A Little History Lesson...
I have a sweet little Susanna and today I was wondering about her name and the song everyone has heard..."Oh Susanna!" Well, all I could ever remember was the part about coming from Alabama with a banjo on my knee. So...with the help of the internet I was able to do a quick little search and find the history of the song.
Apparently it was written by a man named Stephen Foster in the 1840s. There was a form of entertainment called, "blackface" minstrel shows. You can read about the here:
blackface. From Wikipedia, "In 1848, blackface minstrel shows were the national art of the time, translating formal art such as opera into popular terms for a general audience. ...Blackface was an important performance tradition in the
American theater for roughly 100 years beginning around 1830."
So, Stephen Foster wrote the song for a contest in 1848 and it was performed by Christy's Minstrels.
I found the lyrics here:
The traditional lyrics are arranged in four verses:
- I came from Alabama, Wid a banjo on my knee,
- I'm gwyne to Louisiana, My true love for to see.
- It rain'd all night the day I left, The weather it was dry,
- The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don't you cry.
- Chorus:
- Oh! Susanna, Oh don't you cry for me,
- cos' I've come from Alabama, Wid my banjo on my knee
- I jumped aboard the telegraph, And trabbled down the riber,
- De lectric fluid magnified, And killed five hundred nigger.
- De bullgine bust, de horse run off, I really thought I'd die;
- I shut my eyes to hold my breath, Susanna don't you cry.
- CHO: Oh Susanna &c.
- I had a dream the odder night, When ebery thing was still
- I thought I saw Susanna A Coming down de hill;
- The buck-wheat cake was in her mouth, The tear was in her eye;
- Says I, "I'm coing from de south, Susanna, don't you cry."
- CHO: Oh Susanna &c.
- I soon will be in New Orleans, And den I'll look all round,
- And When I find Susanna, I will fall upon de ground.
- And If I do not find her, Dis Darkie'l surely die,
- And when I'm dead and buried, Susanna, don't you cry.
- CHO: Oh Susanna &c.[1]
Due to the belief that the second verse and colloquialisms were racist, modern verses have changed to be less offensive:
- I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
- I'm going to Louisiana, my true love for to see
- It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry
- The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don't you cry.
- Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me
- cos' I come from Alabama
- With my banjo on my knee.
- had a dream the other night when everything was still,
- I thought I saw Susanna coming up the hill,
- A buck wheat cake was in her mouth, a tear was in her eye,
- I said I'm coming from the south, Susanna don't you cry.
- I soon will be in New Orleans and then I'll look around
- And when I find my Susanna, I'll fall upon the ground
- But if I do not find her, this man will surely die
- And when I'm dead and buried, Susanna don't you cry.
The
nonsense verse that opens the song hints that the song is not intended to be taken too seriously. The coarse
[2] African-American dialect of the original lyrics reflects the
minstrel show tradition that Foster worked in.
And here is a link to the song on youtube. (be sure to pause my playlist first :)
OhSusanna!
It is what it is. Some will hate it. Some will appreciate it for what it is and the time it was written. It's a catcchy little tune and my baby girl is named Susanna. So, now I know what it's all about.
