"Goober Peas"

[Dave Gaddy]

The Confederate (a la Burl Ives) marching song, "Goober Peas" (pease), bothers me. I've come to the tentative conclusion that it was written by a (shudder) civilian back home, who had a distorted view of army life. (Wouldn't be the first time or first war.) But, c'mon, wearing out your teeth eating roasted (or raw) PEANUTS, for Pete's sake? And making so much noise it sounded like gunfire? (Even with one's mouth open?)

I've come to the conclusion that the real subject was parched, dried corn, aka pinole, aka rockahominy, aka nocake, etc. Today's commercial equivalent, "Corn Nuts." Now, talk about "wearing out your grinders," that would do it. And contribute the appropriate sound effects. Parched corn, in pulverized form, was the Indian's emergency ration, mixed with a little water. It swelled inside to offer a full feeling. (As a kid, I tried using roasted corn meal. Believe me, it swells!) References to parching and eating corn (or taking it from the horse's feed bag) crop up here and there in the literature, but finding references is hit or miss.

As a related "worry," has anyone considered the relationship, if any, between "Goober Peas" and the fine old Irish song, "The Gallant Forty-Twa"? ("Sitting by the roadside on a summer's day" vs. "Walking through green fields... .") I'm not sure which came first, but there seems to be more than coincidence in tune and words. Check out the Clancey Brothers' version.

David Winfred Gaddy
Signals, Ciphers, and Secret Service, CSA

[Charles Heath]

Re: "Goober Peas"

A shellful of peanut information

[Hank Trent]

Re: "Goober Peas"

The Confederate (a la Burl Ives) marching song, "Goober Peas" (pease), bothers me. I've come to the tentative conclusion that it was written by a (shudder) civilian back home, who had a distorted view of army life. (Wouldn't be the first time or first war.) But, c'mon, wearing out your teeth eating roasted (or raw) PEANUTS, for Pete's sake? And making so much noise it sounded like gunfire? (Even with one's mouth open?)

First, there's no evidence it was written during the war at all, so everyone was back home. Publication date on the earliest sheet music is 1866, published by A. E. Blackmar in New Orleans, with pseudonyms for the writer and composer. If it was a popular song during the war, surely we can find some mention of it in letter or diary, even if it wasn't yet published in sheet music form.

Second, you don't suppose it could be a joke? Y'know, humorous exaggeration? Making gentle fun of Georgians as poor goober-eating backwoodsmen, with all the cultural baggage that peanuts implied? I could picture it sung on the post-war stage by a man in a ragged Confederate uniform, and Confederate veterans laughing loudest of all.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Making gentle fun of Georgians as poor goober-eating backwoodsmen, with all the cultural baggage that peanuts implied?

Hey, I resemble that remark! Fun tune to sing though.

[Dave Gaddy]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Thanks, Hank. Valid points. I wouldn't be too strong on publication date, however. Richard Harwell ("Songs of the Confederacy") said "indications are that it was sung during the war," w/o elaboration. Perhaps he had in mind some internal evidence ("I wish this war was over when free from rags and fleas... ." "Here's your mule"). Abel ("Singing the New Nation," at 190 n42) infers wartime singing based on that same internal "evidence." Standards for "literary merit" have deprived us of many "soldier songs" in post-war compilations, especially parodies, and poetic doggerel; Victorian standards censored vulgarity. (Compare "genuine" words to the "Sound Off" chants of the 1950s, at least before decency standards dropped.)
Fully agree on "poking fun" at colleagues and I, too, can imagine this on the same post-war veteran/minstrel program bill as "I'm A Good Old Rebel."
I wanted to raise awareness of parched corn as "emergency ration" (as opposed to peanut snacks); I also questioned whether this was based on an Irish (?) song, a la "Bonnie Blue Flag " (or vice versa). (I should have recalled "Strolling through, " rather than "Walking through" in the case of the Clancey Brothers.)

David Winfred Gaddy
Signals, Ciphers and Secret Service, CSA

[paulcalloway]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Dave -
You need to sign your full name at the end of every post.

[Hank Trent]

Re: "Goober Peas"

I wouldn't be too strong on publication date, however. Richard Harwell ("Songs of the Confederacy") said "indications are that it was sung during the war," w/o elaboration. Perhaps he had in mind some internal evidence ("I wish this war was over when free from rags and fleas... ." "Here's your mule").

Everyone including me wants it to be a wartime song, but I can't really buy the internal evidence theory. Based on that, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" would have to be written within the lifetime of veterans, and we could sing "In 1814 we took a little trip" at Civil War reenactments.

It's one of those "default assumption" issues. Do we assume it's period based on the internal evidence, until proven otherwise? Or do we assume it's postwar based on the earliest primary source, until proven otherwise? I've just seen too many references to popular songs during the period, except for Goober Peas, that I'm starting to think the lack of evidence is itself evidence. But I'd be the first to change my mind if a wartime primary source pops up. Anybody got one?

Standards for "literary merit" have deprived us of many "soldier songs" in post-war compilations, especially parodies, and poetic doggerel; Victorian standards censored vulgarity.

Goober peas is well within the range of polite silly humor found in a kazillion published minstrel songs, so I don't see it being censored for lack of literary merit. I'm not talking about finding the entire lyrics written out in some soldier's diary. Just an offhand reference to it, or a joke including the lines of the lyrics. Heck, I'd take a letter home that said We were reduced to "eating goober peas" and call the quote marks strong evidence.

I wanted to raise awareness of parched corn as "emergency ration" (as opposed to peanut snacks);

Totally agree with you there--parched corn is indeed worth mentioning.

I also questioned whether this was based on an Irish (?) song, a la "Bonnie Blue Flag " (or vice versa). (I should have recalled "Strolling through, " rather than "Walking through" in the case of the Clancey Brothers.)

Couldn't find sheet music for that online, and my computer can't play music, so I couldn't tell how similar the tune is. But the words fit as nice as any common meter and I can see a similarity in the simple folk style, and the parody of loving peanuts vs. loving a soldier. Is the sheet music available to see?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Danny]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Everyone including me wants it to be a wartime song... Is the sheet music available to see?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Hank -

Spot on -- but Man, if we are to hold to a standard then this is a HUGE adjustment we field musicians are going to have to make - not initiating "Goober Peas" around the campfire.

I wouldn't make too much about what the goobers and other words in the song were in specific. It's just not a song to take seriously.

See that 1866 music cover page (A. E. Blackmar, New Orleans, 1866)attached here.

- Dan Wykes

[Hank Trent]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Spot on -- but Man, if we are to hold to a standard then this is a HUGE adjustment we field musicians are going to have to make - not initiating "Goober Peas" around the campfire.

Hey, I sat down and learned the period tune and chorus to "Carry me back to old Virginny" last week, because a couple of sources said the disgruntled Confederates were singing it on the Maryland campaign. And I can't even sing!

It's cool to try to tie in period songs to specific situations.

But I still wish someone could document "Goober Peas."

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Dave Gaddy]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Hank, Google "The Gallant Forty Twa." (And we find out that the Clancey Brothers and the late Tommy Makem were singing a Scots song(!). For the tune, go to http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiGALNT42;ttGALNT42.html and click on one of the buttons (MIDI, for example) at bottom of the page. My quote was from the chorus: (Makem's version)


Strolling through the green fields on a summer day
Watching all the country girls forking up the hay
I really was delighted when he stole my heart awa'
But he left me for the tartan of the gallant forty-twa


David Winfred Gaddy
Signals, Ciphers, and Secret Service, CSA (and a bit of music)

[Chuck Reynolds]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Were the sound offs from the 50"s vulgar maybe rude as I remember them :D
Chuck

[RJSamp]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Were the sound offs from the 50"s vulgar maybe rude as I remember them :D
Chuck

My Dad (WWII ETO) told me that the marching chants from boot camp Fall 1943 weren't repeatable.....

[Dave Gaddy]

Re: "Goober Peas"

I was surprised to learn how old the practice was--Elizabeth Bacon Custer, in one of her books on (post-war) frontier army life ("Boots and Saddles"?), describes hearing the Irish drill sergeant, "Yer left, yer left, ya' had a good home an ya' left" (or something like that, as I recall). But I can attest to the "bleeping" words of a later period. (I once asked a German WW I veteran the German army equivalent. He struggled to understand the significance, and when I said "To keep in step," he replied, "In the German army no one gets out of step.") Hay foot, straw foot!

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: "Goober Peas"

Hey, I sat down and learned the period tune and chorus to "Carry me back to old Virginny" last week, because a couple of sources said the disgruntled Confederates were singing it on the Maryland campaign. And I can't even sing!

It's cool to try to tie in period songs to specific situations.

But I still wish someone could document "Goober Peas."

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Now that's interesting...years ago when the big debate blew up over OUR State Song; "Carry Me Back to Old Virginnia", I decided to do a little research on the origins of the song.

Turns out it was written Post-War, 1878, by African American songwrite Mr. James A. Bland of New York.

I'd love to see any period citations (1858-1866) you have, with it's use pre-dating this date (1878)...but am highly suspect that the songs are the same...considering the Bland version is written from the perspective of a "Newly-Freed Black" struggling in Post-War Reconstruction America. It is ironic, that "Jim Crow" Virginia picked this to be the state song in the 1840s...and further perplexing that in modern America, this song is seen as racist, and degrading.

A quick synopsis of the songwrite and the song can be found through the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Bland

Paul B.

[ContinentalMorganGuard]

Re: "Goober Peas"

I wish I hard a hard evidence but I too had heard somewhere along the lines that the confederates sang "Carry Me Back to Ole' Virginny" during the Maryland campaign, and I want to think it was on the retreat abck to VA. I know not scholarrly evidence, but I'll start looking.