Old Zip Coon (I)

DESCRIPTION: "Ole Zip Coon he is a larned scholar (x3), Sings possum up a gum tree an coony in a holler." Chorus: "O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day (x4)." The remaining verses are quatrains about the people and animals of the south
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1834 (five different sheet music editions)
KEYWORDS: animal humorous nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 8, 1815 - Battle of New Orleans. Americans under Andrew Jackson defeat British troops under Pakenham (the event is referred to obliquely in stanza 6 of the sheet music)
FOUND IN: US(NE,SE,So)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Jackson-PopularSongsOfNineteenthCenturyAmerica, pp. 258-260, "Zip Coon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland, pp. 101-103, "Old Zip Coon" (1 tune plus dance instructions)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 418, "Old Zip Coon" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 505-506, "Zip Coon" (1 text, minus the chorus but with the other characteristics of the piece)
Abernethy-SinginTexas, pp. 73-74, "Old Zip Coon" (1 text, in the notes to "Turkey in the Straw")
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 49, "Turkey in the Straw" (2 text, 1 tune, the second being "Zip Coon")
Spaeth-ReadEmAndWeep, pp. 17-19, "Zip Coon" (1 text, 1 tune)
List-SingingAboutIt-FolkSongsInSouthernIndiana, pp. 124-131, "(Old Zip Coon)," "(Turkey in the Straw)" (1 complete and 1 partial sheet music version of "Old Zip Coon," 1 text, 1 tune of "Turkey," both files under "The Miller Boy")
Emerson-StephenFosterAndCo, pp. 30-32, "Zip Coon" (1 text, credited to George Washington Dixon)
Messerli-ListenToTheMockingbird, pp. 58-61, "Zip Coon (Turkey in the Straw)" (1 text)
Fuld-BookOfWorldFamousMusic, pp. 591-592, "Turkey in the Straw (Zip Coon)"
ST RJ19258 (Full)
Roud #4358
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Charlie [pseud. for Charlie Craver], "Old Zip Coon (Vocalion 5384, c. 1930; rec. 1929)
Hindermyer & Tuckerman [Goldy & Dusty], "Zip Coon" (Edison 51830, 1926)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Turkey in the Straw" (tune & meter) and references there
cf. "The Old Tobacco Box (There Was an Old Soldier)" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "The Ould Bog Hole" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
The Buckeye Song (Lawrence-MusicForPatriotsPoliticiansAndPresidents, p. 275; the tune is not listed but is clearly this)
NOTES [351 words]: Generally regarded as a the forerunner of "Turkey in the Straw." And its lyrics are absurd enough to make "Turkey" seem eminently sensible.
At least three people have claimed authorship of the song: George Washington Dixon (mentioned but not credited on the earliest sheet music), George Nichols, and Bob Farrell. All three were early blackface performers of the piece (Farrell was actually called "Zip Coon," and is reported to have sung the song in 1834). The dispute over authorship probably cannot be settled at this time. For a description of what is believed to be the first publication (by G. Willig Jr. of Baltimore), which lists it as sung by "Mr. Dixon," see Dichter/Shapiro, p. 53.
Finson, , p. 170 says that Dixon began his career in 1828, and also played as "Coal Black Rose," and possibly originated another character whose song went into tradition, "Long Tail Blue."
Finson suggests that one line in this song, the claim that Old Zip "he is a larned skolar" came out of the controversies surrounding Andrew Jackson. Harvard in 1833 gave him an honorary law doctorate -- something they did regularly for presidents -- but the Whigs objected that he was just barely literate. So it was declared that Jackson was an "L. K. D. and an A. S. S." Some wit cracked that A. S. S. stood for "Amazin' Smart Skoller." The insult obviously did Jackson no harm, and the wisecrack at some point went into this song.
Shaw, p. 19, had seen it suggested that "Zip" is a sort of distorted short form of "Scipio," as in Scipio Africanus, and further holds out the possibility that "Zip Coon" is a double set of distortions for "Scipio Africanus." The latter idea I simply don't buy -- "Coon," clearly and despicably, means "coon." "Zip" for "Scipio" is more plausible, but I'm not as convinced as the secondary explanation that Zip was trying to assume a classical name to sound more highfalutin'. (Shaw's cited source appears to be at least a tertiary source.) Classical names such as "Scipio" were often given to slaves who were assigned to household duties. In any case, the level of racism is very high. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 6.6
File: RJ19258

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