"Oh, Dem Golden Slippers" is a minstrel song penned by

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

James A. Bland in 1879, is particularly well known as a bluegrass

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

standard. By 1880, the song had exceeded 100,000 copies sold.

Overview

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

song set in the style of a spiritual, the song is apparently a parody of the spiritual " Golden Slippers", popularized after the

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by the

Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early ...

. Today "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers" is often referred to simply as "Golden Slippers", further obscuring the original spiritual. The song's first stanza tells of the protagonist setting aside such fine clothes as golden slippers, a long-tailed coat and a white robe for a chariot ride in the morning (presumably to

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). This leads to the refrain: Oh, dem golden slippers! / Oh, dem golden slippers! / Golden slippers I'm gwine to wear, dey look so neat; / Oh, dem golden slippers! / Oh, dem golden slippers! / Golden slippers Ise gwine to wear, / To walk de golden street. The second stanza describes the protagonist meeting up with other family members after his chariot ride. In the third, the protagonist tells children to prepare themselves for their own chariot ride.

Lyrics

Oh, my golden slippers am laid away, Kase I don't 'spect to wear 'em till my weddin' day, And my long-tail'd coat, dat I loved so well, I will wear up in de chariot in de morn; And my long white robe dat I bought last June, I'm gwine to git changed kase it fits too soon, And de ole grey hoss dat I used to drive, I will hitch him to de chariot in de morn.
HORUS Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...
Oh, dem golden slippers! Oh, dem golden slippers! Golden slippers Ise gwine to wear, dey look so neat; Oh, dem golden slippers! Oh, dem golden slippers! Golden slippers Ise gwine to wear, To walk de golden street. Oh, my ole banjo hangs on de wall, Kase it ain't been tuned since way last fall, But de darks all say we will hab a good time, When we ride up in de chariot in de morn; Dars ole Brudder Ben and Sister Luce, Dey will telegraph de news to Uncle Bacco Juice, What a great camp meetin' der will be dat day, When we ride up in de chariot in de morn.
HORUS Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...
So, it's good-bye, children, I will have to go Whar de rain don't fall or de wind don't blow, And yer ulster coats, why, yer will not need, When yer ride up in de chariot in de morn; But yer golden slippers must be nice and clean, And yer age must be just sweet sixteen, And yer white kid gloves yer will have to wear, When yer ride up in de chariot in de mornin'.

Cultural references

* The song is well-known today as the unofficial theme song of the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Mummers Parade The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia. It started in 1901, and is the longest-running continuous folk parade in the United States. Local clubs, usually called "New Years Associations" or "New Years Brigades", compete i ...

. * The song, by then long in

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, was used in early American television commercials for Golden Grahams cereal in the 1970s, with the refrain reworked in various ways around the phrase "Oh, those Golden Grahams". * The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

of this song is performed by the musicians who can be seen in the 1980 film ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Charles Scribner's Sons, Scribner's (the publisher of ...

''. * The Prince Myshkins, a folk duo, included a version of the song with new lyrics on their 2000 album "Shiny Round Object". "Lyrics" tab leads to "Songs from Shiny Round Object (2000)", then "Golden Slippers" link leads to revised lyrics. * A snippet of the song is sung during the "Steps of Life" sequence of the

Ward Kimball Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002) was an American animator employed by Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was part of Walt Disney's main team of animators, known collectively as Disney's Nine Old Men. His films have been honor ...

short ''

Melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

''.

References

{{reflist African-American cultural history Blackface minstrel songs History of Philadelphia 1879 songs Songs written by James A. Bland