Group-[“Tryin times”]
Leader – [“But I’ve had patience”]
Group- [“I’ve had patience”]
Leader – I’ve been up
Group- Oh yes
Leader – I’ve been down
Group – Um hum
Leader – I’ve been almost
Group – Oh yes
Leader – To the ground
Group –Um hum
Leader – But God
Group-Oh yes
Leader – “Delivered [up”] my soul
Group –Um hum
Leader – And I’m determined
Group – Oh yes
Leader –To reach my goal.
And I got
Entire Group – Jesus
Leader –Oh!
Entire Group –I got the Master on my side.
Leader – Yeah! And I got
Entire Group – Jesus!
Leader – Yeah! And I got
Entire Group – Jesus!
Leader – Yeah! Yeah!
Group –[“And He’ll work it all out. He’ll work it all out.”]
Leader – Now you see I’ve been [“cryin sometime”]
Group-[“Cryin sometime”]
Leader – [“I’ve had great”] tribulations.
Group –[”Great tribulations”]
Leader-[“Tryin times”]
Group-[“Tryin times”]
Leader – [“But I’ve had patience”]
Group- [“I’ve had patience”]
Leader – I’ve been up
Group- Oh yes
Leader – I’ve been down
Group – Um hum
Leader – I’ve been almost
Group – Oh yes
Leader – To the ground
Group –Um hum
Leader – But God
Group-Oh yes
Leader – Delivered my soul
Group –Um hum
Leader – And I’m determined
Group – Oh yes
Leader –To reach my goal.
And I got
Entire Group – Jesus
Leader –Oh!
Entire Group –I got the Master on my side.
Leader- Yeah! Yeah!

-snip-

*Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. The words that I'm not certain about are given in parenthesis and brackets. Corrections and additions are welcome.

****
COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SONG AND ABOUT MY TRANSCRIPTION METHODS
This song has an R&B beat (or many R&B songs have a uptempo Gospel beat.)

**
In my transcriptions I use the standard practice that I was taught to capitolize all references for God & Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Hence the word "Master" is capitolized.

In transcriptions of any song or spoken word, the transcriber should be steeped in (very familiar) with the culture (including songs, spoken words) from which that particular example needing to be transcribed comes. I believe that I meet that criteria with regards to this song because I'm an African American who was raised in the church [Baptist] and still has a love of Gospel music. That said, I didn't know this song before hearing it on YouTube. I came upon this song because I was looking for a Gospel song that I remember from the 1960s whose lyrics are
I'm determined
To run this race.
I'm determined
To see the Master's face.
I'm determined
For when I'm in doubt
I know
The Lord
Will bring me out.
-snip-
If anyone has information & lyrics to that song, please post a message below.

In order to transcribe any song I listen to the sound file or video over and over again, usually stopping the recording line by line. Song transcriptions often are facilitated because some lines of the song are "floaters" (they are used in other songs). Examples of such floaters in this song are "sometimes I'm up/sometimes I'm down/sometimes I'm almost to the ground", and "I got the Master on my side". Also, some ending rhymes (or near rhymes) are commonly used in religious & non-religious songs - such as "soul, goal".

That said, you can't assume that a verse will have the common ending rhyme or floater.

I transcribe songs and playground rhymes, military cadences, and fraternity & sorority step chants from African American & other English language Black cultures around the world. I do so because I believe that these compositions are cultural artifacts which deserve to be documented, preserved, and shared for historical, folkloric, aesthetic, (and, in the case of Spirituals and Gospels, for inspirational and religious purposes.) I also transcribe these compositions because I enjoy doing so.

I wish that others will also post more lyrics online of old Black religious songs and old and present day Black playground rhymes.

Click the tags on pancocojams to find other lyrics of songs that I have transcribed. Also click http://cocojams.com/ to find my website which has multiple pages of English language songs, rhymes, and chants that are mostly from African American and other Black cultures around the world.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the composer and performers of this song. My thanks also to gospellin for uploading this song file on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Two Josh White "Jim Crow" Songs

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about the term "jim crow" and lyrics & sound files of Josh White's "Jim Crow Blues" and "Jim Crow Train".

The content of this post is provided for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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WHAT "JIM CROW" MEANS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws:

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a "separate but equal" status for African Americans. The separation in practice led to conditions that tended to be inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

-snip-
A person of color who is "jim crowed" meant/means that person was/is treated in a discriminatory manner [treated worse than White people in general because of one's race/ethnicity.]

A "Jim Crow town" is one whose White residents had discriminatory laws & customs.

It seems to me that the phrases "Jim crowed" and "Jim crow town" have been rarely used since at least the 1980s. However, there are still mentions at least in political circles of people wanting to bring "Jim Crow" back.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/huddie-leadbetter-jim-crow-blues.html for information & my comments about the origin of the term "jim crow".

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sOUND FILE & LYRICS: JIM CROW BLUES [Josh White]

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE by Josh White 1941 JIM CROW SONG



Uploaded by cdbpdx on Jun 5, 2010

Joshua White sings Jim Crow songs on the Keynote record album Southern Exposure, recorded in 1941. The melody in this song sounds a lot like 'Careless Love'. Enjoy!

-snip-
LYRICS: JIM CROW SONG (Josh White)

[guitar playing]

Well I work all the week in the blazing sun.
Lord I work all the week in the blazing sun.
Lord I work all the week in the blazing sun.
Can’t find my shoes lord when my pay day comes

I ain’t treated no better than a mountain goat.
I ain’t treated no better than a mountain goat.
I ain’t treated no better Lord than a mountain goat.
Boss takes my crop and poll tax takes my vote.*

[guitar playing]

I’m leavin here ‘cause I just can’t stay.
Yes, I’m leavin here just can’t stay.
Lord, I’m lea, leavin here ‘cause I just can’t stay.
I’m goin where I can get more decent pay.

[guitar playing]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from sound file. Corrections & additions are welcome.
(Note: I'm not sure if this is the correct title for this song.)

****

SOUND FILE & LYRICS: JIM CROW TRAIN (Josh White)

JIM CROW TRAIN by Josh White 1941 JIM CROW SONG



Uploaded by cdbpdx on Jun 5, 2010

Joshua White sings Jim Crow songs on the Keynote record album Southern Exposure, recorded in 1941. Enjoy!
-snip-

LYRICS: JIM CROW TRAIN (Josh White)

[guitar playing ]

Can't you hear that train whistle blow?
Can't you hear that train whistle blow?
Can't you hear that train whistle blow?
Lord, I wish that train wasn't Jim Crow.

[guitar playing ]
Stop the train so I can ride this train.
Stop Jim Crow so I can ride this train.
Stop Jim Crow so I can ride this train.
Black and White folks ridin side by side.

[guitar playing ]

Now hear that train whistle blow.
Can’t you hear that train whistle blow.
Can’t you hear that train whistle blow
Oh-o Lord this train is Jim crow.

[guitar playing ]

Damn that Jim Crow.
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. Additions and corrections are welcome.
-snip-
Here's a comment about this song from http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2009/09/show-43-jim-crow-blues.html
"Like Leadbelly, Josh White began to address political issues in a straightforward manner in his songs. In 1941, he recorded Jim Crow Train, a classic protest song against the Southern system. It also features one of the great recorded train imitations: [lyric excerpt posted]"
-snip-
That blog includes comments & lyric excerpts from several other Blues songs about Jim Crow beginning with the 1925 song about leaving Jim Crow conditions behind, "Northbound Blues" by Maggie Jones.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to Josh White for composing and performing these songs about Jim Crow and other great songs. My thanks also to cdbpdx for uploading these two songs files on YouTube, and the editor of the blog "Uncensored History Of The Blues" for showcasing information about & examples of Blues songs that mention or refer to "Jim Crow".

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Huddie Leadbetter - Jim Crow Blues (Comments, Lyrics, & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell
[revised 9/23/2012

This post provides information about the term "jim crow", lyrics of Leadbelly's song "Jim Crow Blues", as well as a sound file & a video of selected performances of that song.

The content of this post is provided for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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WHAT "JIM CROW" MEANS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws:

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a "separate but equal" status for African Americans. The separation in practice led to conditions that tended to be inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

-snip-
A person of color being "jim crowed" meant/means being treated in a discriminatory manner [being treated worse than White people in general because of one's race/ethnicity.]

A "Jim Crow town" is one whose White residents had discriminatory laws & customs.

****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "JIM CROW"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_Jim_Crow

The origin of the name "Jim Crow" is obscure but may have evolved from the use of the pejorative "crow" to refer to African Americans in the 1730s. Jim may be derived from "Jimmy", an old cant term for a crow, which is based on a pun for the tool "crow" which today we call a "crowbar". Before 1900 crowbars were called "crows" and a short crowbar was and still is called a "jimmy", a typical burglar's tool.

The folk concept of a dancing crow predates the Jump Jim Crow minstrelsy and has its origins in the old farmer's practice of soaking corn in whiskey and leaving it out for the crows. The crows eat the corn and become so drunk they cannot fly, but wheel and jump helplessly near the ground where the farmer can kill them with a club.

-snip-
Click that link for information about & lyrics to the 1828 USA minstrel song "Jump Jim Crow".
-snip-
From http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090505044409AAEFfdV comment posted by d_r_siva 2009

The reality of the term [Jim Crow] has nothing at all to do with crows, crow’s feet, or crow’s beaks. The term comes to English via the Nordic languages….probably as far back as Viking settlements in England.

The term refers to a cow’s foot. In Danish a cow is a kue. In Norwegian a cow is a ku. In Swedish a cow is called a ko and is pronounced “coo” like a dove sounds. And a crowbar today in Swedish is a kofot….a “cow’s foot.” And one must mention that the bar’s pulling end [two fingers around a nail] resemble a cow’s foot and thus the English derivation of crowbar has nothing to do at all with the crow, but with cows or a ko. Our crowbar is named after a cow’s foot. This is the true etymology of the word.

One false etymology is that the term crowbar derives from Jim Crow and that they were used by blacks to perform menial tasks, giving it racist origins. Jim Crow was alive at least 400 years after the origin of the crowbar, so it is highly unlikely that he had anything to do with its name. This has been discredited by Snopes.

A crow has a powerful pointed beak with which it can, crows being very smart birds, pry open darn near anything it wants. So when humans invented a long iron bar with a hooked end to pry things open, they named it after the clever crow. In fact, the original crowbar (known simply as a "crow" back in 1400) sported one end shaped into a beak, rather than the flattened surface seen on modern crowbars.

****
LYRICS: JIM CROW BLUES [1930?]
(Huddie William Ledbetter (January 1888 – December 6, 1949)[stage name: Lead Belly; usually given as Leadbelly)

Gotta get together let it __
don’t be no stone
Well we’ll all be in the same boat rather* ["together"]?

Okay now you gonna want this “Jim Crow Boys” enn
That man mus makes a man wear out his shoes when I give en the Jim Crow playin. **


[Actual song]

Bunk Johnson told me too, This old Jim Crowism dead bad luck for me and you
I been traveling, i been traveling from shore to shore
Everywhere I have been I find some old Jim Crow

One thing, people, I want everybody to know
You're gonna find some Jim Crow, every place you go

Down in Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia's a mighty good place to go
And get together, break up this old Jim Crow

I told everybody over the radio
Make up their mind and get together, break up this old Jim Crow

I want to tell you people something that you don't know
It's a lotta Jim Crow in a moving picture show

I'm gonna sing this verse, I ain't gonna sing no more
Please get together, break up this old Jim Crow

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejC6hFJcVM&feature=related [Video #3 below]

*Transcription of the first part of the film clip by Azizi Powell.

The first three lines appear to be the end of another song that Leadbelly sang before starting "Jim Crow Blues". The last two lines prior to the actual song are Leadbelly's introduction on that occassion for his performance of "Jim Crow Blues". My "translation" of the last sentence Leadbelly said is:
"That man's music [that song/my playing that song] makes a man wear out his shoes [dancing] when I play "Jim Crow Blues".
Additions and/or corrections to this transcription are welcomed.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES

Example #1: Jim Crow Blues- Leadbelly



Uploaded by 427monkeyman on Jun 9, 2010

This is a protest song from the 1930's written and preformed by the great blues musician Leadbelly. For those who do not know, the Jim Crow Laws where laws that prevented African Americans and other minorities from having the same rights as Whites. Many of the pictures are of blues musicians and civil rights activists such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and W. E. B. Du Bois. This video is intended to be anti-racist so I do NOT want to see comments saying I am.

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Example #2 - Odetta - Jim Crow Blues


Uploaded by BilouBeBe on Jul 13, 2011

"Jim Crow Blues"
Performed by Odetta Holmes (2003)
originally performed by Lead Belly (1930)

From the movie: Lightning In a Bottle: A One Night History of the Blues
concert: New York's Radio City Music Hall (February 2003)
Director : Antoine Fuqua
Executive Producer: Martin Scorsese
Music Director: Steve Jordan
Producer: Alex Gibney & Margaret Bodde

****
RELATED LINKS
Click http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2009/09/show-43-jim-crow-blues.html for information about Blues songs which include the term "Jim Crow". Included in that post is a lyric excerpt of the 1925 song "Northbound Blues" performed by by Maggie Jones which contains the phrase “Jim Crow town”. That post also features an excerpt of a 1927 Blues song by Cow Cow Davenport which is also entitled "Jim Crow Blues".

**
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html for Part I of a three part Pancocojams series on the Jamaican character/symbol "John Crow".

****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to the composer & performers of this song. Thanks also to those whose comments I quoted and to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcomed.

Read More

Two Jamaican Mento Songs That Mention John Crow

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part series about the Jamaican character/symbol "John Crow". This post provides excerpts of two Jamaican mento songs that mention John Crow.

Part I of this series provides information about the cultural meaning of "John Crow". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html for that post.

Part III of this series features the Jimmy Cliff song "John Crow".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/jimmy-cliff-john-crow-lyrics-video.html for that post.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES

LONG TIME GAL [excerpt]
Dis long time, gal, me never see yu,
Come mek me hol your han.
Dis long time, gal, me never see yu,
Come mek me hol your han.
Peel head John Crow sid upon tree-top
Pick off de blossom,
Mek me hold your han, gal, mek me hol
your han.

Reposted from http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/themes/journeys/gallery/resource/?id=488&resource_id=488

Also, click http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2856&c=113 for similar Jamaican words and a standard American English "translation" of those words.
-snip-
I believe that "peel head" means "bald headed" (having no hair on your head).

Here's a video of the Jamaican mento song "Long Time Gal":

"Long Time Gal":



uploaded by BajanBloom on Jan 13, 2011

"Miss Lou -- Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley has made a distinguished contribution to the development of Arts and Culture in both in Jamaica and the Caribbean region at large. Through her skillfully penned prose in Jamaican patois, Miss Lou has been able to raise the folk dialect to an art level now accepted and appreciated by all Jamaicans."

****
ONE SOLJA MAN
Verse 1
One solja man come fe court me,
Me sey me no ha' nobody,
Him gimme one shillin' an' quatty.
Me tek i' buy silk an' satin.

Verse 2
Me wash i' me starch i' me iron i',
Me pred i' pon pingwing macka,
An one ole un-conscionable John Crow
Come fling i' eena crevice an' corner...

Verse 3
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tear i',
No tear i' Jeremiah, no tera i',
No tear up me silk an' satin.

Verse 4
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
A weh yuh dah weel an' tun me,
Yuh mussa wan' me fe go fall dung,
An' lick me belly pon tambourina.

Solja- Soldier
Ha'- Have
Quatty- Penny halfpenny
Pred- Spread
Pingwing macka- Cactus
John Crow- Jamaican scavenger bird, but here used in a derogatory sense, alluding to 'Jeremiah'.
Eena- In
Weh- Why
Mussa- Must
Fe go fall dung- To fall down
Tambourina- Tambourine

Also sung as 'One Bungo Man', Bungo meaning an African.
*May be sung as: 'Him gimme one cock-y'eye fourbit', 'fourbit' being one shilling and sixpence.

Pp. 58-59, With music for voice and piano.

Tom Murray, Ed. and arr., 1951, Folk Songs of Jamaica, Oxford University Press.

[These lyrics & notes are were posted on http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40845 by Q on October 4, 2011]
-snip-
In Jamaican tradition "John Crow" is commonly referred to as a "disgraceful" bird. The adjective "unconscionable" means the same thing as "disgraceful".

In the context of this song, "John Crow" in this song is used as a derogatory referent to a dark skinned Black man,The phrase "An one ole un-conscionable John Crow" doubles down the derogatory meaning of the description (an unconscionable dark skinned Black man"). That meaning is substantiated by the note that the song is also sung as "One Bungo Man", Bungo meaning "an African." For another Jamaican mento that refers to "bungo", click http://cocojams.com/content/caribbean-folk-songs for the song "Bungo Moolatta".

****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the unknown composers of these two songs. Thanks also for those who collected these songs, and those sand them, and those who posted them online.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

What "John Crow" Means

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part series on the Jamaican character/symbol "John Crow". This post provides information about the meaning of "John Crow".

Part II of this series features two Jamaican mento songs that mention "John crow". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/two-jamaican-mento-songs-that-mention.html for that post.

Part III of this series features the Jimmy Cliff song "John Crow".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/jimmy-cliff-john-crow-lyrics-video.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for historical & folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN CROW
From From http://www.golocaljamaica.com/readarticle.php?ArticleID=784

The John Crow - Graceful or Disgraceful Bird
(Apr-22-2003)

John Crow, the common Jamaican vulture, was once widely known as a carrion crow or turkey vulture. In towns and throughout the countryside, these birds can be seen tearing at carcasses in the streets. Sometimes they circle in the sky or simply perch in trees or on housetops, often with outspread wings.

Many stories abound as to how the name John Crow came about...
[Frederic G. Cassidy and R.B. Lapage indicate that] the first record of the bird being called John Crow was 1826. In a later book Dictionary of Jamaican English by Mr. Cassidy and R.B. Lapage it is stated that the origin of the name John Crow may be linked to Jim Crow, the American term. There is however no evidence to show that they are linked. Whatever the story behind the name John Crow, it is deeply embedded in Jamaican folk life.

The John Crow is a bird of great symbolic importance. In the Jamaican setting it is associated with ugliness, blackness, evil and disgrace. In abusive arguments people will call each other names such as "dirty John Crow, black John Crow or heng man John Crow". The John Crow is also an omen of death. It is believed that if the John Crow perches on a housetop, someone inside will die. It is also believed that if a John Crow appears in an individual's dream, it signifies death or some other form of destruction in the person's family.

The name John Crow appears in a few Jamaican proverbs. "Every John Crow tink him pickney white". This means that everyone thinks that his own children or his possessions are the best in the world. "John Crow seh him a dandy man but same time him hab so-so feather". Here the John Crow is a symbol of someone who is being very vain and pretentious. "John Crow a roast plantain fi yuh" depicting someone who is very meager and emaciated who may soon die. "If yuh fly wid John Crow yuh wi nyam dead meat" expresses the idea that a person is capable of doing the things that are done in the company that he or she keeps. Two popular folksongs also exist which speak about the John Crow. They are "Peel head John Crow" and "John Crow Seh".

Whatever the John Crow represents or however the name originated, it is one of the most significant birds underlining the culture.

Source: Jamaica: The Fairest Isle by Phillip Sherlock and Barbara Preston (1992) Plants, Spirits and the Meaning of John in Jamaica: Article Written in Jamaica Journal by John Rashford (May 1984)

-snip-
[Italics added by me to highlight that statement.]

For the record, "Jump Jim Crow is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white comedian Thomas Dartmouth (T.D.) "Daddy" Rice."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_Jim_Crow. Thus the earliest documentation of "John Crow" predates "jim crow" by two years and the cultural meanings of these two symbols are quite different. In the USA, "jim crow" is a term used to describe a system of racial segregation that discriminated against Black people. "John Crow" doesn't have that meaning.

It's my position that the main reason why the male names "Jim" and "John" were used for the terms "Jim Crow" and "John Crow" is that "Jimmy" was used for centuries in Britain & its territories for the "crowbar" tool. "Jim" is a nickname for "James" and not "John" but some people may have considered that the two names are related. Click http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090505044409AAEFfdV response by d_r_siva

****
From http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090517/arts/arts1.html Extracts from the 'Jamaica Journal' - Plants, Spirits and the meaning of 'John' in Jamaica ; Published: Sunday | May 17, 2009
John Rashford, Contributor

“The word 'John' appears 33 times in the Dictionary of Jamaican English as a generic term in the compound common names of people, birds, plants and other objects. This paper will show that objects named 'John' are often associated in Jamaica with the world of spirits.

I will focus on the vine Abrus precatorious, which Jamaicans call John Crow Bead, and it links - by virtue of John as a generic term - to the Christmas dancing in Jamaica called John Canoe ( also spelled Jonkonnu) and to the vulture called John Crow (Cathartes aura). This paper suggests that the dance, the bird and the plant all have the name John because of their relationship to the world of spirits and spirit possession.

Practice of obeah

It shows that John Canoe, who is the chief dancer of a troupe of dancers, is the spirit person or obeahman (variously described as a witch doctor, magician, jumbie-man or sorcerer) and both the John Crow and the John Crow Bead are associated with death and with materials used in the practice of obeah...

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to all those whose comments I quoted.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Jimmy Cliff - "John Crow" (Lyrics, Video, & Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part series on the Jamaican character/symbol "John Crow". This post provides a video & lyrics of Jimmy Cliff's 1990's song "John Crow".

Part I of this series provides information about the cultural meaning of "John Crow". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html for that post.

Part II provides excerpts from two Jamaican folk songs which refer to John Crow. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/two-jamaican-mento-songs-that-mention.html for that post.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
LYRIC: JOHN CROW
(Jimmy Cliff)

The eagle find him place in darkness
Fisherman find him place by the sea
Light up the dark in Kingston town
Mi bredren know you a come home without me

Ev'ry road have a bend, ev'ry wicked have an end
What your hands commit I know your body mus' feel
In this wicked, wicked war your time has come
You don't live right you will have no more fun

Jancro a go nyam your supper soon, boy*
Jancro a go lead the children astray
Jancro a go meet the retribution
Justice has finally find it's way

Screwface, you know that your time has come
You don't do right you gonna dead tonight
So now a go take you down the road to doom
The jancro a go nyam all your supper soon

Jancro a go nyam your supper soon, boy
Jancro a go lead the children astray
Jancro a go meet the retribution
Justice has finally find a way

Are you worried, says the wolf in sheep's clothing
Try to lead the children astray
But don't we know (?) a who fe frighten
take my hands I will show you the way

Jancro......Jancro

Source: http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song602053-Jimmy-Cliff-John-Crow-lyrics.aspx

*Jancro="John Crow"
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Cliff for information about Jimmy Cliff.

Click http://cocojams.com/content/caribbean-folk-songs for two examples of Jamaican folk songs that mention "John Crow" ("Long Time Gal" and "One Solja Man").

****
FEATURED VIDEO

Jimmy Cliff & Steven Seagal--John Crow*



Uploaded by jahppel on Oct 11, 2010

-snip-
This video provides snippets of scenes from the action movie which featured the song "John Crow", the Marked For Death starring Steven Seagal.

*The title of this video was erroneously given as "John Crown".
Here's a comment from this video's viewer comment thread which corrects that title and also provides information about the character of "John Crow" & the axiom that is repeated in that song:

"The term is "John Crow" not "John Crown." The axiom in the song that goes "John Crow ah guh nyam yuh supper soon boy", simply means that every persons time always comes. BTW translated, the saying is: "John Crow is going to eat your supper soon." A John Crow is the Jamaican jargon for a Vulture."
-smokeyhat, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=_Ksx9ishAOs

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RELATED LINKS

Click http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090517/arts/arts1.html "Extracts from the 'Jamaica Journal' - Plants, Spirits and the meaning of 'John' in Jamaica" by John Rashford for more information about the Caribbean cultural meanings of "John Crow".


**
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to Jimmy Cliff for composing and singing this song. Thanks to the uploader of this video.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Reminiscences Of Childhood In The USA in the mid to late 20th century

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents several online comments in which people share their memories of childhood & teen years in the USA during the 1960s.

This post also includes a video of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" and lyrics of that song which refer to that same time period in the United States.

The content of this post is presented for historical, sociological, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
EXAMPLES & EDITORIAL COMMENTS
Example #1:
Question:
"What were children like in the 1960s?

did they have chores? what did they play with? how was school for them? also the same for teens! were they rebellious? etc (:
thank you sooo much!"
-pimps, 2010

Response:
"Well all you've gotten so far is snarky misinformation so as a child of the 60's [born 1958] here are my experiences.

Chores? Yes. Did dishes at least 4 nights a week [I had 2 older siblings] helped with other house work at my mom's request. We got an allowance every week [50 cents with candy bars and soda being 5 cents each, movie ticket 50 cents] but could earn extra money doing laundry, polishing the silver, cutting the lawn, washing the car and other household chores. As we became a teen our allowances increased but so did our chores.

We played with balls, Barbies, toy guns, jumped rope, played jacks, cards and board games. We played hide and seek and tag with our friends along with marathon "let's pretend games."

We rode bikes, skates [ice and roller], skateboards, scooters and trikes when we were little. I grew up in a house with no TV, though most of my class mates had them, so I did a lot of reading. I was already reading by the time I started Kindergarten at age 5.
School? We attended schools with in walking distance of our homes. Most of our fellow students were very like us in terms of class and race. I did not attend public schools with handicapped children until high school [1972] though I had a neighbor at age 10 who wore leg braces [childhood polio]

Like any kid we were occasionally rebelious. Rebellion is part of growing up to become your own person."
-ajtheactress, 2010
-snip-

Note: The writer doesn't indicate in which country she lived during her childhood & teen years. Given the USA centered nature of many Internet pages, it's likely that that nation is the USA, but I'm not certain of that.

I'm from the USA (I was born in 1947 in Atlantic City, New Jersey and was thus a teenager in the 1960s) and my childhood memories are almost completely the same as that writer. I remember engaging in all of those play activities, but neither I nor anyone I knew had ice skates. In addition to the activities that ajtheactress mentioned, I would include playing with paper dolls, running relay races, and playing "Cowboys & Indians" (the Indians won as many times as the Cowboys). I also remember playing singing games such as "Little Sally Ann" (which is almost the same as "Little Sally Walker"), "Zudio", & "Here's Stands A Blue Bird". My sisters and friends and I also played movement games such as "Red Light, Green Light", "Mother May I?", and "Simon Says". I also remember playing with marbles, playing hula hoops, and trying to master the latest R&B dances. As a child & teenager, my chores were similar to those that ajtheactress mentioned except that I didn't polish the silver and didn't get extra money for doing the laundry and mowing the small plot of grass that served as my family's lawn. Also, we didn't have a car so there was no "washing the car" chore.

I have a vague recollection that when I was very young, the cost for movies was a nickel (5 cents). I remember being told that our family was one of the first in our African American neighborhood (in the mid or late 1950s) to have a television. And, like ajtheactress, I had a childhood friend who had childhood polio. She didn't wear leg braces but she walked with a limp.

The similarities between my memories and ajtheactress' memories are particularly striking because I'm African American (Black) and from the drawing that she chose for her icon, it appears that ajtheactress is Anglo-American (White).

****
Example #2:
"Back in the old days we came home from school, and did our homework, no game playing. We took our school clothes off when we got home & did not go outside & play in them! We didn't sit & listen to grown folks talk. We left the room until company left. We ate what was cooked or nothing @ all!! When told to do something we did it!! We didn't say I will do it later. I'm thankful for the old days because it made me the person I am today..... Re Post if you agree back in the old days was something American should have stuck to for raising kids!!!"
-Lateshya Mickey Ellis, Facebook page comment, November 2011
-snip-
Although Lateshya is my facebook friend, I don't know her well. I believe that her childhood was in the 1990s or the 1980s. Although my childhood was in the 1950s and 1960s, I can relate to everything that Lateshya wrote except for leaving the room when company came. My sisters and I didn't do that, maybe because our house was so small. But we were taught not to speak when grownups were talking unless we were given permission to do so. Some children were taught to say refer to adults as "Sir or Ma'am". But, for some reason, I thought that was a Southern custom. Instead of that, when an adult called us we were taught to say "Yes?". Saying "Uhn?" was a definite no no.

I can definitely relate to Lateshya's memories of having "School clothes" that you didn't play in. Generally speaking, we had three different types of clothes and shoes: "school clothes/shoes", "play clothes/shoes", and Sunday [church] clothes/shoes." School shoes might be "regular shoes" and "sneekers" which were also called "gym shoes" because shoes with rubber soles were the only types of shoes that were allowed to be worn on the gym floor. I also remember having to change into the one piece gym uniforms - ugh! My legs were skinny way back then and I hated how I looked in those gym clothes. And speaking of school clothes, in the 1950s, girls weren't allowed to wear pants to school. In the winter time, we'd wear snow jackts with matching leggings or we'd wear long pants under our dresses or skirts bbut have to take them off before school started. We also had rubber boots (galoshes) for the rain/snow. And we also had real dressy clothes & shoes for special occassions.

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FEATURED VIDEO - Stevie Wonder I Wish (Live)



Uploaded by amoreregal on Sep 25, 2008
-snip-
Here are several comments from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=GH1BPQ7FLbc

A #1 hit for Stevie Wonder on the Rhythm & Blues charts. It was the 384th #1 R&B song of the Rock Era. It also hit #1 on the Top 40 charts, #23 on the Adult Contemporary charts, and #5 in the United Kingdom.
-mkl62, 2012

**
[Regarding the date of the video]
Definately this was during the mid-late '80s/early '90s because the -Yamaha DX7 just screams that era.
-pannoni1, 2011

**
This song relates to any kid growing up in any decade.
Sneaking out w/o mum's permission, playing doctor, using your church money to get candy, smoking in school, graffiti and generally cutting up...

We can all relate those things!
-Hulk2k6, 2009
-snip-
For the record [no pun intended], actually I can't relate to any of the examples Hulk2k6 mentioned. I guess I was a goody two shoes kind of kid.

****
LYRICS -I WISH
(composer - Stevie Wonder)Original Release Date : 1976

Looking back on when I
Was a little nappy headed boy
Then my only worry
Was for Christmas what would be my toy
Even though we sometimes
Would not get a thing
We were happy with the
Joy the day would bring

Sneaking out the back door
To hang out with those hoodlum friends of mine
Greeted at the back door
With "boy thought I told you not to go outside,"
Tryin' your best to bring the
Water to your eyes
Thinkin' it might stop her
From woopin' your behind

I wish those days could come back once more
Why did those days ev-er have to go
I wish those days could come back once more
Why did those days ev-er have to go
Cause I love them so

Brother says he's tellin'
'Bout you playin' doctor with that girl
Just don't tell I'll give you
Anything you want in this whole wide world
Mama gives you money for Sunday school
You trade yours for candy after church is through

Smokin' cigarettes and writing something nasty on the wall (you nasty boy)
Teacher sends you to the principal's office down the wall
You grow up and learn that kinda thing ain't right
But while you were doin'it-it sure felt outta sight

I wish those days could come back once more
Why did those days ev-er have to go
I wish those days could come back once more
Why did those days ev-er have to go

Source: http://steviewonder.free.fr/html/song25.html

****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those whose comments I featured in this post. Thanks to Stevie Wonder for his gift of music and thanks to the uploader of this video.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Po' Lazarus (Comments, Lyrics, & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides comments, lyrics, and two videos of the African American prison work song "Po' [Poor] Lazarus". Another term for "prison work songs" are "chain gang songs", although all prison work songs aren't sung by prisoners working on chain gangs.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Carter_and_the_Prisoners
"James Carter (December 18, 1925 – November 26, 2003) was an American amateur singer and several times an inmate of the Mississippi prison system. He was paid $20,000, and credited, for a four-decade-old lead-vocalist performance used in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

In 1959, Carter was serving time at Camp B of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. In a southern field excursion, Carter and the other prisoners in his chain gang were spending the day chopping wood. Folk music historian Alan Lomax encountered them, and Carter and the others agreed to be recorded, as soloist and chorus respectively on an old spiritual, "Po' Lazarus", chopping the logs in time to the music. The recording and a photograph of the prisoners became part of Lomax's seminal music archive.

Decades later, the recording was purchased for use in the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year. During this, the producers, working in the hope that Carter was still alive, successfully tracked him down. Despite never seeing the film and not even remembering the song he had sung over 40 years previously, Carter was pleased with the album's success, and was present at the benefit concert held in Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, which featured repeat performances by the performers of other numbers on the soundtrack (although Carter himself did not perform).

As the other prisoners have not been identified (and likely never will be), the official credit for the artist on the soundtrack is for "James Carter & the Prisoners"."
-snip-
Editor's Note:
I disagree with the description of this song as a "spiritual". "Spirituals" are religious songs. Despite containing the exclamation "Lawd" ("Lord") and the New Testament Biblical male name "Lazarus", "Po' Lazarus" is a secular (non-religious) song, part of the "prison work songs" genre.

****
LYRICS : PO LAZARUS
[unknown composer/s]

Well, the high sheriff
He told his deputy
Want you go out and bring me Lazarus
Well, the high sheriff
Told his deputy
I want you go out and bring me Lazarus
Bring him dead or alive,
Lawd, Lawd
Bring him dead or alive
Well the deputy he told the high sheriff
I ain't gonna mess with Lazarus
Well the deputy he told the high sheriff
Says I ain't gonna mess with Lazarus
Well he's a dangerous man
Lawd, Lawd
He's a dangerous man
Well then the high sheriff, he found Lazarus
He was hidin' in the chill of a mountain
Well the high sheriff, found Lazarus
He was hidin' in the chill of the mountain
With his head hung down
Lawd, Lawd
With his head hung down
Well then the high sheriff, he told Lazarus
He says Lazarus I come to arrest you
Well the high sheriff, told Lazarus
Says Lazarus I come to arrest you
And bring ya dead or alive
Lawd, Lawd
Bring you dead or alive
Well then Lazarus, he told the high sheriff
Says I never been arrested
Well Lazarus, told the high sheriff
Says I never been arrested
By no one man
Lawd, Lawd
By no one man
And then the high sheriff, he shot Lazarus
Well, he shot him mighty big number
Well the high sheriff, shot Lazarus
Well he shot him with a mighty big number
With a forty five
Lawd, Lawd
With a forty five
Well then they take old Lazarus
Yes they laid him on the commissary gallery
Well they taken poor Lazarus
And the laid him on the commissary gallery
He said my wounded side
Lawd, Lawd
My wounded side

From http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/obrotherwhereartthou/polazarus.htm


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FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1: po' Lazarus [Sung by "James Carter & the Prisoners" & featured in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?]



Uploaded by L1A1 on Apr 13, 2011

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Video #2: The Fairfilled Four - Po Lazarus
[The Fairfield Four]



Uploaded by ppmcsk on Dec 18, 2009

From "Down From The Moutnain" concert
-snip-
In my opinion, the percussive foot stomps, handclaps, and thigh patting substitute for the sound of picks and enhance this acapella song performance.

**
R42464, a commenter on this video's viewer comment thread explains that the group's name is The Fairfield Four because there were four members when the group started in 1921.

**
From http://singers.com/group/Fairfield-Four/
"The a cappella style of the Fairfield Four was drawn from the Birmingham, Alabama quartet tradition exemplified by recording groups such as the Bessemer Sunset Four, the Birmingham Jubilee Singers, and the Famous Blue Jay Singers with lead vocalist, Silas Steele. The tradition is characterized by a percussive bass voice anchoring middle harmonies sung often on repeated rhythmic syllables ("boom a lanka lanka lanka") and a tenor voice out front carrying the lead...

Today, the Fairfield Four are best known from their appearance on the soundtrack and on screen in the Coen Brothers 2000 film, O Brother Where Art Thou. They are multiple Grammy winners with albums including Standing in the Safety Zone (1992) and I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray (1997) on Warner Brothers, Wreckin' the House (1998) on Dead Reckoning, The Fairfield Four and Friends Live from Mountain Stage (2000) on Blue Plate, and by their bass singer Isaac Freeman with the Bluebloods, Beautiful Stars (2003) on Lost Highway"...

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to the unknown composer/s of "Po Lazarus". Thanks also to the singers and collectors of this song and the uploaders of this video.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Videos Of Edwin Starr's "War" & Yusef Islam's "Peace Train"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of Edwin Starr's "War" and a video of Yusef Islam's (Cat Steven's) "Peace Train". This post also provides information about those two songs & links to their lyrics.

The content of this post is presented for aesthetic and inspirational purposes.

All rights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEOS

Edwin Starr - War Live (2001)



Edwin Starr. War Live (2001)
-snip-
"War - What is it good for? - Absolutely nothing!"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(Edwin_Starr_song)

"War" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969. Whitfield first produced the song – a blatant anti-Vietnam War protest – with The Temptations as the original vocalists. After Motown began receiving repeated requests to release "War" as a single, Whitfield re-recorded the song with Edwin Starr as the vocalist, deciding to withhold the Temptations' version so as not to alienate their more conservative fans. Starr's version of "War" was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded...

-snip-
Click http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/edwin_starr/war.html for this song's lyrics.

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Peace Train by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)



Uploaded by supportpeace on May 27, 2006

Pro Peace message from Yusuf Islam
-snip-
Note: There are a number of videos of Yusef Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) singing this song. I chose this video because I love the singing style which accompanies the lead singer. I believe that singing style is South African (Zulu) isicathamiya. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isicathamiya for information about isicathamiya.
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Train

"Peace Train" is the title of a 1971 hit song by Cat Stevens, taken from his album Teaser and the Firecat. The song climbed to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of October 9, 1971, becoming Stevens' first US Top 10 hit. The song also spent three weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart. It is also featured on The Very Best of Cat Stevens compilation album.

Cat Stevens later converted to Islam, changed his name to Yusuf Islam, and went into reclusion, but later made some public comments about the plight of children in the Iraq War. Stevens said "'Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again. As a member of humanity and as a Muslim, this is my contribution to the call for a peaceful solution."

-snip-
Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/peace-train-lyrics-cat-stevens.html for this song's lyrics.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the composers of these two songs, and to Edwin Starr and Yusef Islam & the other vocalists & musicians for their performances. Thanks also to the uploaders of these songs and those who posted information about these songs & their lryics.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Videos Of Traditional Benin West African Music

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents seven videos of traditional music from Benin, West Africa.

In addition to showcasing & enjoying the vocal & instrumental music, I'm interested in viewing the dances, clothing, male or female head gear styles, and the scenes that are shown in these videos.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin for information about Benin (formerly known as "Dahomey".)

The content of this post is presented for recreational, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

Note: I don't speak the language/s found in these videos. Information about the meaning of these songs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

All rights to this material remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no ranking order.)

Video #1: BENIN - Dossou Letriki - Evivi yenadou



Uploaded by kandevie on Aug 6, 2011

Traditional Masse Gohoun Rhytm from Avrankou, Benin, West Africa

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Video #2: Didolanvi Félix



Uploaded by polorishas1 on Feb 21, 2009
-snip-
Here's a viewer comment which is partly written in English (which unfortunately is the only language that I understand, although I can piece together the meaning of most of these French words)
"i love this song soooooooooooooooo much, i m from porto novo, benin but now living in america. Dieu benisse ce monsieur, ce morceau m inspire et m emporte au ciel, la bonte de Dieu sur nous est inestimable. j adore la joie de vivre du village, la fraternite, l ambiance entre famille"
-evystoful, 2011

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Video #3: BENIN-YINMAKODJIVIDE BO ZE HANGOUDENAN



Uploaded by HERVAKOMDJ on Oct 11, 2009
-snip-
Here's a viewer comment written in English:
"I sure love this music and the Egungun magical moves. God bless Africa !!! This is great. I will one day visit Benin Republic by God's grace"
-allen parker; 2012

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Video #4: Benin- Janvier Denagan - Guigo



Uploaded by EHUZU1 on Feb 11, 2009

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Video #5: Benin music- Don Metok : Gnonnou



Uploaded by BIGDAVOLK on Dec 31, 2008
-snip-
Here's a comment written in English from this video's viewer comment thread:
"oooh he is talking about women. The parralel between "Yonnou" and "Yon nou" In Fongbe language, Yonnou means woman but also when smebody tells you "yon nou" it means "pay attention to the way you drink it" the conclusion is, men should drink women softly and know how dangerous they can be if they want to...and they can easily get drunk if they abuse...dnt know if u understand what i mean"
-nacareby; 2010
-snip-
I also want to mention that I'm not sure if this song or singing style is actually "traditional" but I wanted to include it because I really love the song.

Can anyone confirm if this is a traditional song? Thanks in advance.

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Video #6: BENIN MUSIC :EDIA SOPHIE NKPEZON TO

"

Uploaded by HERVAKOMDJ on Mar 3, 2009

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Video #7: BENIN Anice pépé - SOUROU-



Uploaded by chegundossi on Sep 16, 2010

Sourou (du calme,patience).Dans la vie il faut de la patience,du calme en toute chose

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/agbadja-music-dance-gbessi-zolawadji.html
Agbadja Music & Dance & Gbessi Zolawadji

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the musicians, singers, and dancers who performed in these featured videos. Thanks also to the videographers, video uploaders, and commenters who I have quoted on those video's comment threads.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Bo Diddley - Dearest Darling (Sound File, Lyrics, And Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides a sound file & lyrics of Bo Diddley's 1957 Rock and Roll song "Dearest Darling". This post also includes my comments about that song & Bo Diddley's use of adapted African American religious verses and African American folk verses in many of his songs.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED SOUND FILE

Bo Diddley Dearest Darling Checker 78rpm


Uploaded by JOHN KENNEDY on May 3, 2010

Monster blues bop by the mighty Bo. This was the B side to his 1958 release 'Hush Your Mouth' This is my favourite Diddley release and it can still pack the dance floor to this day. RIP Mr Diddley

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LYRICS: DEAREST DARLING
(Bo Diddley)

Chorus:
Dearest darling
[yeah]
Dearest darling
Dearest darling, yeah
Oh-o

Verse 1:
Don't you know the Lord above
Created you
Just for me to love
Picked you out
From all the rest
Because He knew
I loved you best

Chorus
Dearest darling
Dearest darling
Dearest yeah darling
Take my hand
Take my hand

Verse #2:
I once had a heart
So tender and true
But now it's gone
From me to you
Take care of it
Like I have done
For you have two hearts
and I have none

Chorus:
Dearest oh oh oh oh, darling
Dearest darling
Dearest, yeah yeah,
dearest, yeah yeah
Dearest, yeah yeah,
Dearest, yeah yeah
Darling, yeah yeah,
Darling, yeah yeah

Verse #3
If I get to Heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through

Woh, dearest, dearest
Dearest, dearest, aah

If I go to Heaven
And you not there
I'm gonna write your name
On the Heavenly stairs
If you aren't there
By judgement day
Then I'll know baby
You went the other way

Woh, dearest, dearest
Woh, dearest, yeah yeah yeah
Oh oh sweet baby
Oh sweet baby
Yeah yeah yeah.

[This is a basic transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file of this song. Corrections and additions are welcome.]

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COMMENTS
"Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter (usually as Ellas McDaniel), and rock and roll pioneer"... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley.
-snip-
Like most of his songs, some verses of Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" are witty adaptations of earlier non-religious and/or religious songs from African American traditions. For example, take this verse from Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" song:
"If I get to heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through"
-snip-
That verse is an adaption of this African American Spiritual/Gospel floating verse:
If you get there
before I do,
Look out for me
I'm coming through.
[from the song "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" in Thirty-six South Carolina Spirituals edited by Carl Diton, G. Schirmer, Inc. NY 1928, posted on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75082]
Another version of that floating verse, from my memory of various Spirituals, is
"If you get to heaven before I do
Just tell my friends I'm coming too."
-snip-
A secular adaptation of that verse is sometimes used for the song "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" (also known as "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More"). Here's an example of that verse:
"If you get to Heaven before I do,
Just drill a hole and pull me through."
-snip-

The concept of "making" (or digging) a hole in heaven and pulling someone through so that she or he can also be in heaven is one that I've read in other earlier African American secular songs. I think that concept is similar to this verse that is found in the song entitled "Plaster" that is included in Thomas W. Talley's now classic 1922 collection entitled Negro Folk Songs: Wise & Otherwise:
"Well:
Mammy an' daddy's dead an' gone.
Did you ever hear deir story?
Dey sticked some plasters on deir heels,
An' drawed 'em up to Glory!"
-snip-
Click http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm to find a digitalized version of Talley's book. Additional examples of African American secular songs can also be found on this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs.

To cite two examples of Bo Diddley songs that are based on adapted folk verses, the song "Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the song "Mockingbird" ("Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry"). And the song "Hey Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the 19th century African American song "Hambone".

Bo Diddley also used the pattin Juba "Hambone" beat in so many of his songs that that rhythm is often called "the Bo Diddley beat".

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley fot more information about the Rock and Roll legend Bo Diddley and his songs.

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/aint-gonna-grieve-my-lord-no-more.html

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
My thanks to the Bo Diddley for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the uploader of the sound file that is featured in this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More (Comments, Lyrics, & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides lyrics, comments, and two videos of the song "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More".

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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COMMENTS
Comments About & Two Examples Of Religious Versions Of This Song
"Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" has been most widely known since at least the mid 20th century as a call & response children's camp song. However, early versions of this song point to its origin in the late 19th century or the early 20th century as an African American Gospel song.

The African American Gospel origin of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord..." is evident in its call & response structure, and in the African American vernacular that those early verses & that the title and chorus lines have. The African American origin of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord..." is also evident in the use of verses found in versions of that song as as "floaters" in other African American songs (spirituals, Gospel songs, African American children's playground rhymes, civil rights songs, and early Rock N' Roll songs.)*

*An example of the use of lyrics of this song in children's rhymes is found below. The "Paul & Silas bound in jail" verse found below is an example of the use of floating verses from this song in civil rights song. An example of floating verse that is found in some religious and early non-religious (parody) versions of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord..." that is also found in an early Rock and Roll song is this verse from the Bo Diddley song "Dearest Darling": "if I get to heaven/ before you do/ I'll try to make a hole/ and pull you through". In my opinion, that verse is a parody of the Gospel floating verse "If you get to heaven before I do/ just tell my friends, I'm coming too".

Here are two examples of the early religious versions of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord..."
Example #1
..."Newman I White, 1928 (1965), "American Negro Folk Songs," no. 28, no. 70.

No. 70
Lyr. Add: AIN'T GONNA GRIEVE, MY LORD, NO MORE (4)

Oh! down in the valley where I was told
The grace of God is better than gold
The grace of God is better than gold.

Chorus:
Ain't gonna grieve my Lord no more,
Ain't gonna grieve my Lord no more.

Oh! watch the sun, see how it run,
Never let it catch you with your work undone,
Never let it catch you with your work undone.

Oh! down yonder in the harvest field,
The angels are working on the chariot wheel
The angels are working on the chariot wheel.

Oh! Satan's like a snake in the grass,
Always in some Christian's path (2x).

Oh! mind, my sister, how you walk on the cross,
Your right foot'll slip and your soul'll get lost (2x).

These verses used in many similar songs. MS of W. H. Lander, 1919, Durham, NC."
-Retrieved from http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75082 (Hereafter known as Mudcat: Ain't Gonna Grieve),Q, Date: 03 Nov 04 - 11:25 PM

Editor's note: The Mudcat blogger who goes by the name "Q" wrote in that post that "there seems to be an older "Ain't Gonna Grieve" out there. Public Domain Music lists "I Ain't Gonna Grieve No More" with a date of 1865. No source is listed".
-snip-
Unfortunately, the link that Q gave for that information is no longer valid.
**
Example #2
I Ain't Gwine to Grieve My Lord No More

Oh, look up yonder! (Oh, look up yonder, yonder what I see?) What I see?
Bright angels coming after me (Bright angels coming after me).

CHORUS:
I ain't gwine to grieve my Lord no more,
For the Bible told me so;
I ain't gwine to grieve my Lord,
To grieve my Lord no more, no more.

Oh, Paul and Silas (Oh, Paul and Silas, Silas bound in jail) bound in jail,
The one did sing while the other prayed (The one did sing while the other prayed).
CHORUS

If you get there (If you get there before I do) before I do,
Look out for me, I'm coming through (Look out for me, I'm coming through).
CHORUS
-Carl Diton, Thirty-six South Carolina Spirituals, G. Schirmer, Inc. NY 1928
-Retrieved from "Mudcat: Ain't Gonna Grieve" posted by Joe Offer, Date: 06 Jul 07 - 04:57 AM, sent to him by Q

My Opinion About The Meaning Of The Title & Line "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More"
Reposted from "Mudcat: Ain't Gonna Grieve", Azizi
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 09:35 PM

"Has anyone else ever wondered what the heck "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" means?...

I believe that "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" originally was an African American gospel song which translated in standard English is "I'm not going to mourn [be sorrowful] anymore".

The word "Lord" appears in a number of African American gospel, blues, and other genre of songs at the beginning of the sentence [sorry, I'm not sure what parts or part of speech this is called].
"My Lord! and "Lord Lord" also is used as an interjection in the middle of the sentences or lines in a number of different types of African American songs.

I don't think that the "My Lord" statement even necessarily means that the person is talking to the Lord God [Jesus?]. IMO, "My Lord" is an intensifier that stengthens or emphazizes the statement the person makes about not grieving anymore. In that case, the sentence means "I'm really not going to mourn anymore."

Of course, there's no way to know if my theory about the meaning of this sentence is true, but it works for me."
-snip-
Editor's Comment:
At least one person on that discussion thread vehemently indicated her belief that the title meant that the person singing was indicating that she or he would no longer give any grieve to the Lord. In response to that theory, I indicated that I believed that "my theory is more in keeping with the African American cultural use of the word "grieve" and "my lord"." For what it's worth, the aforementioned blogger Q agreed with my position.

Visit that Mudcat thread to read more comments about the meaning of that title, and to find more religious versions and non-religious versions of this song.

Comments About & One Example Of A Non-Religious Version Of This Song
Since at least the mid 20th century, in the United States & elsewhere "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" has been sung as a lighthearted folk song/children's camp song. Its origin as an African American Gospel song is largely unknown.

Non-religious versions of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" appear to be most often known as "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" or "Oh You'll Never Get To Heaven". Those titles are lifted from the chorus that is generally used for this song. "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" may also be known by the title "The Deacon Went Down To The Cellar To Pray". That title comes from a verse that is commonly sung for this song.

Some standard verses from "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" are floaters, meaning they are used with other songs. One such song is "I Woke Up Sunday Morning". Click http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-camp-songs for information and examples about that song.

Also from at least the mid 20th century, while there were some standard verses for the non-religious versions of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord..", there was also the expectation that people would come up with additional, two line silly or witty rhyming or near rhyming verses for that song. Unfortunately, this custom appears to have largely been put aside.

Here's one non-religious version of "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More":

AIN'T GONNA GRIEVE MY LORD NO MORE
Oh, the Deacon went down, (2x)
To the cellar to pray, (2x)
He found a jug, (2x)
And he stayed all day. (2x)
Oh, the Deacon went down to the cellar to pray,
He found a jug and he stayed all day,
Ain't gonna grieve my Lord no more.

cho: I ain't a-gonna grieve my Lord no more.
I ain't a-gonna grieve my lord no more.
Ain't a-gonna grieve my Lord no more.

You can't get to Heaven on roller skates,
You'll roll right by them pearly gates.

You can't get to Heaven on a rocking chair,
'Cause the Lord don't want no lazybones there.

You can't get to Heaven in a limousine,
'Cause the Lord don't sell no gasoline.

If you get to Heaven before I do,
Just drill a hole and pull me through.

If I get to Heaven before you do,
I'll plug that hole with shavings and glue.

You can't get to Heaven with powder and paint,
It makes you look like what you ain't.

You can't chew tobaccy on that golden shore,
'Cause the Lord don't have no cuspidor.

"That's all there is, there ain't no more,"
Saint Peter said as he closed the door.

There's one thing more I forgot to tell,
If you don't go to Heaven, you'll go to Hell.

I'll put my grief up on the shelf,
If you want some more, make 'em up yourself.

Source: http://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=159
-snip-
Some "You can't get to heaven" verses are mild putdowns. Making up those kinds of verses can be considered to be a "pre-dozens" exercise.**

An example of what I mean by a "mild putdowns" is this verse:
"You can't get to Heaven with powder and paint,
It makes you look like what you ain't.
-snip-
An example of a mild putdown that I made up when I was a child is:
"Oh you'll never get to heaven with Debbie's face.
'Cause Debbie's face is a disgrace."
-snip-
Of course, I didn't sing this verse to be mean. It was all in fun. That said, I realize now that such putdowns can be hurtful.

** In African American culture, "the dozens" is a formulaic competitive exchange of insults between two persons. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dozens for information about "the dozens".

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Cedarmont Kids - Oh, You Can't Get to Heaven



Uploaded by TheSevenTrip on Sep 13, 2011

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Video #2: Oh you can't get to Heaven



Uploaded by singinggrandpa on Dec 13, 2007

Family traditions of folk songs and gospel hymns are sung at every holiday and get together. These were recorded Thanksgiving 2007 to memorialize many of the songs we have heard for years and were special songs to us growing up.

Some are familiar hymns and folk songs, some are very unique and rarely every heard. Some date back over 100 years.

Hope you enjoy them
-snip-
Editor's Comment:
For the record (no pun intended), I consider the second verse of "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" that is sung in this video to be (probably unknowingly) culturally insensitive. That verse is:
"Oh you can't get to heaven with a freckled face...
'Cause God don't want no speckled race.

However, I selected this video because it & the uploader's comments demonstrate the tradition of informally singing "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" ("Oh You Can't Get To Heaven") during family gatherings & how sometimes extemporaneous verses were added to its "standard" verses.

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/bo-diddley-dearest-darling-sound-file.html
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the original unknown composers of this song. Thanks also to all those whose comments, lyrical transcriptions, and videos are reposted on this page.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More