"DIXIE"

Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,
Old times there are not forgotten, (old original: Cinnamon seed and sandy bottom,)
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land.

In Dixie Land, where I was born in,
early on one frosty mornin',
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land.

I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie

Optional Verses

Ole Missus marry "Will the weaver"
Willum was a gay deceiver
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

But when he put his arm around 'er,
He smiled fierce as a forty pounder,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver
But that did not seem to grieve 'er
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

Ole Missus acted the foolish part
And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

Now here's a health to the next ole Missus
An' all the gals that want to kiss us;
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

But if you want to drive 'way sorrow
Come and hear this song tomorrow
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

There's buckwheat cakes and Injun batter,
Makes you fat or a little fatter
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel,
To Dixie's Land I'm bound to travel,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land

 Ever wonder about where this song came from and why it was written?  You may be surprised to learn the truth!  Keep reading........

"Dixie" was written by Daniel Decatur Emmett of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and premiered in September of 1859 in New York. According to an article by Mike Petee in the Knox County Observer, Mount Vernon, Ohio, Dan Emmett learned to play various instruments at a young age, including the banjo, fife, fiddle and a small drum. He was enlisted in a Minstrel group when they stopped in Mount Vernon and needed a replacement for a sick player, beginning a long musical career.

Although best known as the song adopted by the Confederacy, "Dixie" was also Abraham Lincoln's favorite song, and it was played at his inauguration. Even though Abe Lincoln loved and supported the song, Dan Emmett was ostracized in the North for writing a song associated with the South. In his last performance in Mount Vernon, it is reported that he cried when he was warmly welcomed and given a standing ovation as it's writer.It is still considered to be one of the top two or three songs associated with the history of this country. Dan Emmett's headstone reads: "Daniel Decatur 1815 - 1904 whose song 'Dixie Land' inspired the courage and devotion of the Southern people and now thrills the hearts of a reunited nation."

One popular theory of the origin of the name Dixie is that the old $10 Lousiana notes were known (by mispronouncing the French names that were printed on them) as "dixies," and the Louisiana region became known in slang as Dixie Land. This term was later expanded to include the rest of the South.

The other competing theory is that "Dixie" comes from the Mason-Dixon Line. There is a third theory that the title honors a kind farmer in Manhattan Island by the name of Dixy who was rumored to be connected with the Underground Railroad; "Dixy's Land" became known as a safe haven. However, it is unlikely that this could actually be the origin of the song since Manhattan Island has never been "the land of cotton"; in addition, Manhattan is clearly not "away down south".

And although the song is credited to Emmett, there is some questions about its full origin. Emmett had indicated that the melody was partially inspired by a tune his mother sung to him as a child, while others believe a similar tune was sung around plantations and around the Mississippi River for several generations. Authorship is credited to Daniel Decatur Emmett, a native of Mount Vernon, Ohio, who was a member of a group called Bryant's Minstrels. But some believe "Dixie" was really a tune passed on to Emmett by a pair of African-American brothers born to parents who were slaves. The headstone of Ben and Lou Snowden reads: "They taught 'Dixie' to Dan Emmett."  In the original version shown for the second line of the first verse above, the words "cinnamon seed and sandy bottom" were referred to by the soldiers when they reached an area in Missouri where they found catfish and sassafras for tea for sale.

Photo: Cynthia Johnston, NPR News

Ben Snowden, left, and Lou Snowden, playing fiddle and banjo from the second-story gable of their home in Clinton, Knox County, Ohio, ca. 1890s.

Portait of Dan Emmett kept by Ben and Lou Snowden until their deaths.