Gimmy Crack Corn

[Baker, John]

        I always took "The Blue-Tail Fly" to be a sad song, but the words are certainly consistent with either sorrow or happiness.  As far as our initial question is concerned, of course, it doesn't matter whether it is joy or grief that has so overcome the singer that Jim(my) crack corn and he don't care.  Some versions of the song include the line "devil take the blue-tail fly," which argues for grief.  On the other hand, this early version of "Jim Crack Corn! I Don't Care," from Christy's Nigga Songster (c. 1850), http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/minstrel/misocat.html, suggests that no love is lost between the slave singer and the master.  Some people think the song means that the slave himself caused his master's death, then was able to blame it on the blue-tail fly.  Oddly, "Blue Tailed Fly," which does not include the "Jim crack corn" chorus but tells a similar story, is in the same collection.

        I wonder how the slave was supposed to keep up with the master and his pony in order to brush the flies away.  Brushing flies away, especially at meals, certainly was one of the duties of household slaves, but I don't think a slave on foot would have been expected to keep up with a pony, and he probably would not have been given his own pony for the purpose.


<<JIM CRACK CORN! I DON'T CARE.

If you should go in summer time,
To Souf Carolina sultra clime,
And in de shade you chance to lie,
You'll soon find bout dat blue tail fly.
Jim crack corn I don't care!
Jim crack corn! I don't care!
For massa me gave away.

When I was young I used to wait,
On massa's table and hand de plate,
I'd pass the bottle when he dry,
An brush away de blue tail fly,
Jim crack, etc.

When ole massa take his sleep,
He bid dis nigga sight to keep,
An when he gows to shut his eye.
He tell me watch dat blue tail fly.
Jim crack, etc.

Ole massa ride in arternoon,
I follow arter wid a hickory broom,
De pony he is bery shy,
Kase he bitten by de blue tail fly.
Jim crack, etc.

De pony run dar jump an pitch,
He trowed ole massa in the ditch,
He died an de Jury all did cry,
Dat de verdict was de blue tail fly.
Jim Crack, etc.

Ole massa's dead now let him rest,
Dey say all tings am for de best,
I nebber shall forget till the day I die,
Ole massa and de blue tail fly.>>


John Baker