{"id":10736,"date":"2021-05-24T10:54:34","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T10:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=10736"},"modified":"2021-05-31T16:22:54","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T16:22:54","slug":"go-way-good-massa-bee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/go-way-good-massa-bee\/","title":{"rendered":"Go ‘way, good Massa bee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Fly away you bumble bee
Sambo, he’s a lazy coon<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1901<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>FW Leigh<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN10236<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Ben Albert<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected as a rugby song and from the armed forces<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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This page quotes lyrics which contain offensive language, reflecting attitudes common in the period when this song was performed.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Transcribed from Windyridge recording<\/a><\/strong>\n\nSambo, he's  a lazy coon\nCan't work in the afternoon\nToo warm, you see\n \nRight off to the woods he'll creep\nGoes there for a real good sleep\nUnder the tree\n\nSoon as he shuts his eyes\n'Long comes a mighty noise\nBuzzzzzz\n\nHe gets up and then says he\n'Gee Wizz! Is that you bee?' \nBuzzzzzzz\n\nNo use you buzzing round \nI guess you've think you've found\nA new bloom - you're wrong!\nSo just you go along\n\nYou behave in a most ridiculous way \nYou've got no sense or else \nYou'd mind me when I say:\n\nGo 'way, good Massa bee I ain't no Rose \nThis am no dainty flower only my nose\n[Resist] my nasal organ don't you come near\nIf you want honey, got away sonny\nYou won't find any honey here<\/em>\nx2<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Go ‘way, good Massa bee <\/em>was advertised at the time as a “coon song”, a type of song popular in the English speaking world  in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was considered acceptable to draw humour from stereotypes of people of African origin, in this case portraying them as lazy and stupid. Eugene Genovese, in his seminal history of American slavery, argued that work avoidance was a form of resistance of the enslaved, and in turn stereotyping slaves as lazy helped to justify the extreme violence slaveholders  often used to force them to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
 The song was performed in the Halls by comedian Ben Albert. It seems to have quite quickly become popular amongst soldiers and in the 20th century the folk process has seen its original racism supplemented with some equally unpleasant sexual innuendo. It has been collected as a bawdy song associated with rugby and the armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ben Albert (1876-1925), was a comic from Ulster whose real name was Albert Bailey Sibley. Known for his dry sense of humour, he was often billed as The Dry Old Stick<\/em>. He seems to rate only a passing mention in standard histories of the Halls, but Kilgarriff describes him as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a popular Music Hall grotesque, his repertoire included On The Day King Edward Gets His Crown On<\/em>, the first verse of which runs as follows: <\/p>
The lodger’s going to get blind drunk as soon as day begins,
Sister’s wearing bloomers fixed up with safety pins, 
To celebrate the great event mother will have twins, 
On the day King Edward gets his crown on<\/em> <\/p>
None of Mr Albert’s other songs were half so memorable.<\/p>Michael Kilgaroff: Grace Beauty and Banjos <\/em>p20<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Despite being dismissed as a minor figure in the Halls, he recorded a wide range of comic songs which you can explore on a compilation from the excellent Windyridge CDs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n