American Names, Stephen Vincent Benet

crooner?

There are other two-syllable words, like minstrel or picker, which are serviceable if unremarkable.

I think you may have to replace all four syllables. Blue-gum just doesn’t work well with obvious substitute words. A new adjective may be needed, something like perhaps “and a crossroads Homer” (invoking both the old blues imagery of the crossroads and the common blues theme of the blind bard – though it invokes a foreign name, so maybe not) or “a Memphis picker” (linking to a place, as in much of the rest of the poem).

‘Memphis picker’ could work.

Its like Johnny Cash singing I’ve Been Everywhere.

I think it’s best to just change it to ‘negro’ and bear it. Benet did not use the term in a derogatory manner, merely an informal one, so substituting a less offensive version of the term stays true to the original without alienating modern audiences.

Sound suggestion.

My suggestion is, and I doubt anyone will love it, is simply to stop making such a big deal out of it. By obsessing over correct terminology, we give the word renewed vigor and counter-intuitively, make racism worse.

My family had a horse some years ago, and previous to our owning her, she had been beaten around the head and panicked if anyone did anything around her head. For a while we were quite sensitive to her phobias but they did not get better. Finally, we just stopped worrying about it, and then, and only then, did she stop worrying about it too.

I am not sure if this would translate exactly to this context, but there comes a point where too much concern makes the problem worse and not better.

Just my two cents.

I learned the poem by heart over 50 years ago, at a time when little old ladies would commonly call their dogs ‘N—–’ if they were black or dark brown – and little old ladies don’t call their dogs by names they consider offensive. I think Ali and Zen both make sound points, but good manners require that we should not cause unnecessary hurt or offence. If I wanted to quote this verse in public I would say ‘and a real blues-singer to sing me blues’.

My band has set this to music and we play it as a song…I use “blue-gum minstrel to sing me the blues.”

Just sayin…

What does he mean by “Henry and John were never so/and Henry and John were always right?” ??

I love the poem, and most of the above suggestions re that troublesome word; altho, to change a man’s poem . . . well, I don’t know. They changed the word “darkies” in “My Old Kentucky Home” to “people,” which, I understand on one level, but is it fair to pretend that certain realities didn’t exist for some people? I don’t know the answer.

Lee,

I don’t know and haven’t been able to find out. I speculate that maybe it has something to do with the Adamses and their anglophilia.

Incidentally, while looking for an answer, I’ve discovered that in most places where the poem is anthologized, they leave out the penultimate three stanzas. Nicely sidestepping the N* problem and the Henry and John problem both.

P.S. That this post is the old post that keeps getting commented on, why, it practically restores my faith in the internet.

Thanks for trying. If I ever find out about Henry and John, I’ll let you know. Maybe I’ll contact my high school teachers as they seemed to know all about such things. Assuming they’re still living, that is.

Was looking for that song guy sings all my my. Counties great song but only comes on outlaw hour here,then I forget to listen who sang it..

Ky.counties,like Johnny cash…i been every where man

I presume “Henry and John” are indicated that way as they are very common English names.

I, also, like the suggestion of using “Negro” in the modern context. The other N word is too charged with other meaning, I think it distorts the poem. While as a term “Negro” has fallen out of favor, it still doesn’t carry quite the negative feeling.