Yep. Turkey in the Straw came about sometime in the late 1820s, while the version in qustion was written in the early 1900s. IDK about when minstrels played the tune, but Turkey in the Straw definitely predates it.
Sheila LaBoof joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 20 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,172
jodie !foster2PAQ replied with this 5 years ago, 1 hour later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,188
@1,138,173 (Sheila LaBoof)
im glad you made this analogy and that everyone else cares about American folk music history too
jodie !foster2PAQ double-posted this 5 years ago, 1 minute later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,189
@1,138,167 (F)
i think a lot of melodies became popular after early recordings by minstrel artists and shows in the early 1900s. it's fun to track them down to the roots
Meta !Sober//iZs joined in and replied with this 5 years ago, 1 hour later, 5 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,215
Jesus Christ now I'll never be able to hear it without the lyrics in my head.
??Nigger love a watermelon ha ha, ha ha!
Nigger love a watermelon ha ha, ha ha!
For here, they’re made with a half a pound of co’l
There’s nothing like a watermelon for a hungry coon??
God DAMNIT ???
Sheila LaBoof replied with this 5 years ago, 1 hour later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,252
Say, you even have a music class in your primary schooling where you sing out of books and there was a song about Down by the Bay, Where the watermelons grow, that's where I'll be, or something
jodie !foster2PAQ replied with this 5 years ago, 1 minute later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,254
@previous (Sheila LaBoof)
down by the bay (down by the bay)
where the watermelons grow (where the watermelons grow)
wow yeah I forgot about that one
jodie !foster2PAQ double-posted this 5 years ago, 14 seconds later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,255
I seem to remember disliking this activity
Sheila LaBoof replied with this 5 years ago, 3 minutes later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,257
How about the song, John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, his name is my name too!
then there was some peculiar tune off of an educational record called Fender Bender, yeah yeah yeah
Sheila LaBoof double-posted this 5 years ago, 6 minutes later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,260
hmmm, it would be a devious plan to release versions of popular songs that you hate with changed lyrics full of racial epithets and bigoted ideas and then maybe later people would say, no don't play that did you know it has nigger in it
OK, Weird Al should do Bad Guy but instead it's Black Dyke
(Edited 1 minute later.)
Anonymous F replied with this 5 years ago, 19 minutes later, 8 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,266
Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
Did you ever see a moose drinking a juice?
Down by the bay
(repeat over and over, replacing "moose" and "juice" with other rhyming words)
Sheila LaBoof replied with this 5 years ago, 3 hours later, 11 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,315
Oh yeah
I think I'd spice it up like
Did you ever see a moose drop a deuce in a fuckin' caboose?
Down by the bay
Anonymous F replied with this 5 years ago, 2 minutes later, 11 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,138,316