page_title: Ain't
section_title: Notable usage
hierarchical_section_title: Ain't / Notable usage
caption_attribution_description: "You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet" sheet music cover with photo of Al Jolson
context_page_description: The word ain't is a contraction for am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not in the common English language vernacular. In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not. The development of ain't for the various forms of to be not, to have not, and to do not occurred independently, at different times. The usage of ain't for the forms of to be not was established by the mid-18th century, and for the forms of to have not by the early 19th century.
  The usage of ain't is a continuing subject of controversy in English. Ain't is commonly used by many speakers in oral and informal settings, especially in certain regions and dialects. Its usage is often highly stigmatized, and it can be used by the general public as a marker of low socio-economic or regional status or education level. Its use is generally considered non-standard by dictionaries and style guides except when used for rhetorical effect.
context_section_description: "Ain't I a Woman?", 1851 speech by abolitionist Sojourner Truth.
  "If you want to know who we are", from The Mikado lyrics by W. S. Gilbert "We figure in lively paint: Our attitude's queer and quaint—You're wrong if you think it ain't." (1885).
  "Say it ain't so, Joe", apocryphal quote from a young baseball fan to Shoeless Joe Jackson after the fan learned about the Black Sox scandal involving throwing the 1919 World Series. "Say it ain't so" was subsequently used as the title of a song by Weezer and an album by Murray Head, and an opera about the 2008 US vice presidential debate.
  "You ain't heard nothing yet!" spoken by Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences. That spoken line, and others in the film, introduced the "talkies" and revolutionized the movie industry.
  "It Ain't Necessarily So", song from Porgy and Bess (1935); music by George Gershwin, words by Ira Gershwin.
  "He ain't heavy, he's my brother" has been used as the motto of Boys Town since 1943, and inspired a song “He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother”, written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, and recorded by The Hollies, Neil Diamond, and other artists.
  Winston Churchill, commenting on the 1954 portrait by Graham Sutherland said "It makes me look half-witted, which I ain't".
  "Ain't That a Shame" is a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, released by Imperial Records in 1955, which went on to sell over a million copies and introduced Fats Domino to a wider audience.
  “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” is a 1967 song recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
  “Ain't No Way” is a 1968 song recorded by Aretha Franklin.
  “Ain't No Sunshine” is a 1971 song recorded by Bill Withers.
  It Ain't Half Hot Mum, BBC television series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, broadcast between 1974 and 1981
  "Ain't No Grave", a 1934/1953 American gospel song attributed to Claude Ely.
  "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", a 1974 rock song and album by Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
  "Ghostbusters (song)," written by Ray Parker, Jr., is the 1984 theme to the eponymous movie, containing the spoken tag line "I ain't afraid of no ghost."
  "Love Ain't No Stranger", a 1984 power ballad by the English hard rock band Whitesnake.
  "Ain't No Other Man", is a 2006 song by recorded by Christina Aguilera.
caption: "You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet", 1919
exif: {}