Don't whistle "Dixie"

[sam_gordon]

Oh I wish that I was in the land of cotton, good times there are not forgotten . . .

Just this particular line - the south depended on cotton - it was their number one export and their economy depended on it. And the cotton industry was based on the blood, sweat and tears of African slaves. The only good times were for those who were not slaves.
Just my opinion . . .

It's actually "old times", not "good"

Oh, I wish I was in the south, I'll never forget the past there.
I guess it would be better if everyone forgot slavery?

Here are the rest of the lyrics...

Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,
Old times there are not forgotten.
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land!
In Dixie's Land, where I was born in,
early on one frosty mornin'.
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land!
I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand,
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie!
Away, away, away down south in Dixie!
There's buckwheat cakes and Injun batter,
Makes you fat or a little fatter.
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel,
To Dixie's Land I'm bound to travel.
Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land
I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand,
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie!
Away, away, away down south in Dixie![15]

 

[kamik86]

Hmm I actually wasn't familar with the song (thanks to the one that posted the lyrics) but if that is an issue then they need to ban alot of country music. As if that is an issue then wouldn't this be too?

We Were Walkin' in High Cotton
Old times there are not forgotten

Oh and this song definitely is still played on the radio.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

If that song offends you, you must live a boring life. No TV, no radio, too many things out there today to offend the thin skin and PC wussies of today.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Hmm I actually wasn't familar with the song (thanks to the one that posted the lyrics) but if that is an issue then they need to ban alot of country music. As if that is an issue then wouldn't this be too?

We Were Walkin' in High Cotton
Old times there are not forgotten

Oh and this song definitely is still played on the radio.

Never heard of this song. Then again, I don't listen to country music.

I even looked it up on YouTube and listened to it to make sure I wasn't just forgetting.

 

[kamik86]

Never heard of this song. Then again, I don't listen to country music.

I even looked it up on YouTube and listened to it to make sure I wasn't just forgetting.

Yeah you would have to listen to country music to know it. Its an older song one I learned as a kid listening with my Dad...

 

[Laura66]

It's actually "old times", not "good"

Oh, I wish I was in the south, I'll never forget the past there.
I guess it would be better if everyone forgot slavery?

Here are the rest of the lyrics...

Thank you!

I may be wrong about that one word, but in my opinion, the tone and meaning of the song, given the era in which it was written, is still the same,

 

[Southernmiss]

Do people today really think that all the 'old times' being sung about were only slavery? Most southern white folk in the antebellum south did not have slaves. They were poor farmers. I am sure those hard working people had good times to remember which had nothing whatsoever do with slavery.

 

[Southernmiss]

Where's low-key when you need a good 'Songs that mention cotton' thread?

 

[Kayabee]

I'm not sure I have ever heard this song, so I had to see what all the hub bub was about. Not worth getting offended by and holding meetings to reprimand people about.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/dixieorigin.html

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/model.html

 

[luvsJack]

I looked up the lyrics of the whole song (Civil War version). There's one line referring to a Native American as "Injun". No reference to slavery or black people, or the war at all.

You had to look it up. So how many times have you heard those lyrics? The lyrics that are sung today, that most people know do not include those words.

Seems to me that having to look something up to know how it might have been sung all that lkng ago is looking for something to be offended about.

 

[luvsJack]

I looked up the lyrics of the whole song (Civil War version). There's one line referring to a Native American as "Injun". No reference to slavery or black people, or the war at all.

You had to look it up. So how many times have you heard those lyrics? The lyrics that are sung today, that most people know do not include those words.

Seems to me that having to look something up to know how it might have been sung all that lkng ago is looking for something to be offended about.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You had to look it up. So how many times have you heard those lyrics? The lyrics that are sung today, that most people know do not include those words.

Seems to me that having to look something up to know how it might have been sung all that lkng ago is looking for something to be offended about.

I wasn't looking to be offended. Was looking to see what the fuss was all about as I couldn't recall any offensive lyrics from the abbreviated version we all know. And as I suspected, I didn't find much

 

[Dawnlight]

First I'm humming along to Dixie (off with her head!) and then this happened

My husband has a tendency to whistle 99 Luftballoons when he's working particularly hard on something. No idea why.

I'm going to listen (and watch) Maroon 5 sing Sugar now to cleanse both of these from my brain!

 

[luvsJack]

Oh I wish that I was in the land of cotton, good times there are not forgotten . . .

Just this particular line - the south depended on cotton - it was their number one export and their economy depended on it. And the cotton industry was based on the blood, sweat and tears of African slaves. The only good times were for those who were not slaves.
Just my opinion . . .

New Flash: We still grow cotton. Agriculture is still our number one industry. Should we stop that too? I mean seeing a cotton field might be considered offensive!

We all know that slavery was a horrible thing. We all know that it should have been abolished long before it was. But we cannot and will not wipe out an entire history of our region because of that. Would you like us to start letting you know what is offensive or should be offensive in the rest of the country? Should we wipe out anything from the country's history that came from the time our ancestors were slaughtering Native Americans? Or when the northern states also had slaves? Or during the time that the Northern states had industry that was worked by the blood, sweat and tears of "employees" that worked in sweat shops and worked children? Should we seriously ban all songs, poems, stories, flags and any mention of those time periods?

I am so sick of anything that might mention anything about the south being considered offensive!

When I hear Dixie, I don't think of slaves. I think of the people who wanted their homes back. Homes that were burned. That wanted some semblance of their life back, life that had nothing to do with slavery (you do realize that not all southerners even had slaves?). Or I think of the beauty of the South and the people, the food and the lifestyle that is TODAY in the south and so many people that move away, just "wish they were in the land of cotton".

 

[luvsJack]

I wasn't looking to be offended. Was looking to see what the fuss was all about as I couldn't recall any offensive lyrics from the abbreviated version we all know. And as I suspected, I didn't find much

Sorry, I went back and read your post and realized I misunderstood!

 

[mom2rtk]

I wonder if someone playing, singing, or humming one of today's songs with "offensive" lyrics would have gotten the same response.

 

[LBIJim]

New Flash: We still grow cotton. Agriculture is still our number one industry. Should we stop that too? I mean seeing a cotton field might be considered offensive!

We all know that slavery was a horrible thing. We all know that it should have been abolished long before it was. But we cannot and will not wipe out an entire history of our region because of that. Would you like us to start letting you know what is offensive or should be offensive in the rest of the country? Should we wipe out anything from the country's history that came from the time our ancestors were slaughtering Native Americans? Or when the northern states also had slaves? Or during the time that the Northern states had industry that was worked by the blood, sweat and tears of "employees" that worked in sweat shops and worked children? Should we seriously ban all songs, poems, stories, flags and any mention of those time periods?

I am so sick of anything that might mention anything about the south being considered offensive!

When I hear Dixie, I don't think of slaves. I think of the people who wanted their homes back. Homes that were burned. That wanted some semblance of their life back, life that had nothing to do with slavery (you do realize that not all southerners even had slaves?). Or I think of the beauty of the South and the people, the food and the lifestyle that is TODAY in the south and so many people that move away, just "wish they were in the land of cotton".

But certainly you're aware that other people do think of slavery and oppression and the "Bad South" when they hear that song. And certainly you're aware that they've thought so for decades.

If the people who sign paychecks want to address it, or even ban it in their workplace, I have no problem with that. Whistle it to your heart's content elsewhere.

 

[luvsJack]

But certainly you're aware that other people do think of slavery and oppression and the "Bad South" when they hear that song. And certainly you're aware that they've thought so for decades.

If the people who sign paychecks want to address the issue, or even ban it in their workplace, I have no issue. Whistle it to your heart's content elsewhere.

Who does? And why do they? It wasn't written by a slave owner. It doesn't mention slavery. It only mentions cotton. I don't remember anyone jumping up and down about it when Elvis sang it in concert. I don't remember any one getting in a tizzy when Alabama used part of it in their song. I don't remember anyone suing or having meetings or any of that when the Dukes of Hazzard used it for their car horn. And as much as I hear the tune, I have never in all my life heard one person say that they have an issue with that song.

If an employer wants to ban everything that someone can find offensive, I really don't care but they need to be prepared to hire someone full time to do nothing but find out what's offensive because there are many that make it a full time job to be the offended party.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Look for the union label..............



Don't hum that one if you know the racist history of the unions in the Northeast

 

[Micca]

My husband has a tendency to whistle 99 Luftballoons when he's working particularly hard on something. No idea why.

Does he whistle it in German?