[WARNING: racial terms follow. No hatred intended. This song is presented in its original form as a part of music history.]
A 1926 popular song
from the eighth annual edition of George White’s Scandals
words by B.G. De Sylva & Lew Brown
music by Ray Henderson
The sheet music:
Accompaniment:
Lyrics
Oh, the black bottom of the Swannee River
Sometimes liked to shake and shiver
And it makes the darkies feel like strutting around
By watching they found a way to imitate it
I know they exaggerate it
But I wish that you could see the dance that they found
Every high brown gal and her bon bon buddy
Go down where the flats are muddy
To do a step that soon will be renowned
Refrain
They call it Black Bottom, a new twister
It’s sure got ’em, and oh, sister
They clap their hands and do a raggedy trot, Hot!
Old fellows with lumbago
And high yellows, away they go
They jump right in and give it all that they’ve got
They say that when that river bottom
Covered with ooze, start in to squirm
Couples dance and that’s the movement
They use, just like a worm
Black Bottom, a new rhythm
When you spot ’em, you go with ’em
And do that Black, Black Bottom all the day long
Sung here by Fred Feild: