Housekeeping Mixed Messaging
posted by on February 4 at 11:20 AM
All this talk of the 1973 Super Bowl (the undefeated Miami Dolphins etc.) jostled a pretty creepy memory for me.
The Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins in that Super Bowl. I grew up outside D.C. I was a tot at the time, and that Friday before the big game (“Redskins Day” at my school), my class went out on the front lawn, and my teacher led us in a rendition of the Redskins fight song.
I hadn’t thought of this song (with it’s tribal drum beaty middle section) until last night.
Good God:
Hail to the Redskins!Hail Victory!
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!*
Run or pass and score — we want a lot more!
Scalp ‘em, swamp ‘em — We will take ‘em big score
Read ‘em, weep ‘em, touchdown - we want heap more
Fight on, Fight on — ‘Till you have won
Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah!
*Apparently, the original lyric was “Fight for Old Dixie.”
To exonerate my early 70s elem school, my hippie Kindergarten teacher did make us sing Three Dog Night’s “Black & White” pretty regularly.
Black & WhiteThe ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight
And now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land, all the land
The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light
And now at last we plainly see
We’ll have a dance of Liberty, Liberty!
The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight
The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light
thats right josh, dont forget that the skins were owned by the biggest segregationist racist owner preston marshall, the original dixie "lyrics" were written by his wife. he brought that team to stand as a symbol of white supremacy. since the name comes from the what the white man called the indians after they had been scalped. that name needs to go.
After reading that, I think you and John A. deserved each other.
As for Washington DC sports:
Sonics 1979.
The exciting racist lyrics are far more interesting and appealing than the bland "Black & White" ones.
@3,
I guess that's true.
But the music to the 3 Dog Night song is way better.
Better than a football fight song, maybe. Not any other kind of music. Just don't post the lyrics to "one is the loneliest number" or "joy to the world", OK?
Fuck you're young. I was in college when that song came out.
Time to draft sports fans for a couple of tours of duty in Iraq.
They can sing their hearts out there.
Josh,
"Fight for old D.C." was added at the same time the "beaty middle section" was changed to:
Run or pass and score---we want a lot more!
Beat 'em, Swamp 'em,
Touchdown!---Let the points soar!
Fight on, fight on 'Til you have won
Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah!
Whoa. You're, like, old.
Josh is older than either Obama or me, @9.
Josh's quote does not convey the full racism of the song. After the first verse there is a musical break to a minor key, with the "war path" beat:
de
da da da de
da da da da
da daaaaaaaaaa.
[fans mimic "war dance," "chopping" motions].
I think it's sad that so many view things in raw black and white... What about shades of grey?
Let me see if I have this straight: the Redskins are offensive, but the Vikings are just dandy?
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