My Old Kentucky Home

From Freepedia

"My Old Kentucky Home" written by Stephen Foster in 1853, is the state song of Kentucky. It was adopted by the Kentucky State Legislature as the official state song on March 19, 1928.

The song was inspired by Foster's visit to Federal Hill Mansion, the home of his cousins the Rowans in Bardstown, Kentucky. Sen. Rowan's wife was given land by her father William Lytle, a member of the prominent Lytle family of Cincinnati, and there Sen. Rowan built the most 'famous home' in the West. This house, now part of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, appears on the Kentucky state quarter.

The original song describes a scene of life on a slave plantation. Some view the song as a racist view of an idyllic time of slavery, while others including abolitionist Frederick Douglass saw the song as sympathetic to slaves. In 1986, the Kentucky General Assembly adopted a version unlikely to cause offense in which the word "darkies" was changed to "people."

"My Old Kentucky Home" is traditionally sung annually at the Kentucky Derby where it is played by the University of Louisville marching band. The University of Kentucky band also plays the song at their college's basketball and football games. In an amusing tradition at University of Kentucky games, fans consider it to be a major breach of etiquette to sing any lyrics preceding "Weep no more, my lady..."

Lyrics

The lyrics to the first verse and chorus are

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
Tis summer, the people* are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By'n by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good-night!

Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.

* original words: "darkies"

• In 1970 Randy Newman wrote and recorded an adapted version of the song. Newman's version contains a much less sentimental view of Kentucky life:

Turpentine and dandelion wine
I've turned the corner and I'm doin' fine
Shootin' at the birds on the telephone line
Pickin' em off with this gun of mine
I got a fire in my belly
And a fire in my head
Goin' higher and higher until I'm dead

Sister Sue, she's short and stout
She didn't grow up - she grew out
Mama says she's plain but she's just bein' kind
Papa thinks she's pretty but he's almost blind
Don't let her out much 'cept at night
But I don't care 'cause I'm all right

Oh, the sun shines bright on My Old Kentucky Home
And the young folks roll on the floor
Oh, the sun shines bright on My Old Kentucky Home
Keep them hard times away from my door

Brother Gene, he's big and mean
And he don't have much to say
He had a little woman who he whupped each day
But now she's gone away
He got drunk last night kicked mama down the stairs
but I'm all right so I don't care