West Point Aggie said:
Just like no one in San Antonio has been able to explain to me why Bexar is pronounced Bear, having read the words to their little tune, I can't seem to get why it is "racist"
Faux rage?
I've posted this elsewhere; might as well share it here.
The argument that the phrase, "The Eyes of Texas are upon you" is racist because it derived from Robert E Lee, who was president of what is now Washington & Lee College, told his students, "The Eyes of the South are upon you," is pure kindergarten level logic. Lee's statement wasn't racist, nor was it racist for the t.u. president to paraphrase it. The words have nothing to do with white supremacy.
Having said that, the origin of the song is another matter altogether. I had always known the story about the origin of the song, as coming from a "minstrel show," but I really hadn't thought much about what that meant until looking into this recently. Even the tune it's based on, "I've been working on the railroad," which sounds completely innocuous as people sing it today, originated from minstrel shows the main feature of which was lampooning the assumed lethargy and lack of intelligence among black people. Look at the original lyrics to "I've Been Working on the Railroad" from 1894:
(SOLO) I once did know a girl named Grace--
(QUARTET) I'm wukkin' on de levee;
(SOLO) She done brung me to dis sad disgrace
(QUARTET) O' wukkin' on de levee.
I been wukkin' on de railroad
All de livelong day,
I been wukkin' on de railroad
Ter pass de time away.
Doan' yuh hyah de whistle blowin'?
Ris up, so uhly in de mawn;
Doan' yuh hyah de cap'n shouin',
"Dinah, blow yo' hawn?
"Sing a song o' the city;
Roll dat cotton bale;
N****** aint half so happy
As when he's out o' jail
Norfolk foh its oystahshells,
Boston foh its beans,
Chahleston foh its rice an' cawn,
But foh n*******
New Awleens.
Now, in that context, imagine what the first performance of the "The Eyes of Texas" was really like. A few pictures to help you visualize it.
Of course, just like I've been working on the railroad is no longer performed that way, neither is the eyes of Texas. The arrangement played by the band is so pompous and pretentious, it could hardly be further removed from its original parody setting. So, is that enough to take the taint off of it? Thankfully, that's not my problem. There's nothing racist about how the song is performed, now, but can you separate that from it's origin story, which, I think you must concede absolutely was racist.
