And this is the story of why our beloved ice cream truck plays blackface minstrel music that sends kids dashing into homes in a Pavlovian frenzy searching for money to buy a Popsicle. Incredibly, the lyrics get worse from there. These two characters would often interact onstage and were the inspiration for the hugely successful Amos 'n' Andy act decades later. When I started the song, the music that tumbled from the speakers was that of the ever-recognizable jingle of the ice cream truck. "Nigger Love A Watermelon Ha! I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Depending on the version you listen to, the lyrics change a little bit every time, but are generally nonsensical. Ha! (We won't write out the exact lyrics; you can find them for yourself here. Library of CongressImage from “Zip Coon” sheet music depicting the blackface character. Colored man's ice cream: WATERMELON!!". The song even begins with a skit about ice cream: [quote_box_center] Browne: “You nigg*rs quit throwin’ them bones and come down and get your ice cream!” Black men (incredulously): “Ice cream?! These new trucks needed a tune to alert customers that ice cream was coming, and many of these companies turned to minstrel songs for tunes that evoked a nostalgic past of turn-of-the-century ice cream parlors for a generation of white Americans. !” Browne: “Yes, ice cream! Stay connected with everything KUOW by signing up for our free, weekly Best of KUOW newsletter. !” [/quote_box_center] The sight of my children enjoying a Good Humor ice cream bar will fight back the racist song that lampooned black people who happened to be in good humor. Written by: Harry C. Browne. It was probably first heard in the British song “The (Old) Rose Tree” before becoming “Turkey in the Straw” in the 19th century, but it became popular because of black-face minstrel shows. But it wasn't until the advent of traveling minstrel shows that the melody really lodged itself into American pop culture — and the tune acquired racist lyrics. When teeth fall out, I blame the dollar under their pillow on the tooth fairy. Feel free to share the content of the Onyx Truth by posting our links to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, email, or your preferred social media network. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. We need conversation like this so that we are not continuing to live in the dark and so that we all have a greater understanding of one another, which will allow us to continue to push the American culture forward. Naturally, the traditional minstrel tunes of the previous century were employed to evoke the memorable parlor experience.”. Ha! Colored man’s ice cream: WATERMELON!!”. Then in 1916, American banjoist and songwriter Harry C. Browne put new words to the old tune and created another version called “N****r Love A Watermelon Ha! [Copyright 2020 NPR]. Browne: “Yes, ice cream! !”, For here, they’re made with a half a pound of co’l, There’s nothing like a watermelon for a hungry coon. “Turkey in the Straw,” whose lyrics weren’t racist, subsequently got some racist reboots. Ha! But ignorance is bliss, and what does ice cream know about color besides flavors, anyway? Ha! Colored man’s ice cream…WATERMELON!! The melody of the song is almost as old as America itself. I was a bit conflicted over whether the song warranted a listen. And so when a song about niggers and watermelon fills the suburban air, I will smile and hand over money from my pocket. This means the warm weather will soon bring out the ice cream trucks, and I'll be confronted once again by their inconvenient truth. I learned that though Browne was fairly creative in his lyrics… May 13, 2014 | by Gavin Paul | in News, News Roundup, The near ubiquitous theme adopted by slow-rolling white vans serving cool treats across America, according to a brow-furrowing NPR dig, has roots in a very racist, early 1900s song called “Nigger Loves a Watermelon Ha! Black men: Ice Cream? "Talking About Race And Ice Cream Leaves A Sour Taste For Some" is the author's response to critics of this article. The "Zip C**n" version, as Johnson detailed in a follow-up piece, became a popular song in ice cream parlors in the 1890s. As he explained, "Turkey in the Straw" is a 19th century folk song that riffs on an Irish fiddle song, "The (Old) Rose Tree." Is it my responsibility to foul the sweet taste of ice cream with their first taste of racism? Browne: Yes, ice cream! The blackface character of the same name parodied a free black man attempting to conform to white high society by dressing in fine clothes and using big words. In the 1830s, the minstrel performer George Washington Dixon popularized a song called "Zip C**n," set to the familiar tune and referencing a blackface character who, as Johnson wrote, was "the city-slicker counterpart to the dimwitted, rural blackface character whose name became infamous in 20th century America: Jim Crow. The recognizable melody aside, we've all sung a variation of the lyrics. ), In 1916, Columbia Records released an even more racist version, called "N*gger Love A Watermelon Ha! Origin of the song. The first and natural inclination, of course, is to assume that the ice cream truck song is simply paying homage to "Turkey in the Straw," but the melody reached the nation only after it was appropriated by traveling blackface minstrel shows. What is the state’s plan to protect inmates from Covid-19? 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