"Slave" Lyrics
This is a subset of "Yes: Note" - return to full list
Reevaluation: Jul 18, 2023: change from YES to YES: Note
Although this song remains ADMISSIBLE as is, ensembles might consider a lyric change for the bolded lyrics:
Why do you work and slave and slave
The word “slave” is not inherently racist, but it carries significant historical and emotional weight, often associated with the history of chattel slavery. Even if the context/message of the song is unrelated, the use of this term may evoke unintended troubling associations.
A possible lyric substitution might be: why do you work and scrimp and save
Reevaluation: May 13, 2022: change from YES to YES: Note
While I’ve Found a New Baby remains ADMISSIBLE as is, ensembles might consider a lyric change for the bolded line:
His new way of lovin'
Is all that I crave!
His sweet turtle dovin'
Has made me his slave!
The word “slave” is not inherently racist, but it carries significant historical and emotional weight, often associated with the history of chattel slavery. Even if the context of a song is romantic, the use of this term may evoke unintended troubling associations. Additionally, the depiction of a "slave" dynamic in a romantic relationship could be seen as problematic, potentially causing discomfort for both audiences and performers.
Possible lyric substitutions include:
This new way of lovin' / is all that I crave / that sweet turtle-dovin', it's hard to behave
This brand new way of lovin' / is everything that I might crave / so hot just like an oven / how can I behave
This song, which includes "slave" lyrics, is rated YES: Caution
This song is in the calypso style. Calypso first emerged in the eighteenth century in Trinidad among communities of enslaved Africans. The musical style was an evolution of West African kaiso, and the satirical lyrics often mocked slave masters through double entendre. Please refer to the following references:
Calypso Music Guide: A Brief History of Calypso Music - 2023 - MasterClass
Trinidad and Tobago National Library: Calypso
When performing calypso/reggae music, care must be taken to not use an exaggerated “island” accent when singing the song or to caricature in other ways. That is, costuming must not include dreadlocks/ethnic clothing and MCs must not mimic an island accent. This is a matter of respect for the culture.
SA arrangements likely do not include the accent (e.g, "da" for "the") but maintain the grammatical structure of a West Indian dialect. This is important to maintain the feel of the original song and not “correct” the grammar to conform to “standard English.”
Also, ensembles might consider changing the “slave” lyric (not required):
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
The word “slave” is not inherently racist, but it carries significant historical and emotional weight, often associated with the history of chattel slavery. Even if the context/message of the song is unrelated, the use of this term may evoke unintended troubling associations.
This song is admissible, having no racially problematic lyrics or message. It first appeared in the 1931 revue, Rhapsody in Black, which contained the stereotypical depictions that were de rigueur for Black performers of that period (images). In a discussion of all-Black Broadway shows of the era turning racism into profit, Daniel Moskowitz notes that the original performer of this song, Ethel Waters, “projected two persona in her 1920s and 1930s Broadway performances: the resilient warm-hearted Mammy and the sexy exotic from the Tropics.“
An early version of the song was titled “Slave Song,” likely due to the lyrics referring to the narrator being a “slave” to their lover. The original lyrics (published March 1936) had stronger “slave” imagery and more desperate lyrics: “work my body to the grave for you,” “I would moan for you, groan for you / work my fingers to the bone for you,” “lay my body down and die for you.” These were altered for the popular recorded versions, beginning in April 1936.
In chapter 3 of The Recordings of Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, Oxford Univ. Press: 2019, George Burrows provides a comparison of three 1936 published versions of the lyrics (part 1 | part 2) and provides this analysis:
The March 1936 recording of the original song was double-voiced in that it was concerned with bodily, psychological and behavioural stereotypes associated with black slavery as much as romance and sex. The black body in hard labour, suggestively moaning and groaning, and the ever-present threat of death are central metaphors in the lyrics in the March version. The contrasting B section implies emancipation and the legacy of the black diaspora in its references to travel and separation. In short, the band’s first recording of ‘Until the Real Thing Comes Along’ was full of highly suggestive and stereotyped African American imagery. This is a song that very much represents the legacies of stereotyping that came with and from blackface minstrel traditions.
Given that the original lyrics are obscure (having been captured in one unsuccessful recording) and that the song was popularized shortly afterward in a successful recording with extensively rewritten lyrics, we don't find this to be problematic for modern versions of the song.
However, the “I’d slave for you” lyric remains in current versions. Ensembles might consider change or omission of the slave reference. The word “slave” is not inherently racist, but it carries significant historical and emotional weight, often associated with the history of chattel slavery. Even when the context of a song is romantic, the use of this term may evoke unintended troubling associations. Additionally, the depiction of a "slave" dynamic in a romantic relationship could be seen as problematic, potentially causing discomfort for both audiences and performers.
Although this song is ADMISSIBLE as is, we strongly encourage a lyric change for the bolded lyrics:
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
The word “slave” is not inherently racist, but it carries significant historical and emotional weight, often associated with the history of chattel slavery. Even if the context/message of the song is unrelated, the use of this term may evoke unintended troubling associations.