Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lesbian songs of the 1950s

Josepha Sherman collected a handful of schoolyard songs about lesbianism (one is a taunt, one, somewhat surprisingly, isn't) from the mid 20th century:

(tune of "Pop Goes the Weasle"):

We don't go out with boys anymore
we don't intend to marry
we go with the girls in our block
Whee! I'm a fairy


Another was listed as the late 60s early 70s, but is probably also from the 1950s:

you don't go out with boys anymore
you don't like elvis presley
you sit in the corner and play with yourself
Oops, you're a lesie!


At the same time, there was a song that most of my generation thought was a Barney parody going around, which was sung to the tune of "Little Brown Jug" back in the 1950, but to the Barney song by the 1990s. I really have to wonder if the writers of the Barney song knew this one:

I love you, you love me
homosexuality (or "we're not what we seem to be")
people think that we're just friends
but we're really lesbians

2 comments:

  1. My Father in law sang: I used to only go with girls but they were so contrary, now I only go with boys, Whee I'm a fairy. ...He grew up in coastal georgia during the depression, I think he heard the song there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There once was a fairy who lived in Khartoum,
    Who took a young lesbian up to his room.
    For most of the night they had a great feud.
    about who would do which, and with what and to whom.

    ReplyDelete

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