John Chinaman, My Jo

DESCRIPTION: "John Chinaman, my jo, John, You're coming precious fast." More and more Chinese come with each ship. The miners drive the Chinese away. They have changed their diet. The singer tells the Chinese "Don't abuse the freedom you enjoy"
AUTHOR: Words: J. W. Conner (source: Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest)
EARLIEST DATE: 1868 (Conner's Irish Song Book, according to Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest)
KEYWORDS: immigration warning mining | Chinese racist
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest, p. 301, "John Chinaman, My Jo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #V42592
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John Anderson, My Jo, John" (tune) and references there
NOTES [72 words]: Charles Thatcher also wrote a piece, "John Chinaman, My Jo"; it is clearly unrelated, opening
John Chinaman, my jo, John!
Oh, what can you be at?
To stay there in Victoria,
It strikes me you're a flat.
Both share a dislike of the Chinese immigrants, though.
As for the idea of the Chinese being "free" upon arriving in America -- they were free to be spat upon, perhaps. Certainly not free to be equal to "regular" Americans.... - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: LDC301

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