"Homey Don't Play That" - In Living Color 's Homey D. Clown's Birthday Party Comedy Sketch

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information and comments about the saying "Homey don't play that" (spoken as "Homey don't play dat".)

This post also showcases a YouTube video of the first comedy sketch of Homey D. Clown that was featured on the 1990s television series In Living Color. Selected comments from that video are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the writers, actors, and actresses that were involved with this showcased Homey D. Clown segment. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
Click for the related pancocojams post
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-real-meaning-of-saying-comey-dont.html "The REAL Meaning Of The Saying "Comey Don't Play That" (with source information & examples)".

Some of my editorial comments that are given below are also found in that post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES "IN LIVING COLOR" AND THE CHARACTER "HOMEY D. CLOWN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Living_Color
"In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990,[1] to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and was taped at stage 7 at the Fox Television Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The title of the series was inspired by the NBC announcement of broadcasts being presented "in living color" during the 1960s, prior to mainstream color television. It also refers to the fact that most of the show's cast were black, unlike other sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live whose casts are mostly white. It was controversial due to the Wayans' decision to portray African-American humor from the ghetto in a time when mainstream American tastes regarding black comedy had been set by more upscale shows such as The Cosby Show, causing an eventual feud for control between Fox executives and the Wayans."...

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In_Living_Color_sketches
"Homey D. Clown � Damon Wayans plays an ex-con who works as a clown (real name Herman Simpson) for his parole agreement, but lashes out at anyone (usually by hitting them on the head with a sock full of pennies) who attempts to make him perform the standard antics of the role - "I don't think so! Homey don't play that!". His goal in life is to get even with "The Man", a personification of the white males who are "holding him down". Near the end of most sketches, Homey would lead a group of children (played by the cast members) in a call and response sing-along, which would end with him degenerating into a rant, then intimidating the children into repeating after him. Homey was also the first, and only, In Living Color character to get his own video game.[2]"
-snip-
The letter "D" in the name "Homey D Clown" stands for "da" = "the".

This comedy sketch that is showcased below is a parody of a children's birthday party whose paid entertainment is a clown. The clown is supposed to entertain the children by doing magic tricks, singing, telling stories, and engaging in other activities. The video shows how those expectations are turned upside down when Homey is the clown.

**
In Living Color's Homey D. Clown character served as the inspiration for the name of The Simpsons character Krusty The Clown.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homie_the_Clown
" "Homie the Clown" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 12, 1995. In the episode, Homer becomes a Krusty the Clown impersonator, but is mistaken for the real Krusty by the Springfield Mafia. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas guest starred as themselves.

[...]

Cultural references
The episode's title is reference to the character Homey D. Clown from the sketch comedy show In Living Color.�...

****
WHAT "DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"[Person's name] don't play that" is a statement that is made regarding a suggested action which is rejected because acting that way would be contrary to or beneath that person's values, lifestyle, image, and/or dignity.
-snip-
Hat tip to this urban dictionary poster for this definition of which helped me conceptualize what "[person's name] don't play means:
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=homey%20don%27t%20play%20that
"homey don't play that

A disagreement or protest to a suggested idea or action.
Carlton said, "Let's watch American Idol!", and Will was like, "Homey don't play that."
by colin April 05, 2005

****
[MORE SPECIFICALLY] WHAT THE SAYING "HOMEY DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play dat") is the signature saying for "Homey D. Clown", a recurring character on the 1990s African American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. The full saying that Homey D. Clown used was "I don�t think so. Homey don�t play that."

Homey D. Clown responds with that saying when he is asked to do something that he considered beneath his dignity or his lifestyle as doing those things would make him look or feel foolish.

Here are three selected lines from the first In Living Color sketch that features Homey D. Clown hired to entertain children at a birthday party (video below) which illustrate this point:

Machinegod88 in 2010 "lets get something straight, homie may be a clown, but i dont make a fool outa myself".

freshprincess in 2012) "Let's get something straight kids. Homey may be a clown but he don't make a fool outta hisself.

Cameron cole, 2014
"girl: Do a silly clown dance for us!!!
Homie: Degrade myself huh. *Smacks girl* I dont think so. Homie dont play that! LMFAO!!!"

****
AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH TERMS AND GRAMMAR IN THIS SAYING
The saying "Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play da.") uses African American Vernacular English grammar and vernacular.

"Homey" is a form of the words "home boy" which means a male from your neighborhood or, by extension, a male from your city, state, or nation. "Homey" could also be used for females (i.e. "home girl"), although it appears to me that this feminine usage was/is much less frequently found than the masculine usage.

The word "don't" is used in these African American Vernacular English constructed sentences instead of the standard American English word "doesn't".

In the context of both the sayings "Homey don't play that" the word "play" simply means "to do" [something]".

Another African American Vernacular English ways of saying "I don't play that" is "I'm not down with that". "I'm not down with that" later was shortened to "I'm not with that".
-snip-
The saying "Comey don't play that" (as a reference to former United States Assistant Attorney General and former FBI Director) is an adaptation of "Homey don't play that". However, unlike Homey D. Clown, other people and not James Comey himself have used that saying (as the titles of news articles and videos or within news articles and videos among other usages).

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO

[WARNING: Although many children watched the television series In Living Color, some of the content of this series, including some of the content in this showcase Homey D. Clown" video may not be suitable for children.]

Introducing Homey D. Clown



Alexander Ross, Uploaded on Dec 20, 2007

Here's Homey!

****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments are given in chronological order based on their publishing date, with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

A number of these selected comments quote what Homey D. Clown says in this comedy sketch.


2009
1. oRuTRa45
"This is still funny after all these years lol. And those story illustrations were excellent, I never noticed that yo."

**
2. Imucknukchuck
"I don't know about the audience but how did the cast manage to keep straight faces? God that musta been tough."

**
3. BalugnugJones
"We were at the taping of this. This clip was actually the 5th take of the skit. They had to keep doing it over and over because we, the audience, were laughing too hard.."

**
4. Kristen DeVore
"homy dont play dat that dude is funny i wonder if they follow the play by script or just make it up as they go"

**
Reply
5. mleonsmith
"that was a real smile at 4:34!! then he had to improvise with the " you made homey smile after all" line"

**
6. SinnMaschine
"the best moment:
"Why did you become a clown then?"

"I guess it's because I have so much love to give." - and that face expression! :D"

**
7. freshPrincess626
"homey is a classic. what 90s kid DIDN'T know the phrase "homey don't play dat"?"

**
8. professorlip
"I've put this comment on another video but I have to say it again...

Homie D Clown is one of the greatest and most unique TV characters ever created. Whoever would have thought to create a militant, Afrocentric, anti- establishment clown? That's pure genius."

**
9. IHeartYYH
" "Fall down, bust my skull open and have my blood abd brains ooze out on the carpet so you can get a couple of cheep laughs huh? I don't think so." "

**
10. vibrantone220
"So I can degrade my self? (BAM) I don't think so! Homey don't play that!!!!
LMAO"

****
2010
11. Machinegod88
"lets get something straight, homie may be a clown, but i dont make a fool outa myself"

**
[The following two comments refer to the story that Homey D. Clown tells the "children" at the birthday party about when he went to a fancy white [people's] restaurant named "Chez Whitey"]

12. Thradix
"he tells him that "a tie is required in order eat in this establishment" so homey says "man get them damn ties outa my face before a kick yo ass!" LMAOOOOO!!!!"

**
13. George Stickle
"...but unfortunately Monsieur Snowflake didn't quite hear Homey correctly, so Homey had no choice but to keep his word. The end."

**
14. cocopatrice
"Crazy when i found out paul mooney penned this character. He's a genius. From Richard Pryor to Dave Chappelle, he's been behind some of the funniest stuff ever made. And Homey don't play dat!!! LMFAO!"

**
15. Adamguy2003
"LOL! Good old Homey!
The Homey the Clown shorts were such a bad influence for my brother and I when we were really little (Much younger than the intended audience for the show)! We used to make our own versions of that black jack thing that he uses on everyone (Usually by taking one of our socks and putting something hard in it, like a plastic or metal toy or something), and smack each other in the head with them! Fortunately, we never did it hard enough to really hurt.
Good times, good times."

****
2011
16. D Walker
"A prison work-release clown! Genius!"

**
17. optimusidol
"best skit everrrrr...btw u knoe a skit is great when the characters have to hide that they wanna laugh"

**
18. Kev J
""I think you got it backwards son."

/kick

"Now how do you feel about yourself?"

Kid: "totally dissed Homey :("

LMFAO!!!"

**
19. ~bekah~
"homey: who got a dollar?
kid:i do homey! (gives him the dollar) here you go homey!
homey: alright i fold it once.
kids:ooooooh
homey: twice
kids:aaaaaah
homey:now it's gone ta-da XD"

**
20. rang3r34
"Man, this takes me waaay back! I even had a Homey D. Clown T-shirt! Man, this is from the days when there STILL was good tv on..."

****
2012
21. MrEasy12
"This is the Funniest Homie the Clown Skit"

**
22. dhom100
"homey the clown was one of the best characters of this show."

**
23. freshprincess
"Let's get something straight kids. Homey may be a clown but he don't make a fool outta hisself."

**
24. Kayla Monos
"god i remember watching this when i was little i even had a homey the clown shirt XD but whats sad is my parents LET me watch it lol"

**
25. morgan Sanders
"lol my favorite part."WHO WANTS TO SEE A MAGIC TRICK.WHO GOT A DOLLAR...NOW I FOLD IT ONCE TWICE AND NOW ITS GONE!!!"

**
26. Domino G
" "y did u become a clown then?"
"i guess its because i got so much love to give, and its part of my prison work release program so i got about 5 more years of this clown crap!" "

**
27.Dustin Pearson
"Its been 22 yrs. It came out n 1990"

**
28. missystar013
" "Now how do you feel about yo self, son?"
"...totally dissed, Homey."
"That's why Homey don't play dat." "

**
29. Cash Crop
"Tommy Davidson is wearing some cement Air Jordan 4's ......sick"
-snip-
"Tommy Davidson" is one of the In Living Color's stars that is playing the role of a little boy in this segment. This is just one of a number of commenters in this discussion thread who are sneaker collectors commented on these sneakers. #31 is another selected comment about those sneakers [tennis shoes].

"Sick" means "very good".

**
30. T Davis
"One day Homey will break all the chains
then he'll fly away
but until that day
Homey don't play...I said sing the damn song!!
very good children, you actually put a smile on Homey's face
LOL!! By far THE best show of the 90's when it came to comedy, no doubt!!"

****
2013
31. jay trix
"that kid in the striped shirt has on the orginal air jordan cement 4s owwwwww"

**
32. Matt Lipton
"Thumbs up if you looked this up after seeing this on the Fox 25th Annversary special."
-snip-
The "In Living Color" series aired nationally on the Fox channel.

**
33. freshPrincess626
"lol, yup, exactly. we used to say it all the time at school, too."
-snip-
This comment refers to the "Homey don't play dat" saying.

****
2014
34. Superman hero
"Homey the clown is played by damon wayans"

**
35. Shaun1gza
"HOMEY HOMEY HOMEY HOMEY HOMEY....(BOOOMM)...u betta sit down. I fell to the floor laughing my ass off. The funniest tv show ever."

**
36. tt336100
"Why are the actors playing the children adults?"

**
Reply
37. Vicki EastVan
"If you've watched any episodes of "In living in colour" you'd understand why kids are not part of the show lol.

**
Reply
38. KC DA MOST
"And it wouldn't sit well with adults to see little kids hit in the head with a tennis ball filled sock that's why they have adults playing the kids"

**
39. Cameron cole
"girl: Do a silly clown dance for us!!!
Homie: Degrade myself huh. *Smacks girl* I dont think so. Homie dont play that! LMFAO!!!"

**
40. skbwolverine
"I had a 'Homey don't play dat' t-shirt when I was a kid. Oh, the memories. lol."

**
41. burx18
"The good ole days I remember stayin up late with my bro watching this show"

**
42. Justin Widle
"This one single sketch is better than most anything SNL has done in 25 years. #BringHomieBack
-snip-
SNL = long running United States comedy sketch series "Saturday Night Live"

****
2015
43. Mojebi
"This is racist as f&&k*...thumbs up anyway made me laugh hard. "
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

**
44. MusicFanatic1958
"115 people feel totally dissed by Homey"
-snip-
"115 people" probably refers to the number of people who gave that video a "thumbs down" rating as of the time of that comment's posting. Here are the statistics for this video as of June 6, 9:30 pm EDT [around the time of the publication of this pancocojams post:

2,357,775 [total number of views]

thumbs up - 9,221; thumbs down- 264

total number of comments - 790

**
45. sluggotg
"AAAH yes, I remember the introduction of Homey D. Clown..... I knew exactly what I would be hearing the next day, from My Black Buddy who worked for me in The Navy... and yes he, (Legaurd), Hammered me with Homey D. Clown references from then on. But it was all in good fun! I miss this show and my friends at SIMA Alemeda! Absolute Classic TV!"

**
46. Lindsay W
"Is it sad I only know of homie the clown because of Drake? Lol."
-snip-
Drake is a Black Canadian rapper.

Read comment #49 below that also refers to Homey D. Clown being mentioned in rap music.

****
2016
47. Nick Diel1
"Homey for president"

**
Reply
48. Tyrone Thompson
"Nick Diel heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell yeah! better than trump! cause homey don't play dat! he sho nuff don't play dat!"

**
49. Yoda on DMT
"This explains a few rap verses that reference this for those of us that didn't get american channels or internet back then."

**
Ryan Laustsen
"homey da man"
-snip-
"Da man" (the man) probably means something like "the ruler"/"the best".

****
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Categories: African American folk sayings African American television shows African American Vernacular English American politics Comey don't play that

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The REAL Meaning Of The Saying "Comey Don't Play That" (with source information & examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides a definition and examples of the saying "Comey don't play that".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and political purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/homey-dont-play-that-in-living-color-s.html for the related pancocojams post ""Homey Don't Play That" - In Living Color 's Homey D. Clown's Birthday Party Comedy Sketch".

****
WHAT "DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"[Person's name] don't play that" is a statement that is made regarding a suggested action or idea which is rejected because acting that way would be contrary to or beneath that person's values, lifestyle, image, and/or dignity.
-snip-
Hat tip to this urban dictionary poster for this definition of which helped me conceptualize what "[person's name] don't play means:
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=homey%20don%27t%20play%20that
"homey don't play that

A disagreement or protest to a suggested idea or action.
Carlton said, "Let's watch American Idol!", and Will was like, "Homey don't play that."
by colin April 05, 2005

****
WHAT "COMEY DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"Comey don't play" is an adapted form of the 1990 saying "Homey don't play that".

"Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play dat") is the signature saying for "Homey D. Clown", a recurring character on the 1990s African American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. Homey D. Clown frequently said "Homey don't play that" when asked to do something that he considered beneath his dignity or his lifestyle.

In contrast to Homey D. Clown, other people and not James Comey himself have used the saying "Comey don't play that" as the titles of news articles and videos or within news articles and videos among other usages). The saying "Comey don't play that" appears to usually reflect the perception that James Comey has refused or is refusing to do something that is against his principles (values). As such, "Comey don't play that" is a usually complimentary statement about former acting Attorney General and now former FBI Director James Comey.

It's my sense that "Comey don't play that" did not originally mean �[James] Comey isn't playing games� or "Comey is serious [about something or another.]" That said, one or both of those meanings may be simultaneous implied in early or current usages of this saying along with the original African American Vernacular English meaning of "___ don't play that" which is given above.
-snip-
Information about the character "Homey D. Clown" is given in the Addendum below.

****
AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH TERMS AND GRAMMAR IN THESE SAYINGS
The sayings "Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play da.") and "Comey don't play that" use African American Vernacular English grammar and vernacular.

"Homey" is a form of the words "home boy" which means a male from your neighborhood or, by extension, a male from your city, state, or nation. "Homey" could also be used for females (i.e. "home girl"), although it appears to me that this feminine usage was/is much less frequently found than the masculine usage.

The word "don't" is used in these African American Vernacular English constructed sentences instead of the standard American English word "doesn't".

In the context of both the sayings "Homey don't play that" and "Comey don't play that" the word "play" simply means "to do" [something]".

Here's an urban dictionary.com entry that gives this definition of "play" [Note that this urban dictionary definition is one of many other vernacular meanings for "play", and some of them may not be suitable for
children].

From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=play&page=3
"play
doin it
we playin
by true playa April 24, 2003"

**
Therefore, "Homey don't play" means that "Homey doesn't do [something specific.]" or "Homey won't do [something specific]". When the person himself (or herself) says those words, he (or she) means "I won't do that [thing that is specified]."

Another African American Vernacular English ways of saying "I don't play that" is "I'm not down with that". "I'm not down with that" later was shortened to "I'm not with that".

****
[PARTIAL] TIMELINE FOR THE SAYING "COMEY DON'T PLAY THAT"
May 17, 2017 - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart episode (Season 12, Episode 0).

Here's my partial transcription of a video of this episode
From http://www.cc.com/video-clips/xupj3c/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-comey-don-t-play-that

[portion 1:52 to 2:53]
..."But McNulty is only one of Gonzales� deputies that is making headlines. McNulty�s predecessor testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee about a 2004 incident involving then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, President Bush�s secret White House wiretap program, and John Ashcroft�s inflamed pancreas.

[audience laugh]. If that didn�t get your attention, well. [audience laughs] You�re going to love this story.

Back in 2004 the Department of Justice, headed up by acting Attorney General James Comey, loyal Republican, decided that the President�s national security domestic wiretapping program was ah�.-What�s the opposite of constitutional? Um�[audience laughs] � UNCONSTITUTIONAL! And Comey would not renew the program.

But the President no likey that. [audience laughs]

Now Comey was sitting in for the acting attorney general John Ashcroft because Ashcroft was uh- What�s the word for �nearly comatose?� NEARLY COMATOSE [audience laughs] in the hospital recovering from gall bladder surgery.

What comes next will blow your mind"...

**
June 18, 2013 - https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/06/18/comey-dont-play-that/ " Comey Don�t Play That
How Obama's pick to lead the FBI tried to put the brakes on the NSA's surveillance dragnet." BY MARC AMBINDER


**
September 1, 2015 - https://www.amazon.com/Comey-Dont-Play-That-T-shirt/dp/B072LT2CZ9
"Comey Don't Play That T-shirt
Funny James Comey T Shirt- Comey Don't Play That T-shirt

[...]

Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2015"

**
May 30, 2017 - https://untappd.com/b/defiant-brewing-co-comey-don-t-play-that/2121133
"Comey Don't Play That
Defiant Brewing Co.
Pale Ale - American"
-snip-
I think that this is a "made up" name of beer.

**
June 8, 2017 - various news articles about former FBI Director James Comey's testimony under oath at the televised open hearing of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee

There are multiple examples of online news articles with the title "Comey Don't Play That", including this article:

From http://www.mediaite.com/tv/comey-dont-play-that-van-jones-says-comey-is-basically-running-d-c-now/ "�Comey Don�t Play That!� Van Jones Says Comey Is �Basically Running D.C.� Now" by Justin Baragona | 10:49 pm, June 8th, 2017 [excerpt]
"I am truly shocked that this phrase hadn�t gotten any play before tonight.

While discussing today�s much-hyped Senate testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, CNN political commentator Van Jones explained that since Comey is no longer the head of the FBI, he now can go right after President Donald Trump. And, thus, he is no longer playing.

�The big story here is that Trump is [sic] completely lost control of this town and of the narrative,� Jones stated. �And the guy he thought he had swiped off the board is basically running D.C.!�

He continued, �Basically Comey is saying, �Comey don�t play that. Comey don�t play that! I�m not even the FBI director!'�...
-snip-
There's also at least one YouTube video with that title of a portion of that Senate hearing.

Comey don't play that.



Adam Longo Published on Jun 8, 2017
-snip-
Please add any pre-2017 examples of the saying "Comey Don't Play That" in the comment section below. Thanks!

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ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES "IN LIVING COLOR" AND THE CHARACTER "HOMEY D. CLOWN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Living_Color
"In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990,[1] to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and was taped at stage 7 at the Fox Television Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The title of the series was inspired by the NBC announcement of broadcasts being presented "in living color" during the 1960s, prior to mainstream color television. It also refers to the fact that most of the show's cast were black, unlike other sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live whose casts are mostly white. It was controversial due to the Wayans' decision to portray African-American humor from the ghetto in a time when mainstream American tastes regarding black comedy had been set by more upscale shows such as The Cosby Show, causing an eventual feud for control between Fox executives and the Wayans."...

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In_Living_Color_sketches
"Homey D. Clown � Damon Wayans plays an ex-con who works as a clown (real name Herman Simpson) for his parole agreement, but lashes out at anyone (usually by hitting them on the head with a sock full of pennies) who attempts to make him perform the standard antics of the role - "I don't think so! Homey don't play that!". His goal in life is to get even with "The Man", a personification of the white males who are "holding him down". Near the end of most sketches, Homey would lead a group of children (played by the cast members) in a call and response sing-along, which would end with him degenerating into a rant, then intimidating the children into repeating after him. Homey was also the first, and only, In Living Color character to get his own video game.[2]"
-snip-
The letter "D" in the name "Homey D Clown" stands for "da" = "the".

**
In Living Color's Homey D. Clown character served as the inspiration for the name of The Simpsons character Krusty The Clown.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homie_the_Clown
" "Homie the Clown" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 12, 1995. In the episode, Homer becomes a Krusty the Clown impersonator, but is mistaken for the real Krusty by the Springfield Mafia. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas guest starred as themselves.

[...]

Cultural references
The episode's title is reference to the character Homey D. Clown from the sketch comedy show In Living Color.�...

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American televisions programs African American Vernacular English American politics American sayings American television shows Homey don't play that YouTube viewer comment threads

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Lloyd Price & Little Richard - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (information, lyrics, YouTube examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about and lyrics for the hit 1952 Rhythm & Blues song "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy".

This post also showcases a sound file of Lloyd Price singing his composition "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and a video of Lloyd Price & Little Richard performing that song.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Lloyd Price and Little Richard for their musical legacies. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
The subject of this post was inspired by former FBI Director James Comey's "Lordy, I hope there are tapes" statement during his Senate Intelligence hearing (June 8, 2017). That statement was in reference to Donald Trump's tweet that he taped the dinner conversation that he had with Comey in January 2017.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-calls-for-release-of-memos-possible-recordings-of-white-house-conversations/

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "LAWDY MISS CLAWDY
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawdy_Miss_Clawdy
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is a rhythm and blues song by New Orleans singer/songwriter Lloyd Price that "grandly introduced The New Orleans Sound".[1] It was first recorded by Price in 1952 with Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew during his first session for Art Rupe and Specialty Records. The song became one of the biggest selling R&B records of 1952 and crossed over to other audiences. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" inspired many songs and has been recorded by a variety of artists.

Background
While still in high school, Lloyd Price was working for New Orleans radio station WBOK.[2] He provided jingles (music for radio advertisements) for various products, including those hawked by disc jockey James "Okey Dokey" Smith. One of Smith's catch phrases was "Lawdy Miss Clawdy",[3] which he used in ad slogans such as "Lawdy Miss Clawdy, eat Mother's Homemade Pies and drink Maxwell House coffee!"[4] Price's accompanying tune proved popular with the radio audience and he developed it into a full-length song.[2]...

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" follows an eight-bar blues progression and has been notated in 12/8 time in the key of A?.[9] The song's melody is derived from Fats Domino's 1950 hit "The Fat Man",[10] which he explained "came from an ol' blues tune called "Junkers Blues".[11] Price's song also features most of the same backing musicians as Domino's song.[12]...

Releases and charts
Specialty Records released "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in April 1952 and on May 17, 1952 it entered Billboard's R&B chart, staying there a total of 26 weeks.[13] The song reached number one, where it spent seven weeks.[13] According to Art Rupe, the single sold nearly one million copies and record distributors reported that it was selling well outside of the usual R&B market,[5] but it did not appear in Billboard's pop charts.[13] "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was also one of the top records for 1952 and the 1950s decade.[14]"...

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LYRICS- LAWDY MISS CLAWDY
(music and lyrics by Lloyd Price)

Well now lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Clawdy
Girl, you sure look good to me
Well, please don't excite me baby
Know it can't be me

Because I gave you all my money
Girl, but you just won't treat me right
You like to ball in the mornin'
Don't come back till late at night

I'm gonna tell, tell my mama
Girl I'm gonna tell what you doing to me
I'm gonna tell everybody
That I'm down in misery

Well lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Clawdy
Girl you sure look good to me
You just wheel and rockin' baby
Just as fine as you can be

Well so bye, bye-bye, baby
Girl, I won't be comin' no more
Bye darlin', I'm dying
Down the road I go

Source: https://genius.com/Lloyd-price-lawdy-miss-clawdy-lyrics
-snip-
"Lawdy" is an African American Vernacular English form of the word "Lord" (meaning "God"). In the context of this song, "Lawdy" means "My Lord" and "My Lord" means "My Goodness".

"Clawdy" is probably a nickname for "Claudine".

I can recall saying -and hearing other people say - "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" when I (and they) really meant "Oh, my goodness" or a profane way of saying the same thing.

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YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Lloyd Price "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"



blacksoul1969, Uploaded on Apr 15, 2008

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is a song by Lloyd Price. It was first recorded by Price at the New Orleans recording studio of Specialty Records in March of 1952. It was released under the Specialty label in April and was number one on the Billboard rhythm and blues chart for seven weeks and stayed on the chart for six months. An 8-bar blues with a rolicking piano backup, with the words written by Price, but the melody adapted from the older Junker Blues (Champion Jack Dupree, 1941), it became the biggest rhythm and blues hit of the year and sold over one million copies by crossing over to the white record-buying market. It was the first hit from New Orleans to be accepted into rock and roll.The word lawdy means lord.
-snip-
This is a re-recording of the original song which may be from the 1970s (as indicated in a comment from another clip of this same song.) Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYNluUqmJew for a sound file of the original record which is rather scratchy.

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Example #2: Little Richard & Lloyd Price - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Live 1994)



James Power Published on Aug 18, 2014

Words & Music by Lloyd Price (1952)

Broadcast: March 23, 1994

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Categories: African American Rhythm and Blues American politics Little Richard Lloyd Price

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Protest Chants At Two "March For Truth" Marches (June 3, 2017)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a video of June 3, 2017 "March For Truth" marches in New York City and in Chicago, Illinois as a means of documenting the unison chants and the call & response chants that were said at these marches.

Some editorial comments about these marches and about these chants are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for socio-political and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who marched for the truth. Thanks also to all who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series about protest chants.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/01/protest-chants-from-womens-march-on.html for a pancocojams post on "Protest Chants From The Women's March On Washington & From Sister Marches (January 21, 2017)".

Click the "protest chants" tag for other posts in this series and compare the examples of protest chants in those posts with the examples of protest chants in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
Why this blog includes posts on protest chants
Pancocojams is a blog that focuses on examples of African American culture and examples of other Black cultures throughout the world. Some people may therefore ask why this blog includes posts on protest chants, particularly when there appears to be very few Black people or other people of color at the protest marches that are shown in video tapes which are embedded in this blog's posts.

My interest in protest chants began with a focus on documenting the types of chants that African Americans used in the 1960s and the chants that African Americans use now. However, my interest has expanded to include the documentation of other examples of protest chants, particularly in the United States, regardless of the race or ethnicity of those people using those chants.

Part of my interest in documenting protest chants is to note how the words to chants that were used by African Americans (and others) in the 1960s might be used now. But as a self-identified community folklorist, I also am interested in documenting the chants as folkloric artifacts.

If you know other examples of chants that were used in June 3, 2017 "March for Truth" marches, please add them in the comment section below along with demographic information (city/state) and information about the type of chant (i.e. "unison" or "call & response"). Thanks!

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Why these two videos are showcased
These two videos were selected from a much smaller "pool" of possible videos than I had expected. I was most interested in videos of June 3, 2017 Marc For Truth marches and not rallies, but the few videos that were published were mostly of rallies. Other March For Truth videos either focused on protesters' signs or were very brief. I finally selecting that New York City video and that Chicago video even though more than half of that video featured a rally.

The visual quality of the two videos that are showcased in this post aren't that good. However, I'm most interested in the audio than in the visual aspects of these videos.

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General comments about the two showcase videos
The New York City video only showed a small segment of the marchers. The Chicago video seemed to show a larger cross section of the marchers, including people who were marching in the beginning of that procession. It seemed to me that all the marchers who were shown in both of these videos were White- with the exception of one Black male drummer in the Chicago video.

The marchers who were shown in the New York video were young adults, middle aged, and older- including one elderly female marcher who was holding a walker in front of her. The marchers who were shown in the Chicago group appeared to be younger as a whole than the New York City marchers. That Chicago video showed a few children in that march and at least one woman was shown pushing a baby stroller.

In the New York video some drummers could be heard. In the Chicago video, a cadre of about three drummers were close to the front of the protest march along with a number of people carrying large American flags and one rainbow colored gay pride flag. All of those drummers were young adult men and one of the drummers (who appeared to be White) played a two headed West African drum that I think was a "sangban".

All of my following comments refer to both of these featured videos:

As is standard for American protest marches, people participating in those marches actually "walked" -not "marched" in the middle of the street. Note the difference between this type of movement and the "toyi toyi" dance like movement used by Black South Africans at their protest marches https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/toyi-toyi-south-african-protest-dance.html

Some marchers hold hand made signs and a few held small American flags. I saw no commercially made signs in either of these videos. Most of the signs were head in the marchers hands, and weren't mounted on sticks.

Most of the chants were repeated throughout the video. Chants used by one group of marchers often overlapped chants used by another group of marchers. It appeared that the chants weren't planned or even that [all of] the chant callers weren't chosen ahead of time. Rather, a person with a loud voice started whatever chant that he or she wanted to, and the group around that person joined in that chant for how ever long the chant "lived". At times, some marchers clapped their hands in accompaniment while they chanted. And sometimes, when a chant ended, the marchers who had been chanting would stand in place, and some of them clapped (for themselves), yelled "Whoo!" and/or blew whistles, or otherwise made celebratory sounds.

Most of the chants were demanding or declarative chants (in favor of something) rather than actually protesting a particular issue, law, event, or position. An example of a demanding/declarative chant is "Tell me what democracy looks like/This is what democracy looks like". Another example of a demanding/declarative chant is "Stand up!/Fight Back!". That said, a declarative chant such as ""Say it loud/Say it clear/Immigrants are welcome here." might also be considered a protest chant in that you are declaring your opposition to something [such as Trump's travel ban].

An example of a protest chant is "Hey He Ho Ho/Donald Trump has got to go". Another example of a protest chant is "No Trump/No KKK/No Fascist USA".

The term "celebratory" that I used earlier is an apt description of how these marches appeared to me. Both of these protest marches- but particularly the Chicago march- reminded me a lot of parades. My sense was that even though the participants seemed determined and committed to their cause/s, they also were much more celebratory than civil rights t protesters usually were or than the South African protesters were whose videos that I referred to earlier. Participants in these two March For Truth videos-and in the January 2017 Women's Marches throughout the United States- don't appear to be concerned or anxious about the possibility of arrests or physical consequences from the police-(who were present at those two March For Truth protest marches almost in what appeared to be an escort role). Nor do the participants in the March 3, 2017 protest marches appear to be concerned about the possibility of retaliation from any onlookers. And that's a good thing.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: March For Truth front of Manhattan



Trending Live, Published on Jun 3, 2017 [38.40 minutes long]
-snip-
These chants are given in the order of their appearance in the video, with time stamps given to the first time that the chant is used and perhaps some other times that it is chanted. The type of chant (unison or call & response and the time the chant appears in the video are given in brackets. My comments about the chant are given in italics.

I've numbered these chants for referencing purposes only.

1. unison chant-[begins around .051 in the video]
"Hey hey
Ho Ho
Donald Trump has got to go"
-snip-
Another form of this "Hey Hey Ho Ho" chant was used around 19:18 in this video.
"Hey hey ho ho treason lies have got to go."

**
2. [call & response chant begins around 1:46]

Call: "[indecipherable] are under attack, what do you do?"
Response - "Stand up. Fight back"

This pattern repeats several times with the first part indecipherable. I think one of the calls is

Call -�When the constitution is under attack what do we do?
Response: "Stand up. Fight back."

This line is heard much clearer

When our LGBTQ folks attending a concert are under attack, what do we do?
Response: Stand up. Fight back"
-snip-
This chant was used other times in this video. Other examples of this chant were:
[around 7:56 in the video]
Call - "When democracy is under attack what do we do?"
Response - "Stand Up, Fight back".

[another form of this chant that begins around 8:19]
Call - "What do we do when we�re under attack?"
Response- "Stand up fight back."

**
3. [unison chant, begins around 4:23]
"The people united will never be defeated."

**
4. [unison chant begins around 5:41]
"What�s the truth? We want the truth. We want the truth."
one person chants this, but the chant doesn't "take", i.e. no one else chants along and the person who began the chant stops chanting..

**
5. [call & response chant, begins around 6:08]
Call- "Tell me what democracy looks like."
Response- "This is what democracy looks like."

repeat these words several times and then change the words to something else such as those below

Call- "Show me what America looks like"
Response "This is what America looks like"

Call - "Show me what New York City looks like"*
Response- "This is what New York City looks like".*
-snip-
Later in the video, someone figured out that "New York City" was too many words to maintain the beat, and so that was changed to "New York", which works much better.

**
6. [call & response chant, begins around 6:36]
Call-"Whose democracy?"
Response- "Our democracy"

**
7. [call & response chant, begins around 7:15}
Call- "Whose planet?"
Response - "Our planet"

**
8. [unison chant, 9:01]
"Truth. Not lies"

**
9. [call & response chant, around 10:10]
Call- 'We want the truth."
Response- "Show us the truth."
-snip-
The second line was also given in this video as "Tell us the truth".

**
10. [call & response, 16:00 in this video]
Call - "Stand up!"
Response- "Fight Back!"
-snip-
This form of the "Fight back" chant appeared to me to be the most often used chant in this video. Note its other form that is given as #2 above.

**
11. [unison chant, around 20:00 unison chant
"Resist! Resist! Resist!"

**
12. [unison chant, around 20:53]
"Say it loud
Say it clear
Immigrants are welcome here."

These words was repeated several times, then that group of marchers chanted

"Say it loud.
Say it clear
Muslims are welcome here."

**
13. unison chant, around 26:13]
"USA! USA! USA!"

**
14. [unison chant, around 26:35]
"We will not go away
Welcome to your everyday."

**
15. unison chant, 34:40
"No hate
No fear
Immigrants are welcome here"

****
Example #2: Anti-Donald Trump protesters gather for a "March for Truth" rally in Chicago



Mrs Ann Published on Jun 3, 2017
-snip-
The actual march begins around 39:11 in this video.

These chants are given in the order of their appearance in the video, with time stamps given to the first time that the chant is used. The type of chant (unison or call & response and the time the chant appears in the video are given in brackets. My comments about the chant are given in italics.

I've numbered these chants for referencing purposes only.

1. [unison chant around 39:13 in this video]
"No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA
-snip-
As part of this chant was indecipherable to me, I googled "no trump no kkk chant" to find out the missing word or words to this chant. Here's what I found:
From https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/shortcuts/2017/jan/31/no-trump-no-kkk-no-fascist-usa-green-day-punk-chant-protest-soundtrack
"�No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!� � the punk chant that soundtracks the protests
A 1980s protest against racism in Texas has been brought back to life � and on to the streets � with help from Green Day

Dorian Lynskey
Tuesday 31 January 2017 08.31 EST Last modified on Friday 19 May 2017 09.49 EDT
There were many chants at the anti-Trump demonstration outside Downing Street on Monday night, but one was particularly satisfying. It has a bracing staccato energy, like a weaponised cheerleader chant, and it has already been heard at protests across the US: �No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!� Try it. It feels good.

The chant�s popularity took off at the American Music awards last November, 12 days after the US election. Midway through a furious performance of their single Bang Bang, the politically minded band Green Day broke the song down to a tense dirge and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong barked the chant six times. �We didn�t rehearse it,� he said later. �We�re just as much in shock as everybody else is about this.� He also clarified that the chant originated more than 30 years earlier with the band MDC."
-end of quote-

**
2. [unison chant, around 44:31]
"Hey Hey
Ho Ho
Donald Trump has got to go"
-snip-
This chant was repeated at 46.37.

**
3. [call & response chant, 45:23]
Call - "Tell me what democracy looks like"
Response - "This is what democracy looks like"
-snip-
These words were chanted for some time without any other "verses".

**
4. [call and response] Sorry I didn't write down the time for this chant
Caller � "What do we want?"
Response- Truth !
Caller � When do we want it?
Response � Now!"
-snip-
This chant has the same pattern as the 1960s civil rights chant "What do we want?/ Freedom!/When do we want it?/ Now!"

**
5. [unison chant] Sorry I didn't write down the time for this chant
"Hands too small
Can�t build the wall"
-snip-
Hands too small" refers to Donald Trump."

Some chanters clapped along with this chant.

**
6. [call & response chant, around 54:36]
Call � a man�s voice "Her body. Her choice."
Response � "Her body. Her choice."
-snip-
This chant is in support of a female's right to birth control.

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Categories: American politics protest chants

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The Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out (information & video)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams provides information about and a video of The Baha Men's Soca hit Soca song "Who Let The Dogs Out". A hyperlink to the lyrics for this song is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to The Baha Men for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "WHO LET THE DOGS OUT"
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Let_the_Dogs_Out%3F
""Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song performed by Bahamian group of the Baha Men, released as a single on July 26, 2000. Originally written by Anslem Douglas (titled "Doggie") for the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival season of 1998,[1] it was covered by producer Jonathan King under the name Fat Jakk and his Pack of Pets. He brought the song to the attention of his friend Steve Greenberg, who then had the Baha Men cover the song. The song became the band's first hit in the United Kingdom and the United States, and it gained popularity after appearing in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and its soundtrack album.

The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, as well as topping the charts in Australia and New Zealand, and peaked within the top forty of the charts in the United States. It was Britain's fourth biggest-selling single of 2000, and went on to become one of the highest-selling singles of the decade not to reach number-one. The track went on to win the Grammy for Best Dance Recording on the 2001 Grammy Awards. It was the subject of a major lawsuit over copyright ownership that was settled.[1]"

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Excerpt #2
From http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1099
"Who Let The Dogs Out"
...["Who Let The Dogs Out"] was written by Anslem Douglas, a musician from Trinidad who wrote it two years before The Baha Men recorded it - his original version is called "Doggie." Various versions were hits in the Caribbean, but The Baha Men toned down the calypso rhythm to make it more appealing to American listeners.

We have yet to meet someone who can remember any words to this song other than the chorus, which is: "Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof." The song does have verses and even a hint of meaning - the lyrics are about disrespectful men who hit on women at a party....

Considering what a sensation this song was in America, it had a surprisingly low chart position, peaking at just #40....

The title became a popular catch phrase in America when it was used in the 2000 World Series between the Mets and Yankees. At one point, an exasperated reporter who was sick of hearing the same questions over and over asked Yankees manager Joe Torre if he knew who let the dogs out.
This caused a spat with the Seattle Mariners baseball team, which was the first pro franchise to put the song in rotation. Catcher Joe Oliver was using it as his theme music, but shortstop Alex Rodriguez wanted it for himself. Rodriguez got his way because he was the star. The next year, Rodriquez signed a record $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers....

This is very popular with kids. It won Favorite Song at the 2001 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, and the following year Baha Men won for Favorite Band.
Shortly before Baha Men recorded this song, their lead singer, Nehemiah Hield, left the group. Steve Greenberg and his team went to the Bahamas to hold tryouts, and found three young singers to add to the band. These guys provided a more video-friendly look for the group, and their youthful energy came in handy when they had to travel the world performing this song over and over.

This won the 2000 Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

This was used in the 2000 movie Rugrats In Paris - the deal was made before the song became a hit. Other films that have used the song include:

Rat Race (2001)
Bubble Boy (2001)
Men in Black II (2002)
The Hangover (2009)

[...]

Baha Men are one-hit wonders in America, but wildly popular in their home country of the Bahamas, where their upbeat tunes exhibit the friendly, relaxed nature of the islands. "Who Let The Dogs Out" has a Caribbean sound, but many of their other songs are distinctly Bahamian, with junkanoo rhythms formed by goat-skinned drums, whistles and horns. The group prides themselves on live performance, but had a hard time showing their skills in the "Dog" days."...

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Excerpt #3
From http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1099
"Your grandma. Your old Sunday school teacher. The annoying lady at work. Everyone knows �Who Let the Dogs Out.� The Baha Men�s roots date back to the late 1970s when they were originally known as High Voltage. Despite their name and roots, the group was actually formed in England. They finally hit it big in 2000 with their cover of this song written in by Anslem Douglas. Not only was it the best-selling soca song of all time and one of the biggest songs of any variety in 2000, but it�s retained its place in pop culture ( by turning up in countless movies and TV shows since that time."

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Excerpt #4
From http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2012/07/Remembering-the-Time-Mitt-Romney-Speak-Sung-Who-Let-the-Dogs-Out REMEMBERING THE TIME MITT ROMNEY SPEAK-SUNG �WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?� BY JULI WEINER
JULY 11, 2012
..."A few years ago, when [Republican Mitt Romney* uncomfortably interacted with another group of black voters, he asked, inexplicably, �Who let the dogs out?� and then barked, like in the song. It�s impossible to give more context because there just isn�t any.
-snip-
Willard "Mitt" Romney was the nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDwwAaVmnf4 for a January 2008 video of Mitt Romney saying "Who let the dogs out". A 2012 article about then Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney indicates that "[he] once tried to appeal to a group of black kids at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade by singing the refrain of �Who Let the Dogs Out.� http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/11/african-americans-nowhere-to-be-found-in-romney-s-orbit "African Americans Nowhere To Be Found In Romney�s Orbit" by Ben Jacobs and Harry Siegel, 04.11.12

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SHOWCASE VIDEO- Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out (Original version)



Karan Thakur Uploaded on Jul 23, 2010

all time fav claassic song!
-snip-
The chorus of this song is
"Who let the dogs out {woof, woof, woof, woof}
Who let the dogs out {woof, woof, woof, woof}
Who let the dogs out {woof, woof, woof, woof}
Who let the dogs out {woof, woof, woof, woof}"
-snip-
Click http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bahamen/wholetthedogsout.html for the complete lyrics for this song.

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Categories: American politics Bahamas music and dance Soca music

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