[78-L] Dept of meaningless lyrics?

[Don Chichester]

According to Dave Jasen and Trebor Jay Tichenor, "Rags and Ragtime: A Musical History" (p. 12), Hughie Cannon's "Bill Bailey" was a 'coon' song, popular in the early 1900s.  "Although the 'coon' song lyric was grounded in crude racial stereotypes and portrayed blacks in either a contempuous or condescending manner, the music that typically accompanied it represented an enlightened rhythmic departure from the straight-laced waltz time of the popular ballad." (p.12)

 

Yes.

 

Don
 
> From: lherault at bu.edu
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:21:50 -0400
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Dept of meaningless lyrics?
> 
> Do we know that BB was Black? 
> 
> Ron L
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Don Chichester
> Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 2:37 PM
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Dept of meaningless lyrics?
> 
> 
> The term should be written 'fine-tooth comb', referring not to its quality
> but to its close spacing between teeth. Such a comb would be useless to a
> black person with tough, kinky hair. Have you ever seen the kind of combs
> black folks use? Very wide spacing. Hence the meaning of the lyrics: the
> girl was left with nothing but a good-for-nothing fine-tooth comb!
> 
> 
> 
> Don
> 
> > Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:29:08 -0500
> > From: kenreg at tds.net
> > To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > Subject: Re: [78-L] Dept of meaningless lyrics?
> > 
> > Geoffrey Wheeler wrote:
> > > "leave you with nothing but a fine tooth comb"?
> > > ("Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?").
> > >
> > > Perhaps the tooth in the comb is just short of being mint and is thus 
> > > "fine." Must have been a large tooth, perhaps a T-Rex tooth. The song 
> > > doesn't say what the comb was made of, perhaps marzipan.
> > > 
> > 
> > I'm thinking that "fine" refers to the size and spacing of the teeth of 
> > the comb. Fine vs course, so fine would be thin teeth spaced closely 
> > together. I think that "leave you with nothing but a fine tooth comb" 
> > means that you are left with something of little or no value, and that 
> > "fine tooth comb" simply fits the meter and comb rhymes with home.
> > 
> > -- Ken
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