Jump Down Turn Around Pick A Bale of Cotton

Ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale of Cotton) Do ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale a Day) Do ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale of Cotton) Do ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale a Day) Whoa Whoa Lordie (Pick a Bale of Cotton) Whoa Whoa Lordie (Pick a Bale a Day) Whoa Lordie (Pick a Bale of Cotton) Do ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale of Cotton) Do ya wanna jump down turn around (Pick a Bale a Day) Do ya wanna jump down turn around..."

I heard this go by recently and the tune haunts me and harkens back to days of yore ;)  The melody and energy of the song are both energizing and has been stuck in my head like a tunneling ear-worm.

I learned this song at the knee of my grandmother when I was small.  I can still remember her acting it out for me.  She had picked a lot of cotton in her day.  Her hands were roughly worn, but still always brought joy.  She told me once that she would leave picking cotton to go up to the house to have a baby.   She showed me cotton bolls when I was tiny, I remember how they pricked and scratched.   She didn't have to pick in the fields anymore because they had some newfangled cotton-picking machine.

I was humming it at school the other day and a child asked me what the song was.  I sang pretty much the above lyrics with joy (I am known for interpretive dance). Some of the kids thought it was catchy and one kid said "Miss, that's racist."

I asked how.  The kid said "That's making fun of black people."

I asked how.  She said, "That's a slave song."

pause

I asked her how she knew that.  She said, "Well, that's just my opinion"

I asked her if she'd ever known any slaves.  No.  I asked her if she'd ever known anyone who picked cotton.  No.

People make assumptions.  My Cherokee/English grandmother picked cotton and showed ME how she did it.  I don't know if I know anyone else who can say that.  I think I own that song.

FWIW