Comments on: Can you tie them in a knot?

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:16:18 +0000

You people are a bunch of asses! How did you graduate high school in the US and not know what a Continental Soldier is? You fucking idiots should be drafted so you can figure it out. By the way, I am a grunt and a teacher. Morons.

By: JM

JM — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:08:39 +0000

Here’s a new thought…I wonder is “ears hang low” is a derogatory reference to someone with a genetic mutation….someone who may be metally retarded. Low set ears is sometimes associated with Down Syndrome for example.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:18:45 +0000

I had the following thought about this song and have no way of proving it.

1) The two tunes the lyrics are sung too are simple and were popular long ago.

2) Singing was / is a major part of the military from cadences, drinking songs, to relief from boredom

3) The military hasn’t changed much and my experience is that cadences are ever changing. One group insults another with a clever lyric, the next group switches it around passes a new insult along.

So, I suspect that most any explanation of this song is correct. One possible path would be Brits teasing the continental (colonial or europe) soldiers, time passes and it morphs from unit to unit. Then the civil war happens, both armies know the song and modify it to their various points of view. Returning soldiers still singing the ‘army’ versions return home and similar to “ring around the rosy” parents and/or children clean it up to keep out of “trouble.”

This song is amazingly easy to rewrite: e.g:

Do your words hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you twist them in a lie?
Can you twist them in a fraud?
Can you throw them back and forth,
like an average politician?
Do your words hang low?

By: Stubob

Stubob — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:45:52 +0000

We were told as children that the song refers to the British and the Hessians, and their uniforms, presumably the lappets on their uniform hats. Apparently the song is much older than the Civil War, so it could not possibly refer to the testicle trophies referred to above.

By: AM

AM — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:04:05 +0000

How to put this…throughout the history in America and Europe, there have been tragic events that somehow became inspiration for children’s entertainment in songs, nursery rhymes and stories. They are parts of all of our histories, they are treasures of our pasts. There is no shame in questioning and learning the reasons why or how…the shame would be in lessons not learned.

By: RC

RC — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:09:23 +0000

One explanation I heard for the “Do your balls hang low” is literally the fear factor – in times of stress testicles naturally retract – hanging low means no fear!

Now I am not quite sure about the throwing over the shoulder bit…

By: phillyosify

phillyosify — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:36:01 +0000

Hell yes the true meaning of this song is indeed racist and quite sickening. And anyone who has blogged on this topic and has not agreed, is either a racist or an idiot. And anyone who could sing or let our children listen to this garbage is a racist or an idiot! And if someone is completely oblivious to the facts, this is truly sad. We have access to entirely too much information, therefore no one should be unaware of his or her history. Of course they will try to hide it from us, but that’s where we are supposed to get off of our asses and stop worrying about Who has the biggest MTV Crib?, or Who is going to bring in the most album sales, 50 Cent or Kanye West? We as a people (And I mean black people) need to be smarter than what we are portraying to be, because believe it or not, we are still being looked at in the same manner as we have in the past, but today we are carrying our own balls and ears, only to wobble to and fro’ on Gucci link chains, and 24” rims. Somthing to think about!

Phillyosofy- Philadelpia, PA

By: B.B.

B.B. — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:53:33 +0000

I was hearing my mother-in-law singing this song to my son (8 months). She was making all the hand-motions that go along with the song. They were having a wonderful time together! The tune got stuck in my head too! I surfed the Internet to find out more about the history of the song. I came across this site and was shocked to read that it might refer to slaves. Should I ask my mother-in-law to stop singing this song?
A part of me says no – let them continue the joy they are having.
A part of me says “yes” – out of respect for what happened to the slaves, choose another song (there are so many to choose from).
As for me, I’m teaching my son the song, Moonshadow, by Cat Stevens.

By: ripple

ripple — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:41:00 +0000

I could have sworn the soldier was “cotton-headed”, meaning white haired and really old. And since I’m getting there, I’m finding that nearly everything hangs low – ears being no exception.

Heard the song back when I was a child in the 1940s or ’50s, when the “hanging factor” made little sense to me. Have things changed.

Just discussing the “everything hangs low” with an old friend last night and I can’t get the blessed song out of my head. #@%*#!!!

By: KL

KL — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:26:31 +0000

I KNOW THIS ONE! The original son was “do your balls hang low”… I guess because those soldiers were experiencing a bit of a dry spell, being away at war and all. I’m not a pervert, I swear! But it’s the truth!!!