The "Georgia Brown"....

[Pogo]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

 

[Pogo]

DAMN. I had to launch this thread during longknife' s Daily Constitutional.
Guess it'll have a shelf life of about eight minutes.

Carla_Danger

I'd just like to take a moment to say how proud I am to be pushed off the New Topics list by the scintillatingly vital stories that really matter, like "U.N. World Toilet Day". Pretty hard to compete with that.

Flush...

 

[Auld Phart]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

 

[Pogo]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already 25 years old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

 

[Pogo]

Musical interlude: Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli:

​

Lyrics from Ethel Waters' 1925 version --- there's only maybe a vague hint here:

She just got here yesterday,
Things are hot here now, they say;
There's a big change in town.
Gals are jealous, there's no doubt;

Still, the fellows rave about
Sweet, sweet Georgia Brown!
And ever since she came,
The colored folks all claim, "Say,"

No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!
They all sigh, and want to die,

For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie, not much:
It's been said

She knocks 'em dead,
When she lands in town!
Since she came,
Why it's a shame,

How she cools them down!
Fellows she can't get
Are fellows she ain't met!
Georgia claimed her, Georgia named her,

Sweet Georgia Brown!
No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!

They all sigh, and want to die,
For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie; not much:

All those gifts some courters give,
To Sweet Georgia Brown,
They buy clothes at fashion shows,
With one dollar down,

Oh, boy! Tip your hat!
Oh, joy! She's the cat!
Who's that, Mister?
'Tain't a sister!

​

The "vague hints" --- and that's kind of a stretch -- would be in the phrases "two left feet" and "I don't lie . not much" . I don't know if that's intentional or not but if it is it's very sly.

 

[longknife]

Musical interlude: Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli:

​

Lyrics from Ethel Waters' 1925 version --- there's only maybe a vague hint here:

She just got here yesterday,
Things are hot here now, they say;
There's a big change in town.
Gals are jealous, there's no doubt;

Still, the fellows rave about
Sweet, sweet Georgia Brown!
And ever since she came,
The colored folks all claim, "Say,"

No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!
They all sigh, and want to die,

For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie, not much:
It's been said

She knocks 'em dead,
When she lands in town!
Since she came,
Why it's a shame,

How she cools them down!
Fellows she can't get
Are fellows she ain't met!
Georgia claimed her, Georgia named her,

Sweet Georgia Brown!
No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!

They all sigh, and want to die,
For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie; not much:

All those gifts some courters give,
To Sweet Georgia Brown,
They buy clothes at fashion shows,
With one dollar down,

Oh, boy! Tip your hat!
Oh, joy! She's the cat!
Who's that, Mister?
'Tain't a sister!

​

The "vague hints" --- and that's kind of a stretch -- would be in the phrases "two left feet" and "I don't lie . not much" . I don't know if that's intentional or not but if it is it's very sly.

Sorry that US Toilet Day ruined your fun.

My dad used to play the above song on the piano and told stories about its origin. According to him, Sweet Georgia Brown was simply a girl who used to hang around in the speakeasy where the composer entertained. She was also "sweet" to the musicians.

No more. No less.

 

[Pogo]

Musical interlude: Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli:

​

Lyrics from Ethel Waters' 1925 version --- there's only maybe a vague hint here:

She just got here yesterday,
Things are hot here now, they say;
There's a big change in town.
Gals are jealous, there's no doubt;

Still, the fellows rave about
Sweet, sweet Georgia Brown!
And ever since she came,
The colored folks all claim, "Say,"

No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!
They all sigh, and want to die,

For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie, not much:
It's been said

She knocks 'em dead,
When she lands in town!
Since she came,
Why it's a shame,

How she cools them down!
Fellows she can't get
Are fellows she ain't met!
Georgia claimed her, Georgia named her,

Sweet Georgia Brown!
No gal made has got a shade on Sweet Georgia Brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has Sweet Georgia Brown!

They all sigh, and want to die,
For Sweet Georgia Brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know I don't lie; not much:

All those gifts some courters give,
To Sweet Georgia Brown,
They buy clothes at fashion shows,
With one dollar down,

Oh, boy! Tip your hat!
Oh, joy! She's the cat!
Who's that, Mister?
'Tain't a sister!

​

The "vague hints" --- and that's kind of a stretch -- would be in the phrases "two left feet" and "I don't lie . not much" . I don't know if that's intentional or not but if it is it's very sly.

Sorry that US Toilet Day ruined your fun.

My dad used to play the above song on the piano and told stories about its origin. According to him, Sweet Georgia Brown was simply a girl who used to hang around in the speakeasy where the composer entertained. She was also "sweet" to the musicians.

No more. No less.

Actually ---- you're kinda getting close. Develop that. 'Cause there is more.

In folklore, there's always more. That's what we're after here.

 

[Auld Phart]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Pogo]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I know. The Wiki page doesn't know this meaning either. What I'm saying is that when they wrote the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" I suspect it was not about a girl or woman's name at all, and that was just a clever way to disguise the real colloquial meaning and still have a popular song out where only the black and "hip" community would "get" the reference. In this theory, the whole story about the woman, and the presentation as a woman's name, is a cover to make it sound innocuous.

I don't know that that's true, but the song gives little hint -- unless the lyric I pointed out is intentional. I can't imagine what other reason the song would refer to "two left feet".

But that's a theory.... and it's a weak one, my only point really being to offer a hint. And because posting the phrase would launch the song as an earworm anyway, so we might as well have a decent version to listen to.

Notice I'm saying it's not a woman's name --- not saying it doesn't involve a woman.... meaning a generic woman.

 

[longknife]

The Roaring Twenties continued to inhale/smoke/drink a number of substances that were done away with by Prohibition. Laudanum was a common cure for just about everything and every vacant lot had lots of cannabis plants.

As far as the song goes - unless the composer wrote something about it, I would assume is was based upon what my father told me.

 

[martybegan]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I know. The Wiki page doesn't know this meaning either. What I'm saying is that when they wrote the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" I suspect it was not about a girl or woman's name at all, and that was just a clever way to disguise the real colloquial meaning and still have a popular song out where only the black and "hip" community would "get" the reference. In this theory, the whole story about the woman, and the presentation as a woman's name, is a cover to make it sound innocuous.

I don't know that that's true, but the song gives little hint -- unless the lyric I pointed out is intentional. I can't imagine what other reason the song would refer to "two left feet".

But that's a theory.... and it's a weak one, my only point really being to offer a hint. And because posting the phrase would launch the song as an earworm anyway, so we might as well have a decent version to listen to.

Notice I'm saying it's not a woman's name --- not saying it doesn't involve a woman.... meaning a generic woman.

Reading the lyrics, it seems that there is something about the Girl in question, maybe her skin tone?

The use of the word shade makes me think it has something to do with it.

Maybe Georgia Brown is slang for a fair skinned woman?

 

[Pogo]

The Roaring Twenties continued to inhale/smoke/drink a number of substances that were done away with by Prohibition. Laudanum was a common cure for just about everything and every vacant lot had lots of cannabis plants.

As far as the song goes - unless the composer wrote something about it, I would assume is was based upon what my father told me.

And there were all sorts of code words for "illicit" or underground stuff, just as there still are, though arguably such things could stay more coded and obscure before the internets.

Let's just say that what your Dad said about the term might have been a very very watered-down version of what I heard -- which is far more specific.

 

[Pogo]

This isn't about racism but about African American vernacular. Something that came up randomly. This is for fun.

Long time ago I was told what the term "Georgia Brown" meant in the black community. I once looked around for it on the internet (the whole thing, I searched every page in the world) and could not find a corroboration. Now I'm wondering if anyone else may have heard this meaning or if my original source may have been unreliable.

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title. In fact it would make the song title a kind of clever code.

Anyone have it? Please be as detailed as possible. If I don't get a confirmation after a while I'll reveal what I heard but until then, no hints.

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I know. The Wiki page doesn't know this meaning either. What I'm saying is that when they wrote the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" I suspect it was not about a girl or woman's name at all, and that was just a clever way to disguise the real colloquial meaning and still have a popular song out where only the black and "hip" community would "get" the reference. In this theory, the whole story about the woman, and the presentation as a woman's name, is a cover to make it sound innocuous.

I don't know that that's true, but the song gives little hint -- unless the lyric I pointed out is intentional. I can't imagine what other reason the song would refer to "two left feet".

But that's a theory.... and it's a weak one, my only point really being to offer a hint. And because posting the phrase would launch the song as an earworm anyway, so we might as well have a decent version to listen to.

Notice I'm saying it's not a woman's name --- not saying it doesn't involve a woman.... meaning a generic woman.

Reading the lyrics, it seems that there is something about the Girl in question, maybe her skin tone?

The use of the word shade makes me think it has something to do with it.

Maybe Georgia Brown is slang for a fair skinned woman?

Mmmm... no, not really a direct reference to skin. I think 'shade' is just a cheap rhyme, I don't see a significance there.
And again I may be reading in inferences in the lyrics that weren't intentional. But if they are intentional, the clues would be the two left feet and "I don't lie -- not much". There's a double entendre there.

 

[martybegan]

Took 15 seconds.

Urban Dictionary: georgia brown

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I know. The Wiki page doesn't know this meaning either. What I'm saying is that when they wrote the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" I suspect it was not about a girl or woman's name at all, and that was just a clever way to disguise the real colloquial meaning and still have a popular song out where only the black and "hip" community would "get" the reference. In this theory, the whole story about the woman, and the presentation as a woman's name, is a cover to make it sound innocuous.

I don't know that that's true, but the song gives little hint -- unless the lyric I pointed out is intentional. I can't imagine what other reason the song would refer to "two left feet".

But that's a theory.... and it's a weak one, my only point really being to offer a hint. And because posting the phrase would launch the song as an earworm anyway, so we might as well have a decent version to listen to.

Notice I'm saying it's not a woman's name --- not saying it doesn't involve a woman.... meaning a generic woman.

Reading the lyrics, it seems that there is something about the Girl in question, maybe her skin tone?

The use of the word shade makes me think it has something to do with it.

Maybe Georgia Brown is slang for a fair skinned woman?

Mmmm... no, not really a direct reference to skin. I think 'shade' is just a cheap rhyme, I don't see a significance there.

The other two or three things things that make me go in that direction:

She just got here yesterday,
Things are hot here now, they say;
There's a big change in town.
Gals are jealous, there's no doubt;

Still, the fellows rave about
Sweet, sweet Georgia Brown!
And ever since she came,
The colored folks all claim, "Say,"


Oh, boy! Tip your hat!
Oh, joy! She's the cat!
Who's that, Mister?
'Tain't a sister!

 

[Pogo]

Urpin' says "heroin".

Nope, that's not it. Not even close.

Reading the Urpin' description it seems to refer to a movie. Don't know the movie but I suspect it was a coincidental random nickname used once. Perhaps a character scored some skag from Georgia. But the phrase would have been already in existence, from the song alone (it became the Harlem Globetrottes' theme in 1950 and was already old then), and I expect it could be applied to anything with a brown color associated with Georgia.

But that's not the meaning I heard. Which was FWIW about 30 years ago, before the internets..

THIS is what I was responding to:

This meaning is NOT a woman's name or a song title.

if it had been about the woman, or the song, I would have posted this:

Sweet Georgia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes I know. The Wiki page doesn't know this meaning either. What I'm saying is that when they wrote the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" I suspect it was not about a girl or woman's name at all, and that was just a clever way to disguise the real colloquial meaning and still have a popular song out where only the black and "hip" community would "get" the reference. In this theory, the whole story about the woman, and the presentation as a woman's name, is a cover to make it sound innocuous.

I don't know that that's true, but the song gives little hint -- unless the lyric I pointed out is intentional. I can't imagine what other reason the song would refer to "two left feet".

But that's a theory.... and it's a weak one, my only point really being to offer a hint. And because posting the phrase would launch the song as an earworm anyway, so we might as well have a decent version to listen to.

Notice I'm saying it's not a woman's name --- not saying it doesn't involve a woman.... meaning a generic woman.

Reading the lyrics, it seems that there is something about the Girl in question, maybe her skin tone?

The use of the word shade makes me think it has something to do with it.

Maybe Georgia Brown is slang for a fair skinned woman?

Mmmm... no, not really a direct reference to skin. I think 'shade' is just a cheap rhyme, I don't see a significance there.

The other two or three things things that make me go in that direction:

She just got here yesterday,
Things are hot here now, they say;
There's a big change in town.
Gals are jealous, there's no doubt;

Still, the fellows rave about
Sweet, sweet Georgia Brown!
And ever since she came,
The colored folks all claim, "Say,"


Oh, boy! Tip your hat!
Oh, joy! She's the cat!
Who's that, Mister?
'Tain't a sister!

Not really related, no. At most it might be a clue to the black community to hear the title phrase (with a wink), but that's quite a stretch too.

 

[Carla_Danger]

DAMN. I had to launch this thread during longknife' s Daily Constitutional.
Guess it'll have a shelf life of about eight minutes.

Carla_Danger

I'd just like to take a moment to say how proud I am to be pushed off the New Topics list by the scintillatingly vital stories that really matter, like "U.N. World Toilet Day". Pretty hard to compete with that.

Flush...

Was Longknife showing photo's of crosses to piss off the atheists? I swear, he doesn't know the difference between atheists and vampires.

 

[Pogo]

OK, all day, nobody got close. Before I divulge lemme shout out to my homies, one for his interest in vernacular, one for her interest in sex....

Asclepias
Bonzi

 

[Pogo]

DAMN. I had to launch this thread during longknife' s Daily Constitutional.
Guess it'll have a shelf life of about eight minutes.

Carla_Danger

I'd just like to take a moment to say how proud I am to be pushed off the New Topics list by the scintillatingly vital stories that really matter, like "U.N. World Toilet Day". Pretty hard to compete with that.

Flush...

Was Longknife showing photo's of crosses to piss off the atheists? I swear, he doesn't know the difference between atheists and vampires.

I don't know what he had in mind with "World Toilet Day" but I suspect it had a lot to do with how much coffee he drinks....

 

[Pogo]

To be fair to too-much-coffee-man, I looked into "World Toilet Day" --- so to speak -- and it did grace us with this:

​

--- which is way more bizarre than the meaning of "Georgia Brown". Which I am about to divulge...

 

[Pogo]

Wait for it...............