"Goodbye Alexander, Goodbye Honey Boy" is a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

song describing an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

soldier going off to war and his girlfriend's reaction in his military service. The song is credited to

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was an African American popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, ...

and

Turner Layton Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an African American songwriter, singer and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer. Life Born in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1894, he was the s ...

, the writers of ''Sweet Emalina, My Gal'' and ''After You've Gone''.

Themes

The song mostly focuses on the words, actions, and feelings of Dinah Lee, girlfriend of the eponymous soldier Alexander Cooper, as he marches to a troop ship to embark for France to fight in the war. Written by famous African-American songwriters

and

, the song bucks the contemporary popular trend of

minstrel songs The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...

and

coon songs Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a stereotype of black people. They were popular in the United States and Australia from around 1880 to 1920, though the earliest such songs date from minstrel shows as far back as 1848, when they we ...

. Instead black soldiers are portrayed similarly to white ones, as heroes going off to war and leaving loved ones behind. Several lines echo themes common to many World War I popular songs: the longing of those at home for the return of the soldiers ("I'll be waiting like Poor Butterfly"); pride in the soldiers' service ("Dressed up in that uniform you fills my heart with joy"); and certainty in eventual victory ("So get busy with that gun and don't come back 'till you've won"). There's also tongue-in-cheek wordplay common to popular songs of the era ("You left that window open and they got you in the draft").

Lyrics

The song starts off by setting a patriotic scene as a black regiment marches off to war, referencing emancipation to highlight the significance of the troops being African-American. :''Alexander Cooper was a colored trooper'' :''with his regiment he marched away'' :''Bands were gaily playing, colored folks were swaying'' :''on Emancipation Day.'' The two verses describe Dinah Lee's reaction to her boyfriend's presence among the troops, with the chorus being sung in her voice. :''Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy'' :''Dressed up in that uniform, you fills my heart with joy'' :''Alexander Cooper was a colored trooper'' :''You ain't born for mopin', boy you sure can laugh'' :''But you left that window open and they got you in the draft.'' :''Alexander, I'll save my lovin' for you'' :''I'll be waiting like Poor Butterfly''

Recordings

The song was recorded by different artists and a number of variations found their way into these recordings.

Marion Harris Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison; April 4, 1896 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the late 1910s and the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.Ward, Elija ...

recorded a version for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

that included a lengthy monologue while a version recorded by

Ada Jones Ada Jane Jones (June 1, 1873 – May 2, 1922) was an English-American popular singer who made her first recordings in 1893 on Edison cylinders. She is among the earliest female singers to be recorded. Biography She was born in Lancashire, UK, ...

for

Edison Records Edison Records was one of the early record labels that pioneered sound recording and reproduction, and was an important player in the early recording industry. The first phonograph cylinders were manufactured in 1888, followed by Edison's founda ...

dispensed with this. Wilbur Sweatman's Original Jazz Band and the Farber Sisters also recorded the song for Columbia Records.

References

External links

View the song MP3 and sheet music here
Songs of World War I 1918 songs Songs written by Turner Layton Songs with lyrics by Henry Creamer Songs about black people {{1910s-song-stub