Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Woody Lane via Callers]

Historically, a lot has changed. Take the traditional singing square 
"Marching Through Georgia." Does anyone really think the original song 
is about ambling with friends along a quiet country road near Atlanta?


I have a thin 1989 book "Just One More Dance" by Carole Howard. It lists 
scores of filler calls for Western Squares. A very wide range of filler 
calls. Some would be great today, but others, well  . . . Some examples:


"Buckskin breeches and calico dress
Let's head out to the cider press."

"Bite his ear and twist his tail,
Swing your honey, and home you sail."

"Grab that girl and kiss her twice,
Hurry up boys, here comes your wife."

"Promenade Rose, Promenade Myrtle,
Promenade the gal with the busted girdle."

"Spank them kids, listen to them squall.
Swing the opposite across the hall."

"Swing your partner and how-dee-do,
If I had a pistol, I'd shoot you."

"Allemande left like a broken hinge,
Grand right and left like a drunk on a binge."

"Good girls walk and bad girls ride,
Come on girls, my car's outside."

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Political correctness? H. How many of us would call these phrases 
today? Times have changed a bit, and so have our cultures and sensitivities.


I agree with Tom -- call the best you can, with respect; appreciate and 
respect but don't worry about the words of others. We are artists, not 
plumbers.


Woody



On 3/25/2018 10:36 AM, Yoyo Zhou via Callers wrote:

It looks like this is the version Rich is referring to:
http://www.ceder.net/recorddb/viewsingle.php?RecordId=1891

More background on the English folk song / sea shanty this American 
folk song is based on: 
https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/billyboy.html


In traditional songs things don't really have to work logically - for 
example, in this song, there's the lyric, "She's as tall as any pine, 
And as straight as a pumpkin vine." So the last verse of the song goes,


"How old may she be,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old may she be,
Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty eight and eleven,
She's a young thing,
And cannot leave her mother."

This, despite the questionable math, puts the refrain into a very 
ironic context.


My understanding of square dance singing calls is that many of them 
were set to popular music of the time (though I have no idea about 
this particular one). So if your audience was expected to know this 
song and the context behind the refrain, that would be one thing. 
Notably, though, the square dance-edited version is missing this 
context, and it adds the line"Promenade this pretty thing, won't you 
help me to sing" to the refrain, "She's a young thing, And cannot 
leave her mother"! So it'd be quite something else to hear this line 
on its own, which makes it sound like you should be promenading with 
your underage partners/corners.


There's no universal answer to "is this acceptable" because it depends 
on your "contra dance crowd" who is doing the accepting - this can 
vary widely between dances, even within the same city. You'll have to 
figure out if the dancers are ok with it as is, might be ok with it if 
you give them some background about the song before you do the 
walkthrough, or would not be ok even with that. However, I think 
you'll find a lot of other material is less objectionable to any 
audience (and you already have some intuition for this, since you 
asked the callers list about this one).


Yoyo Zhou

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 9:40 AM, Darwin Gregory via Callers 
> wrote:


If you are concerned about sexism alternate between she/her and
he/his.  

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 1:39 AM Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers
> wrote:

People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any
crowd.
Try your hand at some new lyrics!

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers
> wrote:


Hello folks,

I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is
one I love by Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that
is sung during the Promenade is "She's a young thing, that
cannot leave her mother."

Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a
square.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo


My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance
crowd with the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only
line that is sung.)

Any Thoughts?

Rich
Stafford, CT




___
List Name:  Callers mailing list

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Cara Sawyer via Callers]

I feel that the old dances, like old movies, shouldn’t be left in the dust 
because they are offensive in our modern context. Rather we can take them in 
their context, as a relic of an older day. 

I happen to LOVE the song Billy Boy, it was on a movie I saw as a child and was 
one of the few pieces of folk music I was exposed to as a child growing up in 
suburbia. “She’s a young thing” sounds endearing to me, though of course dated 
and somewhat archaic. It also just happens to be the way people talked them. 

We as callers can perhaps help moderate this, with an introduction that puts 
the dance in a context for the dancers where it is less offensive and more what 
in classical music is called a “period piece”- that is, a work that is 
performed with an understanding by all that it is a dated, but valuable piece 
of art that we can keep alive. 
My caution is to not throw the baby out with the bath water, whatever folks 
decide. 
Happy dancing!
Cara

> On Mar 25, 2018, at 19:22, Robert Livingston via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> I visited, more than once, an assisted living home, here in CT, to talk to a 
> prominent caller of "back in the day".
> He told of dancing as a teen.  So many young folks did then.  The call was 
> "swing her in the center and kiss her if you dare".
> He stammered and turned red as she poked fun at his shyness.  They both ended 
> up on the floor.  They became friends, not 
> dates; but he did take her to the Senior Ball, filling in for her steady 
> boyfriend, who for some reason, couldn't.
> 
>  I still call - by a lady's request - Girl I Left Behind Me: "swing that 
> girl, she's a cute little girl, swing that girl behind you - pass 
> right thru, and balance too" - her favorite!   Then there's "push her away 
> and watch her grin pull her right back and swing her again - 
> push her away and watch her smile - pull her right in and swing her awhile."  
> It comes up.
> 
> Singing calls are indigenous to the US.  And ubiquitous - back in the day of 
> my shy caller.
> 
> Bob Livingston
> Middletown, CT
> 
> On Sunday, March 25, 2018, 1:12:51 AM EDT, Rich Sbardella via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> 
> Hello folks,
> 
> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by 
> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the Promenade 
> is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
> 
> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
> 
> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with the 
> tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
> 
> Any Thoughts?
> 
> Rich
> Stafford, CT
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Robert Livingston via Callers]

 I visited, more than once, an assisted living home, here in CT, to talk to a 
prominent caller of "back in the day".He told of dancing as a teen.  So many 
young folks did then.  The call was "swing her in the center and kiss her if 
you dare".He stammered and turned red as she poked fun at his shyness.  They 
both ended up on the floor.  They became friends, not 
dates; but he did take her to the Senior Ball, filling in for her steady 
boyfriend, who for some reason, couldn't.
 I still call - by a lady's request - Girl I Left Behind Me: "swing that girl, 
she's a cute little girl, swing that girl behind you - pass 
right thru, and balance too" - her favorite!   Then there's "push her away and 
watch her grin pull her right back and swing her again - 
 push her away and watch her smile - pull her right in and swing her awhile."  
It comes up.
Singing calls are indigenous to the US.  And ubiquitous - back in the day of my 
shy caller.
Bob LivingstonMiddletown, CT

On Sunday, March 25, 2018, 1:12:51 AM EDT, Rich Sbardella via Callers 
 wrote:  
 
 Hello folks,
I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by Dick 
Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the Promenade is 
"She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo

My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with the 
tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
Any Thoughts?
RichStafford, CT___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
  ___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers]

Often people don’t speak up. It doesn’t mean they like the language. There 
aren’t very many dances that actively solicit feedback and even the ones that 
do don’t get it all the time. There are often callers or phrases that bother 
me. I very occasionally  tell the callers if they are friends of mine or the 
organizers if I know them. Otherwise, I just avoid those dances and callers. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 25, 2018, at 5:48 PM, John Freeman  wrote:
> 
> I have to agree with Tom. The only push back I have ever received was from 
> two female callers I helped get started. This was in the early 90s. I have 
> otherwise never had a complaint about calling singing square dances as they 
> have been traditionally called/sung. 
> 
> That said, I try to know my crowd before I accept a gig. A so-called 
> politically correct dance would likely not be my cup of whiskey. These days I 
> mostly call “barn dances” and "community dances”.  I have learn to adapt my 
> calls to each crowd. This has worked very well for me.
> 
> I only call to live music. This is a long-standing personal choice that has 
> certainly cost me many gigs. These days, I cannot expect most bands to know 
> the music for the singing square dances I grew up with.
> 
> Keep on dancing!
> 
> John B. Freeman, SFTPOCJ
> 
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[John Freeman via Callers]

I have to agree with Tom. The only push back I have ever received was from two 
female callers I helped get started. This was in the early 90s. I have 
otherwise never had a complaint about calling singing square dances as they 
have been traditionally called/sung. 

That said, I try to know my crowd before I accept a gig. A so-called 
politically correct dance would likely not be my cup of whiskey. These days I 
mostly call “barn dances” and "community dances”.  I have learn to adapt my 
calls to each crowd. This has worked very well for me.

I only call to live music. This is a long-standing personal choice that has 
certainly cost me many gigs. These days, I cannot expect most bands to know the 
music for the singing square dances I grew up with.

Keep on dancing!

John B. Freeman, SFTPOCJ

___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Yoyo Zhou via Callers]

It looks like this is the version Rich is referring to:
http://www.ceder.net/recorddb/viewsingle.php?RecordId=1891

More background on the English folk song / sea shanty this American folk
song is based on:
https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/billyboy.html

In traditional songs things don't really have to work logically - for
example, in this song, there's the lyric, "She's as tall as any pine, And
as straight as a pumpkin vine." So the last verse of the song goes,

"How old may she be,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old may she be,
Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty eight and eleven,
She's a young thing,
And cannot leave her mother."

This, despite the questionable math, puts the refrain into a very ironic
context.

My understanding of square dance singing calls is that many of them were
set to popular music of the time (though I have no idea about this
particular one). So if your audience was expected to know this song and the
context behind the refrain, that would be one thing. Notably, though, the
square dance-edited version is missing this context, and it adds the
line "Promenade
this pretty thing, won't you help me to sing" to the refrain, "She's a
young thing, And cannot leave her mother"! So it'd be quite something else
to hear this line on its own, which makes it sound like you should be
promenading with your underage partners/corners.

There's no universal answer to "is this acceptable" because it depends on
your "contra dance crowd" who is doing the accepting - this can vary widely
between dances, even within the same city. You'll have to figure out if the
dancers are ok with it as is, might be ok with it if you give them some
background about the song before you do the walkthrough, or would not be ok
even with that. However, I think you'll find a lot of other material is
less objectionable to any audience (and you already have some intuition for
this, since you asked the callers list about this one).

Yoyo Zhou

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 9:40 AM, Darwin Gregory via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> If you are concerned about sexism alternate between she/her and he/his.  
>
> On Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 1:39 AM Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <
> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd.
>> Try your hand at some new lyrics!
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
>> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>
>> Hello folks,
>>
>> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
>> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
>> Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>>
>> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>>
>> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
>> the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>>
>> Any Thoughts?
>>
>> Rich
>> Stafford, CT
>>
>> ___
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>> ___
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Darwin Gregory via Callers]

If you are concerned about sexism alternate between she/her and he/his.  

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 1:39 AM Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd.
> Try your hand at some new lyrics!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hello folks,
>
> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
> Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>
> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>
> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
> the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>
> Any Thoughts?
>
> Rich
> Stafford, CT
>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Mary Collins via Callers]

Rich,
I agree with Tom. This is one of the most traditional tunes I grew up with.
Isn't one of CDSS' objectives to promote and continue TRADITIONAL song...

I say leave it alone.

Mary

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 1:12 AM Rich Sbardella via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Hello folks,
>
> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
> Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>
> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>
> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
> the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>
> Any Thoughts?
>
> Rich
> Stafford, CT
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Rich Sbardella via Callers]

Yes Bob,

You are correct, but the tag line for each verse remains the same.  I would
have to find a word to replace  -young "thing".

I think perhaps it is a generational thing.  I have been calling this song
to my seniors who are about 75% women in their 70's and 80s and they sing
along.  No objections.  In fact many remember it as a child.  There are
certainly some contra venues where I would expect a similar response, but
others that would cringe.

"Such a sweet young thing" used to be a term of endearment for Ladies and
Gents, but times change.

In MWSD, boys and girls are the default role terms, and I called MWSD for
25 years.  However, I remember accidentally using the term girls in a
square for a contra community a few years back, and immediately after the
square, I had a dancer approach me and voice her concerns.

This is one of the reasons I posed the original question.

Peace,
Rich



On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 9:35 AM, Bob Hofkin via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

>
> If I recall the folk song, it's more satirical--she can bake a cherry pie
> and stuff, and turns out to be older than Billy lets on. See if you can't
> find lines in one of the versions that shift the focus.
>
> Bob
>
> On 3/25/2018 02:07, Don Veino via Callers wrote:
>
>> I've started doing singing squares over the past year and have been making
>> adjustments to lyrics for each one I do. So far the changes have been
>> relatively easy - mostly eliminating explicit gender and talking to
>> everyone whenever possible vs. a "talk to the (assumed) lead" focus.
>>
>> There are real challenges for me in some popular ones - for example,
>> despite the fun of the sequence, Smoke on the Water's
>> https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/1383 refrain's primary phrase
>> essentially amounts to "we'll kill 'em all" - as it's taken from a 1944
>> WWII song. I'm personally not ready to call that knowing the meaning and a
>> significant re-wording of the key refrain is not likely to go over well
>> with fans of the dance.
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 1:39 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <
>> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>
>> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd.
>>> Try your hand at some new lyrics!
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
>>> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello folks,
>>>
>>> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
>>> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
>>> Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>>>
>>> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>>>
>>> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
>>> the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>>>
>>> Any Thoughts?
>>>
>>> Rich
>>> Stafford, CT
>>>
>>> ___
>>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>>
>>>
>>> ___
>>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> ___
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Bob Hofkin via Callers]

If I recall the folk song, it's more satirical--she can bake a cherry 
pie and stuff, and turns out to be older than Billy lets on. See if you 
can't find lines in one of the versions that shift the focus.


Bob

On 3/25/2018 02:07, Don Veino via Callers wrote:

I've started doing singing squares over the past year and have been making
adjustments to lyrics for each one I do. So far the changes have been
relatively easy - mostly eliminating explicit gender and talking to
everyone whenever possible vs. a "talk to the (assumed) lead" focus.

There are real challenges for me in some popular ones - for example,
despite the fun of the sequence, Smoke on the Water's
https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/1383 refrain's primary phrase
essentially amounts to "we'll kill 'em all" - as it's taken from a 1944
WWII song. I'm personally not ready to call that knowing the meaning and a
significant re-wording of the key refrain is not likely to go over well
with fans of the dance.

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 1:39 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:


People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd.
Try your hand at some new lyrics!

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Hello folks,

I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."

Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo

My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)

Any Thoughts?

Rich
Stafford, CT

___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/


___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/






___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/



___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Tom Hinds via Callers]

In the land of freedom and rugged individualism I find that my choices in many 
realms of my life are being eaten away.

Go for it!   Call what you want and don't worry about what others are going to 
say.  For me the PC stuff has gone over board.  Calling is difficult enough 
without having to be paranoid about everything you say.  Yes always be 
respectful, not intentionally disrespectful.

I was surprised when calling at Glen Echo last Sunday.  I warned the crowd that 
I'll try not to use "gypsy" but having called for 35 years I may slip up.  The 
rolling of eyes and moaning etc. of practically all of the dancers told me that 
none of the dancers there give a hoot about gypsy and find the rule silly.  I 
respect the decisions of any dance community for setting guidelines etc but 
wonder how representative of the people some of these decisions are.

Tom Hinds



Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:39 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd. 
> Try your hand at some new lyrics! 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Hello folks,
>> 
>> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by 
>> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the Promenade 
>> is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>> 
>> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>> 
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>> 
>> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with the 
>> tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>> 
>> Any Thoughts?
>> 
>> Rich
>> Stafford, CT
>> ___
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Don Veino via Callers]

I've started doing singing squares over the past year and have been making
adjustments to lyrics for each one I do. So far the changes have been
relatively easy - mostly eliminating explicit gender and talking to
everyone whenever possible vs. a "talk to the (assumed) lead" focus.

There are real challenges for me in some popular ones - for example,
despite the fun of the sequence, Smoke on the Water's
https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/1383 refrain's primary phrase
essentially amounts to "we'll kill 'em all" - as it's taken from a 1944
WWII song. I'm personally not ready to call that knowing the meaning and a
significant re-wording of the key refrain is not likely to go over well
with fans of the dance.

On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 1:39 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <
callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd.
> Try your hand at some new lyrics!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <
> callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hello folks,
>
> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by
> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the
> Promenade is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>
> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>
> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with
> the tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>
> Any Thoughts?
>
> Rich
> Stafford, CT
>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

[Robert Golder via Callers]

Thus did Ophelia's suicide become merely an accidental drowning, thanks to 
Thomas Bowdler, who criticized Shakespeare for exposing his readers to "the 
danger of being hurt with any indelicacy of expression."

On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:39 AM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers 
 wrote:

> People are not things. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any crowd. 
> Try your hand at some new lyrics! 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Mar 25, 2018, at 1:12 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
>> Hello folks,
>> 
>> I have been calling singing squares for years, and there is one I love by 
>> Dick Leger titled Billy Boy.  The tag line that is sung during the Promenade 
>> is "She's a young thing, that cannot leave her mother."
>> 
>> Here is a link to a version of the full song, not within a square.
>> 
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKRJuLHU3Qo
>> 
>> My question is, is this song appropriate for the contra dance crowd with the 
>> tag line above?  (The tag line is the only line that is sung.)
>> 
>> Any Thoughts?
>> 
>> Rich
>> Stafford, CT
>> ___
>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
> ___
> List Name:  Callers mailing list
> List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

___
List Name:  Callers mailing list
List Address:  Callers@lists.sharedweight.net
Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/