"Gwine"

[Dennis R. Preston]

Wilson,

Up Louisville way we called "Old Crow" "Dirty Bird." I don't member
no "Jim Crow." Sure you ain't merged "Jim Beam" and "Old Crow"?

dInIs


>Absolutely. I'd completely forgotten about Stephen Foster's oeuvre. In
>fact, I can recall that that's how I first learned the form, starting
>in the first grade and ending in the sixth, now that you've reminded
>me. Thank you, Jon. Indeed, we were even taught the song, "Jim Crow!" -
>I've never known who wrote it - in the first grade.
>
>Jump! Oh, jump!
>Oh, jump, Jim Crow!
>[...]
>And around you go!
>Slide! Slide!
>Point your toe!
>You're a funny little fellow
>When you jump, Jim Crow!
>
>There was no PC back in the day. On the other hand, though, "Jim Crow"
>was such a popular brand of whiskey that it had a nickname: "Dirty
>Bird."
>
>-Wilson
>
>On Feb 23, 2005, at 8:04 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>Subject:      Re: "Gwine"
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>"Gwine" became an iconic spelling in minstrel songs: Foster's "Gwine
>>to run all night, gwine to run all day!" and "I'm gwine to Louisiana
>>with my banjo on my knee!" come to mind instantly.
>>
>>JL
>>
>>Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>Poster: Wilson Gray
>>Subject: "Gwine"
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>"Y'all" was so much fun that we should do another one, "gwine," that
>>should be less controversial. I'm no longer certain of how or when I
>>became familiar with this example of old-school Negro dialect. But I do
>>recall hearing it spoken in jest by a schoolmate in Texas around 1947.
>>Otherwise, I was familiar with "gwine" only from the movies, especially
>>George Pal's dumb-nigger animated cartoons and from comic books and
>>such written in Negro dialect. But, similarly to "y'all," as a
>>singular, I never heard it spoken in real life.
>>
>>For years and years, I listened to all kinds of blues and rhythm &
>>blues, talked with colored folk from all over the South, and the
>>closest that I came to hearing a real "gwine" was "goina." Then, one
>>evening in 1979, I was listening to an interview with Sunnyland Slim,
>>an old-time blues pianist and a native of Mississsippi, on the local
>>NPR station, when I heard him say quite clearly, "They was gwine
>>broke!" My reaction was, "Damn! It's true! In fact, it's still a living
>>form!" Then I noticed that Memphis "She plays guitar like a man" Minnie
>>used "gwine." That was odd, because I'd been listening to her songs for
>>years without hearing any "gwine." But that mystery solved itself.
>>Sometimes, Minnie chose to use "gwine"; other times she chose to use
>>"gon(na)." I assume that she originally used "gwine," shifting over
>>time to "gon(na)," as "gwine" fell out of fashion. But that's just a
>>guess.
>>
>>Sunnyland Slim and Memphis Minnie are both now deceased. Has "gwine"
>>finally died with them?
>>
>>-Wilson Gray
>>
>>
>>---------------------------------
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