| Ol' Man River |
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A parody version was performed on CBS Radio by Stan Freberg and Daws Butler circa 1960, entitled " Elderly Man River ." The parody lampooned what would today be termed " Political Correctness " by featuring a prudish censor from the "Citizen's Radio Board" who repeatedly interrupts Freberg's performance of the song to criticize (and insist on changes on) the grammar and appropriateness of the song's lyrics. LYRICS ''Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi Dats de ol' man dat I'd like to be. What does he care if de world's got troubles? What does he care if de land ain't free? ''Ol' man river, Dat ol' man river He mus' know sumpin' But don't say nuthin', He jes' keeps rollin' He keeps on rollin' along. ''He don' plant taters, He don't plant cotton, An' dem dat plants 'em is soon forgotten, But ol'man river, He jes' keeps rollin' along. ''You an'me, we sweat an' strain, Body all achin' an' wracked wid pain, Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale! Git a little drunk An' you lands in jail. ''Ah gits weary An' sick of tryin' Ah'm tired of livin' An' skeered of dyin', But ol' man river, He jes' keeps rolling' along. ''Colored folks work on de Mississippi, Colored folks work while de white folks play, Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset, Gittin' no rest till de judgement day. ''Don't look up An' don't look down, You don' dast make De white boss frown. Bend your knees An'bow your head, An' pull date rope Until you' dead. ''Let me go 'way from the Mississippi, Let me go 'way from de white man boss; Show me dat stream called de river Jordan, Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross. ''Ah, gits weary An' sick of tryin' Ah'm tired of livin' An' skeered of dyin', But ol' man river, He jes'keeps rollin' along! POSITIVE BLACK IMAGE LYRIC CHANGES BY ROLE DEFINER Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a famous African American singer/performer who was known for his role in the musical Showboat which features this song. He "often changed lyrics of songs he performed to better reflect the reality of the Black American experience of his time. It's been said that Robeson felt it was an artist's duty to devote all of his skills and celebrity status toward upholding the rights of all people to enjoy the full benefits of democracy. In applying this philosophy to his performance career, one could deduce Robeson felt freedom of speech and expression was an integral part of being a performer" (www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/lyrics.htm). As such, he changed a few of the above lyrics of "Ol' Man River" when singing it at recitals, though never in actual stage performances of "Show Boat". The changes are as follows: 1. Instead of "Tote that barge! / Lift that bale! / Git a little drunk, / An' you land in jail...", Robeson sang "Tote that barge and lift dat bale!/ You show a little grit and / You lands in jail..." 2. Instead of "Ah gits weary / An' sick of tryin'; / Ah'm tired of livin' / An skeered of dying'...", Robeson sang "But I keeps laffin' instead of cryin' / I must keep fightin'; / Until I'm dyin'..." Definitely, these changes shift Robeson's portrayal of Joe away from a weak character who is succeptible to the forces of his world, to one who is timelessly empowered and able to persevere through even the most trying circumstances. |
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