But I've never seen a Shoofly RAOK-WINNERS PICKED

[tacatcon]

Ok this one you have to do a little work for. My 3 year old dd received a new CD with kids songs on it for her birthday. She has become obsessed with "Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me". Now if you're familiar with the song, the second part of the lyrics say "I feel like a morning star". My SO tells me the morning star has some connections to Satan but also Venus. We've been trying to figure out the meaning of this song. I certainly don't want to think I'm letting her listen to anything with any satanic meaning. Jeepers!

I've not been able to find much on the internet and my time is limited right now. So it's up to you to find out what does this song mean!

post here with what you find out and on Thursday I will pick a few random winners to get a big fat potluck from me!

Thanks!

[Shannon T]

I have been told when I was a child there is a good angel on one shoulder which helps you make the right decisions and the bad angel on the other shoulder which is the devil always telling you to do bad things and make the wrong decisions. I was told this song is about a child telling the Shoo fly (which is the bad angel) not the bother them because they belong to somebody which is god. I believe morningstar is meant to be a shining, good, clean entity. IMHO I dont think it is referring to Satan at all. Hope this helps.

[mxmom99]

nevermind

[Jojaby]

found this but not very helpful

1622, "to drive away by calling 'shoo,' " from the exclamation (1483), instinctive, cf. Ger. schu, It. scioia. Shoo-in "easy winner (especially in politics)" (1939) was originally a horse that wins a race by pre-arrangement (1928; the verb phrase shoo in in this sense is from 1908). Shoo-fly, admonition to a pest, was popularized by a Dan Bryant minstrel song c.1870, which launched it as a catch-phrase that, according to H.L. Mencken, "afflicted the American people for at least two years." Shoo-fly pie is attested from 1935.

[tacatcon]

Calling all historians calling all historians-and lovers of useless knowledge!

Ok HCWers-I need you to dig deep and help me out here.

I really can type in shoofly don't bother me into google and get the basics. I need the nitty gritty, the backstory, the little known facts. I need a miracle!

If you came over here lately you'd know how this song is now taking over our lives. It's ridiculous! lol My dd, my SO and I are all singing it now. Watch out or it'll come to your house!

[heather37]

wikipedia has lots of stuff listed under morning star one being a fallen angel who was Satin but it also says (Revelation 22:16) it is the title of Jesus.. I think I will go for the last one. Hope this helps.

[carisal]

Originally Posted by heather37 wikipedia has lots of stuff listed under morning star one being a fallen angel who was Satin but it also says (Revelation 22:16) it is the title of Jesus.. I think I will go for the last one. Hope this helps.

also, cannabis ....

I couldnt find anything really helpful, but I'm interested to know if anyone has "the rest of the story" LOL

[newatthis]

I would love to know also!

[Ticone4]

From what I can find it seems as if this song was used as a marching song of some sort during the Civil War. That it was sort of a Civil War nonsense song really and "for I belong to somebody" was originally "for I belong to company B" (or G depending on the site). Here is an article form Time that references it. There does seem to be some religious background to it as you can understand better from the article than from me but it doesn't sound like it was truly written with the serious religious overtones in mind. More like the writer of the song would draw inspiration from his very religious brother-in-law for certain songs although this one was written after overhearing someone else. Here is a blurb and the link:

During the Civil War he (Thereupon Bishop) commanded a Negro detachment called Company G. One day he heard a dusky private muttering, "Shoo, fly, don't bother me." Thereupon Bishop wrote another song which every soldier sang:

Shoo, fly, don't bother me

I belong to Company G. . .

Music: Hymn from Maine - TIME

[angiesnabox]

Other than what everyone has already found I found this.

Shoo Fly: Was a nickname for Harriett Tubman.

This brings new meaning to the song "Shoo Fly, don't
Bother Me"
Underground Railroad-individual squares

Harriet Tubman

Born: c. 1820, Dorchester County, Maryland
Died: March 10, 1913, Auburn, New York

Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the "Moses of her people." Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse.

Angie.