One day he rode around the farm, the flies so numerous they. Dec 15, 2008 asked in jokes and riddles, song meanings if jimmy cracks corn and no one cares why is there a song. Jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care my masters gone away. It regained currency as a folk song in the 1940s at the beginning of the american folk music revival and has since become a popular childrens song. Children songs the blue tail fly jimmie crack corn. What do the lyrics of the refrain of jimmy crack corn and. The pony, he felt a little bit shy, cause hes bitten by that blue tailed fly. Jimmy crack corn an i dont care, jimmy crack corn an i dont care, jimmy crack corn an i dont care, the masters gone away. I wonder if little kids still sing jimmy crack corn in school. The title of blue tail fly comes from an antebellum song commonly known as jimmy crack corn.
He used to ride each afternoon i used to follow with a hickory broom. It regained currency as a folk song in the 1940s at the beginning of the american folk music revival and has. The site contains over 3500 nursery rhymes, cartoons and kids. Jimmy crack corn as its also known was written sometime in the 1840s, it was made popular here in the us during the 1940s at the beginninng. Jimmy crack corn or blue tail fly is an american song which first became popular.
When i was young i used to wait on the master and hand him his plate. Jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly dead link removed ed refr. He used to ride each afternoon id follow with a hickory broom the pony kicked his legs up high when. The lyrics to the most often cited contemporary version of jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly is also given in this post. Jimmy crack corn blue tail fly traditional from the album the farmers market by timmy abell when i was young i used to wait on master and hand him his plate pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the bluetail fly jimmy crack corn, and i dont care. Chorus when i went down in louisiana, i stayed a little while in texarkana. Maddox claimed jimmy crack corn was an abolitionist song, and that bluetail fly referred to federal troops in their blue uniforms overthrowing the slave owners. While that coule be, i wounder if it might mean corn that isnt soft enough to eat whole so its cracked up and used as slave rations, since it would be cheap, and although they couldnt have known, its a lousy. Ive heard it said that this song was a favourite of that very famous and great american abraham lincoln when i was young, i used to wait on master and give him his plate and pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly jimmy, crack corn, i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn. Sep 29, 2017 the song jimmy crack corn is also known as blue tail fly.
This largebodied fly has sharp mouth parts capable of delivering a painful bite. Blue tail fly definition at, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. Jimmy crack corn chords with lyrics by burl ives for. The blue tail fly is a supposedly insignificant creature that bites the horse that bucks and kills the master. In my early life, this weeks selection the blue tail fly aka jimmy crack corn was a song with a pleasing melody and some silly lyrics about jimmy cracking corn and not caring about it, whatever the heck that was supposed to mean. Jimmy crack corn, and i dont care jimmy crack corn, and i dont care my masters gone away and when hed ride in the afternoon id follow after with my hickory broom the pony being rather shy when bitten bythe blue tail fly chorus. I had to look up an answer because your question made me curious and i thought perhaps this song has an interesting history. Definition of blue tail fly in oxford advanced learners dictionary. The bluetail flyjimmie crack corn traditional when i was young i used to wait on master and hand him his plate, and pass the bottle when he got dry, and brush away the blue tail fly. G c d7 g jimmy crack corn and i dont care ole masters gone away. Blue tail fly and jim crack corn were used in minstrel shows as separate songs, and also were united by the performers.
During the 1840s the virginia minstrels, of which emmett was a founding member, popularized the song in their performances. Jimmy crack corn pop culture wiki fandom powered by wikia. Jimmy crack corn origin stories behind popular kid songs. The verdict put the blame for the masters demise on the blue tail fly. May 21, 2014 the racist childrens songs you might not have known were racist. The bluetail flyjimmie crack corn traditional when i was young i used to wait on master and hand him his plate, and pass the bottle when he got dry, and brush away the bluetail fly. Asked in jokes and riddles, song meanings if jimmy cracks corn and no one cares why is there a song. Edited by azizi powell this is part i of a two part pancocojams series about the song jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly. The andrews sisters blue tail fly lyrics genius lyrics. Its is an american song and it became popular duri. The blue tail fly as written by elie siegmeister and walter f. If jimmy cracked corn and no one cared, why is there a song.
Jim crack corn i dont care, jim crack corn i dont care, jim crack corn i dont care, ole massa gone away. Jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly dead link removed ed. G7 c the pony being very shy, d g when bitten by the blue tail fly. A more likely explanation is that jimmy cracked open a jug of his late masters corn whiskey and kicked back a bit. The song is credited to daniel emmett, a member of the thenpopular blackface minstrel group the virginia minstrels. Jimmy crack corn blue tail fly traditional from the album the farmers market by timmy abell when i was young i used to wait on master and hand him his plate pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly jimmy crack corn, and i dont care. The blue tailed fly, made notorious in the folk song jimmy crack corn, refers to the insect pest known as a horse fly. The bluetail fly sheet music for treble clef instrument.
If jimmy cracked corn and no one cared, why is there a. A conspicuous defect of this theory is that jimmy crack corn, published in 1846, is attributed to an outfit called the virginia minstrels. What does jimmy crack corn mean, and why does he not care. Maddox said crack corn came from the old english term crack, meaning gossip, and that cracking corn was a traditional shenandoah expression for sitting around chitchatting. Called blue tail fly when it was first written in the 1840s, the original lyrics werent jimmy crack corn, but rather jim crack corn thats not just us standing on formality. Jimmy crack corn blue tail fly chords and lyrics, plus a recording and an explanation of this folk songs origins. I brought his bottle when he was dry and brushed away the blue tail fly. The southern stables grits and corn meal are essentially finely cracked corn. The racist childrens songs you might not have known were. Would you sing a racist song like jimmy crack corn blue tail. It regained currency as a folk song in the 1940s at the beginning of the american folk music revival and has since bec. Recorded by burl ives, pete seeger and others, jimmy crack corn was certainly a blackface minstrel song, and dates from at least as far back as the 1840s.
So, the meaning of jimmy crack corn as i was told was a shortened version of, jimmy s in the cracked corn, meaning that the mule had found a way, or broken a way, into where the cracked corn was stored, and was having a treat. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. Read the lyrics to the childrens song jimmy crack corn blue tail fly on. Over the years, many variants of text have appeared, but the basic narrative remains intact. Jimmy crack corn an i dont care jimmy crack corn an i dont care jimmy crack corn an i dont care the masters gone away when i was. Its an american folk song, at least 150 years old, and supposedly an antislavery.
Part i presents some theories about the meaning of crack corn in the song that is now known as jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly. When i was young i used to wait on master, handing him his plate i brought his bottle when he got dry and brushed away the blue tail fly. The site contains over 3,500 nursery rhymes, cartoons and kids songs. It could, for example, refer to the master cracking his head open, or to the slave. Jimmy crack corn from my misty memory phrase meaning and. Jim crack corn or blue tail fly is an american song which first became popular during the rise of blackface minstrelsy in the 1840s, regained currency as a folk song in the 1940s at the beginning of the folk revival, and has since become a popular childrens song under the name jimmy crack corn. Jimmy crack corn an i dont care, jimmy crack corn an i dont care, jimmy. And pass the bottle when he got dry, and brush away the blue tail fly. Another nowobscured possible meaning derives from jim crack. Jimmy, crack corn, and i dont care, jimmy, crack corn, and i dont care, my mastas gone away. Lyrics to the blue tail fly jimmie crack corn by children songs. Verse 2 g d and when he ride in the afternoon, g i follow with a hickory broom. Maddox claimed jimmy crack corn was an abolitionist song, and that blue tail fly referred to federal troops in their blue uniforms overthrowing the slave owners. Blue tail fly is usually associated with blackface minstrel songwriter and performer, daniel decatur dan emmett, but it was credited when published in 1846 to f.
And there, in pardon the expression black and white, was. Jimmy crack corn the meaning and origin of this phrase. Jimmy crack corn or blue tail fly is an american song which first became popular during the rise of blackface minstrelsy in the 1840s through performances by the virginia minstrels. Oct 05, 2015 provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises bluetail fly jimmy crack corn countdown kids 100 singalong favorites. The song jimmy crack corn is also known as blue tail fly. When ole massa take his sleep, he bid dis nigga sight to keep, an when he gows to shut his eye. When i was young i used to wait on master and hand him his plate pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly chorus jimmy crack corn, and i dont care jimmy crack corn, and i dont care jimmy crack corn, and i dont care my masters gone away when he would ride in the afternoon id follow him with my hickory broom the pony being rather shy when bitten by the. When i was young, i used to wait on the boss and give him his plate and pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly jimmy, crack corn and i dont. Matt, columbus, ohio pg was trolling when there was a convergence of stupidity. That was a very old piece of slang for sitting around idly gossiping.
The devil take the blue tail fly jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care my masters gone away the pony run, he jumped, he pitch he threw my master in the ditch he died and the jury wondered why the verdict was the blue tail fly jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn. There has been much conjecture over the meaning of jimmy crack corn and i dont care. Burl ives blue tail fly jimmy crack corn listen on deezer. One day he ride around the farm flies so numerousthey did swarm one chanced to bite him on the thigh the. Jimmy crack corn wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. When i was young i used to wait on the boss and give him his plate and pass the bottle when he got dry and brush away the bluetail fly jimmy crack corn, and i dont care. Jenny is the name for a female mule and she is eating the masters corn.
Jimmy crack corn blue tail fly chords, lyrics and recordings. Chorus g d jimmy crack corn and i dont care, g jimmy crack corn and i dont care, g7 c jimmy crack corn and i dont care, d g my masters gone away. Burl ives blue tail fly jimmy crack corn live 1964 youtube. Jimmy crack corn blue tail fly chords, lyrics and origins. The pony run, he jumped, he pitch he threw my master in the ditch he died and the jury wondered why the verdict was the blue tail fly. The bluetail fly is a supposedly insignificant creature that bites the horse that bucks and kills the master. Maddox said crack corn came from the old english term crack, meaning gossip, and that. The title of bluetail fly comes from an antebellum song commonly known as jimmy crack corn. Listen to blue tail fly jimmy crack corn by burl ives 50 classic childrens party songs. Feb 26, 20 jimmy crack corn and i dont care jimmy crack corn and i dont care. Jimmy crack corn from my misty memory phrase meaning. In this collection, poet vievee francis gives voice to outsidersfrom soldiers and common folk to leading political figureswho play. The verdict was the blue tail fly chorus they laid him neath a simmon tree his epitaph is there to see beneath this rock im forced to lie the victim of the blue tail fly. Both the uk song blue tail fly and the american one have been posted, there is no similarity other than the title.
What the heck does jimmy cracked the corn mean in the old song lyrics jimmy cracked the corn and i dont care. This is an old slave song originating about the time slaves were freed. Jimmy crack corn and i dont care jimmy crack corn and i dont care masters gone away. The pony run, he jump, he pitch, he threw my master in a ditch. Jimmy crack corn this particular nursery rhyme, also known as blue tail fly, was originally written in 1846 and is about a slave whose master has passed away.
The bite is not typically dangerous to humans, but the fly can transmit diseases among livestock. Burl ives blue tail fly jimmy crack corn live 1964. Discover more than 56 million tracks, create your own playlists, and share your favourite tracks with your friends. Big bill broonzy jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly. Unlike many songs performed by blackface minstrels, however, jimmy crack corn or, the blue tail fly as it is sometimes known was also popular among african americans. The song jimmy crack corn, also named blue tail fly was the first one to become widely. The lines from the chorus of his signature ditty, blue tail fly. All his life he had heard blue tail fly, and been embarrassed. There is quite a lot of debate about the meaning of the line, jimmy crack corn. This strange phrase comes from a song first published in 1846 as jim crack corn, or the blue tail fly.
A more likely explanation is that jimmy cracked open a jug of his late masters corn. Ive heard it said that this song was a favourite of that very famous and great american abraham lincoln when i was young, i used to wait on master and give him his plate and pass him the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly jimmy, crack corn, i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care jimmy, crack corn and i dont care my masters gone away and when hed ride in the. This post presents some theories about the meaning of crack corn in the song that is now known as jimmy crack corn the blue tail fly. Oct 18, 2016 there has been much conjecture over the meaning of jimmy crack corn and i dont care. Jim crack corn, or, the blue tail fly the library of congress. Either way, nobody cared because the master was gone away and wouldnt be coming back. Chorus jimmy crack corn and i dont care, jimmy crack corn and i dont care, jimmy crack corn and i dont care, my masters gone away. Some theories about the meaning of crack corn in the. Jimmy crack corn phrase meaning and origin the phrase finder. Jimmie crack corn an i dont care jimmie crack corn an i dont care jimmie crack corn an i dont care ol massas gone away. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. If jimmy cracks corn and no one cares why is there a song. The song jimmy crack corn, also named blue tail fly. The pony being rather shy when bitten by the blue tail fly.
And when hed ride in the afternoon, id follow after with a hickory broom. From a petroleum engineers perspective, this could simply refer to corn whiskey. Mar 02, 2017 the verdict put the blame for the masters demise on the bluetail fly. The blue tail fly jimmie crack corn song and lyrics from. When i was young i used to wait on the boss and give him his plate and pass the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly jimmy crack corn, and i dont care. What the heck does jimmy cracked the corn mean in the old song lyricsjimmy cracked the corn and i dont care. When he would ride around the farm, so numerous the flies they all would swarm, one chanced to bite him on the thigh. What do the lyrics of the refrain of jimmy crack corn and i. However, in the oldest version it is jim crack corn, and jim crack has always meant something cheap or shoddily built, and corn is an american euphemism for corn whiskey. When i was young i used to wait on my master n bring him his plate, and passed the bottle when he got dry and brush away the blue tail fly. Jimmy crack corn american childrens songs the usa mama.
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