Hokum

Type of song in American blues Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music—a song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make humorous, sexual innuendos. This trope goes back to early dirty blues recordings, enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1920s and 1930s, and is used from time to time in modern American blues and blues rock. An example of hokum lyrics is this sample from "Meat Balls", by Lil Johnson, recorded in 1937: Got out late last night, in the rain and sleet Tryin' to find a butcher that grind my meat Yes I'm lookin' for a butcher He must be long and tall If he want to grind my meat 'Cause I'm wild about my meat balls. Terminology "Hokum", originally a vaudeville term used for a simple performance bordering on vulgarity, "old and sure-fire comedy", but hinting at a smart wordplay, was first used to describe the genre of black music in a billing of a race record for Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band (Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, 1929). After producing a big hit, "It's Tight Like That", with Vocalion Records (and its sequel) in 1928, the musicians went on to Paramount Records where they were called The Hokum Boys. Other recording studios joined the f