Dixie (song)
"Dixie" is a prominent American song, originally published in 1859 by Daniel Decatur Emmett, who is most commonly credited with its creation. The song, which is associated with blackface minstrel performances of the time, presents a nostalgic and seemingly cheerful view of Southern life, including references to slavery. It became a rallying anthem for the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–1865) and is often remembered for its upbeat melody and lyrics that celebrate aspects of Southern culture. The song's narrator is presumed to be a former slave reflecting on a past filled with fond memories, despite the underlying realities of plantation life. The lyrics include lines expressing a longing for the South, and the song's refrain became a battle cry for those supporting the Confederate cause. Although "Dixie" was embraced by many in both the North and South during its time, its legacy is complicated by the racial implications tied to its origins and continued association with the Confederacy. Today, while still recognized, the song is infrequently performed due to its controversial connotations, and phrases derived from it, such as "whistling Dixie," persist in modern vernacular as indicators of unrealistic optimism or daydreaming.
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Dixie (song)
“Dixie” is one of the most famous songs in American history. Generally, song writing credit goes to a Mount Vernon, Ohio, resident named Daniel Decatur Emmett, although at least thirty-seven other people later claimed to have written the song. First published in 1859, “Dixie” was very popular in both the North and South. The song casts a deceptively cheerful look at Southern ways, including slavery, and became one of the rallying anthems of the Confederacy in the American Civil War (1861–1865).
Overview
The earliest verifiable evidence about the origins of “Dixie” appeared in 1859, when Emmett published the song under the title “Dixie,” or “Dixie’s Land.” However, the term Dixie as a reference to the American South was already well-known by that time. Emmett’s musical act, like most acts from the era, involved blackface minstrel performances. In these acts, white musicians would paint their faces black and then sing and dance in a way they felt represented African Americans.
The song represents a ballad from the supposed perspective of an African-American who had once lived in the South but had since moved away. The lyrics present carefree and even happy memories of Southern life, enhanced by a fast and cheerful accompanying melody. Given that practically all black people in the American South in the mid-1800s were enslaved, listeners can assume that the narrator was a former slave. This presentation of slavery as a lighthearted, even enjoyable lifestyle, popular even in the North, obscured the true horrors of the institution of plantation slavery.
Many versions of the song exist, but one of the most common contains six stanzas. The song starts with “I wish I was in the land of cotton / Old times there are not forgotten,” which establishes the tone and the subject as nostalgia for the agricultural South. The following four stanzas present anecdotes that seem unrelated to the South, but rather relate everyday human events. Two stanzas explain an unusual marriage between “Old Missus” and “Will-de-weaber” (“Will the Weaver”), which implies that Will was a charismatic liar. The song also praises buck-wheat cakes and Indian (“Injun”) batter, foods the singer apparently finds tasty but fattening.
The song enjoyed widespread popularity in the South and North, but when Southern states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America in 1860, the song became more strongly associated with the Confederate cause. In the following years, as the Union and Confederacy fought each other in the American Civil War, "Dixie" became a symbol of Southern life and the perceived rightness of Southern ways and institutions, a role that persisted even after the war's end in 1865. Lines sung in some versions included an apparent battle cry: “In Dixie land I’ll take my stand, live and die in Dixie!” When the war ended in Southern defeat in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln asked his presidential band to play “Dixie,” a song he greatly enjoyed. Lincoln felt Southerners had unfairly militarized the song, and Northerners had since recaptured it.
The song is still well-known in modern times, although it is seldom played for entertainment due to its racial overtones. The name of the song has even been adopted into a popular saying: “whistling Dixie.” This saying means “idly daydreaming,” much like the singer in the song.
Bibliography
“Dixie.” Deadwood Song Book, sdpb.sd.gov/deadwoodsongbook/resources/Song Dixie.pdf. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“Dixie’s Land.” Library of Congress, 2020, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200000733/. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“Dixie.” National Instititute of Environmental Health Sciences / Kids Environment, 25 Aug. 2016, kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/patriotic/dixie/index.htm. Accessed 15 July 2020.
Hardy, Michael C. “Look Away Dixie Land.” HistoryNet, 2020, www.historynet.com/look-away-dixie-land.htm. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“‘(I Wish I Was In) Dixie’s Land’ (1859).” Center for History and New Media, chnm.gmu.edu/loudountah/activities/pdf/DixieSongLyrics1.pdf. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“Model Interpretation.” History Matters, historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/model.html. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“The Anthemic Allure of ‘Dixie,’ an Enduring Confederate Monument.” NPR / American Anthem, 20 Sept. 2018, www.npr.org/transcripts/649954248. Accessed 15 July 2020.
“Was ‘Dixie’ Really Lincoln’s Favorite Song?” The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, www.lincolncollection.org/discover/ask-an-expert/qa-archive/was-%E2%80%9Cdixie%E2%80%9D-really-lincoln%E2%80%99s-favorite-song/. Accessed 15 July 2020.