The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-06-21

Il clowns clrcuSeS maze reference 10 popular
character. So did those of ''nigger singers
NEGRO sesGs.
The first regular theatrical performance ever
seen here with stage scenery, orchestra and cos
tunes was in the winter of lS37-3S about the time
l that niger songs and dances began to become
\ Popular through the genius of Jim Crow" Rice
| one OF the most attractive features of the man
ayers programme was songs OF the new style sung
| by man named Linton. He made them more
| generally popular than anything we hear now
/ can ever be made. They were new to the whole
land, and especially new to the newest part OF IL
and there was nota boy between Baker Browns
spruce beer counter and the Morris swimming
hole who could not sing them. Ofthe most popular
| OF these the chorus Was request that "Jnney
should git her hoe cake done" Later came 0tneI
political campaigns. but more prominently in
that Of IA than the one of 80 any since. There
are good many old residents who will recog-
Stairs 1 Never did See," Long Tailed Blue. .
| "Clar de Kitchen ''Ole Virginny Neber Tire
"Walk JawbOnen "0le Zip C0On,' bill Crow
derD Lucy Long :" .'Ole Dan Tucker" These lat
ter were among the later immigratons- They
came along a little ahead of stephen c. Fosters
/ really graceful melodies and poetic songs. Con-
trasted with the neatly phrased minstrelsy OF to-
day, they are comiealiy rough and -niggery: =
original negro idea left ia them, aud there Is not
bit of it in anything since, hardly excepting
Foster, TIL we get down 70 the past year or two,
and encounter Uncle Remus' songs Here Is a
sample or two of the past products of "nigger''
genius:
my ole hoss is dead and gone,
An he's lei' me muffin but his ole jaw bone;
Walk, jawlOne, or wade in de water"
Another ran like this:
II went down the river aud couldn't git across
So glib five dollars for an ole gray hoss."
Clear de kitchen, ole folks, young tOlkS
Ole Virginny neber tire"
The air of ''Ole Zip Coon is stin invoked by
measure for ''puncheon splitters" 1t is a regular
break down. or "hoe-down." the popular de-
scriPtion OF the dance music that put life and
mettle in the heels" of our mothers and grand
mothers. The first eouplet OF the song was thus
Il went down to Sandy Hook fodder afternoon,
And de fust man dat l met was ole Zip Coon"
The coon, made famous by the Wing adoption
of that ng-tailed chicken thief as its symbol.
the same air and the original parodied in the
Wing song started OFF in this way
las walked out by the light OF the moon
There spied that same old coon."
A particularly conspicuous hero of the negro
minstrelsy OF those days was Bill Cr0wder. We
had actual colored citizen of that name here at
that time, and he was something of the bully that
the legendary hero was at that time-he licked a
halfdOzen of the chill-shaken crowd of Water:
loo five miles down the river, on this side, at
once one Saturday-and have often wondered II
some gifted Indisnapolitan had not suggested the
character, or elaborated it from the half-blood or
lginal. who had restaurant where Blacklord's
BLoek IS, on Washington street Be that as ii may
the Bill Gro y der OF the song was brought into
fight with Davy Crockett, another actual charac-
ter but of historical interest, who, like Ben Har
din, and some other prominent Western men,
were made the subjects of humorous songs al
iGsiOns The conflict is made to progress with
H0meric force and fury, till II reaches climax as
follows:
I'VE fought for half day. and then agreed to
For was badly licked and so was Davy Crock
ett
When we came to bind our heads, we found 'em
For he'd bit off mine and I'd swallowed hissin."
COMIC SONGS.
Some reference has been made to a class of
comic songs of forty years ago. but the a
another class of 4 less reputable character. They
were not half as funny as they were nasty. Their
stories of to day, in which all the humor in the
indeiiCacy. They are spoken OF as popular not
because they were commonly sung or even
with the class that would probably be hoodinms
now, and with a much larger class OF boys OF
average sense and respectsbility.. One that was
lndelicate, was called Fly Market, and
sung in Cincinnati when there was Fly
Market" with tremendous applause" by Alex
ander Drake:
Near Fly Market lived a dame,
T0O-ral looral, too-ral loOral,
She was ugly, squirting, lame,
Too-ral looral, etc,
But cruel butcher he,
Too-ral loOral ETC.,
Cut in there. so cut out me,
1t was not much of Lyric. even OF the low comic
order, but 1t was capable of being made very
funny by competent hands, if that correctly de-
scribes performance that depends mostly On the
mouth. There another that was really hui
mOrous, and must have been the work of poet
OF considerable reputation, though do not know
the author. and never heard any name in connec.
ton with it. lisping lover sings the praises and
final treachery of "Mith Julia. (" who had ''some-
thing about her so very pecOoliar.' The catastro-
phe is given with considerable humor, as follow
ing courtshlp of seven years, and NTH Julias"
dancing one night with another fellow;
81 went TO thee her next day, when to my hearth
core.
She cut by requethting Ia come there no
more;
And she would be offended if longer tarried,
For the very next week she wath to be married.
Good God thays l. Julia, you don't thay thor
'Yeth, but do, then, and you better co.
Well, will go home, but you'll own it, NTH
Julia
YouAsconduet to me hath been very pecooliar. >"
This song has recently been reprinted, but
don't remember where. 1t first came here about
the year 80. Not far from the same time came
the Cork Leg" that Sam Cowen sang comic
ally in Masonic Hall about the beginning of the
War, and the Steam Ann" and You may call
me quiz. you may call me a guy, but l do not
like things that look queer to the eye," sung to
the tune of the Irish Washerwoman."
B. r. S.