Ice Cream Truck Song Has The Most Racist Lyrics Ever Written

[happyrat1]

This song is played on almost every ice cream truck in North America and I was curious about its origins.

This NPR article about it freaked me out.

WARNING!!! RACIST HATEFUL LYRICS IN ARTICLE!!! DO NOT FOLLOW LINK IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED!!!

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswi...am-truck-song-we-have-unpleasant-news-for-you

Gary

 

[Rayblewit]

I do not get offended. The lyrics are not used it is just bright and cheerful music to the ears of the majority.
If someone was singing then I would be offended. The icecream van operators probably are not even aware of the lyrics.
We have "Greensleeves" playing on our vans in Aus. . . Btw.

 

[johnny196775]

The racism of the lyrics is no surprise. But i do not find melodies in themselves racist. Ignorance is bliss. Now i am not so fond of this tune.

 

[Alchemy]

This song is played on almost every ice cream truck in North America and I was curious about its origins.

Gary

I'm not sure I ever heard that one but I have a goofy one I remember well that I still play for people (not keyboard) when there needs to be goofiness.

 

[Alchemy]

sounds like someone is hoping for the death of unsuspecting white ice cream truck drivers for playing turkey in the straw. I wonder how much NPR and this fine lady support each other.

People have always made sick lyrics to established songs and they shouldn't be used as a race war battle cry.

 

[happyrat1]

When I was a kid growing up in Montreal we had the Mr Softee trucks and music as well, but since I've moved to Ontario 20 years ago the music is Turkey in the Straw in the Greater Toronto Area.

Nonetheless if you read the entire NPR article, it's fascinating and appalling how the racist minstrel music of the early 20th and late 19th century became co-opted by the ice cream business in the form of music boxes playing in ice cream parlours and on ice cream wagons of the time.

Even more so when you consider the racist overtones of blackface and minstrel shows persisted in America well into the 50's until the Civil Rights Movement of the late 50's and 60's.

To me it's kind of like selling candy bars wrapped with colorful shiny skulls and crossbones

Gary

 

[Alchemy]

When I was a kid growing up in Montreal we had the Mr Softee trucks and music as well, but since I've moved to Ontario 20 years ago the music is Turkey in the Straw in the Greater Toronto Area.

Nonetheless if you read the entire NPR article, it's fascinating and appalling how the racist minstrel music of the early 20th and late 19th century became co-opted by the ice cream business in the form of music boxes playing in ice cream parlours and on ice cream wagons of the time.

Even more so when you consider the racist overtones of blackface and minstrel shows persisted in America well into the 50's until the Civil Rights Movement of the late 50's and 60's.

To me it's kind of like selling candy bars wrapped with colorful shiny skulls and crossbones

Gary

Seems the mass of society of my people have been hateful and bloodthirsty for a long time and that does bother me. I've come to realize over recent years that our justice system and media for example really boils down to the same phenomenon today. The mass of society really hopes for the downfall of others and people to viciously rally against and degrade. They depend on it. They hope for a steady flow of the downfall of others in order to feed their own pride. It seems there always has to be a "THOSE PEOPLE." Multiculture will never work and it is absolutely the opposite answer to fixing supremacy and hate. The races should be respected and preserved. Pride and supremacy is wrong. Pride is the original sin. In the days the NPR article expounds upon, people sought once again to use the degradation of others to build their own pride. After slavery the agenda has been more about "multiculture" in order to have people to degrade in order to feed pride. Even some of the "nicest" multiculturalists are really saying "since your race is so pathetic we'll help you out and make you one with us.." They don't fool me.
On another note, the NPR article speaks on the Celtic and Appalachian origins of the song. Yes, the cradle of American music and it's quite awesome. Yes, they are right about how the Irish and scots carved out music in Appalachia with what they had to work with and the natives joined in with their beautiful wooden flutes and drums. Now get this, then the blacks also joined in!

 

[Alchemy]

tell me that second video doesn't give you a big warm grin .
I tried to find this video I ran across a few years ago that proves it. It goes back to that time of Celts, Native Americans, and Blacks in the origins of Appalachian music. I couldn't find it. There is actually a town of "black hillbillies" just a few miles from me. It's history is very deep and goes back to the underground railroads and before. And yes, it is considered part of Appalachia. I tired to find my Dads roots in music once. He is from WV and he, and practically his whole family, plays music, as many do in Appalachia. The spontaneity of music and family bands in Appalachia is pretty cool. Considering the amount of lost music from these hills over the centuries is also pretty interesting.