Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Tony 1963]

An advertisement on the back of a bench in Phoenix, Arizona, read: "CROSSTOWN BUSSES RUN ALL DAY." A whimsical passerby had written beneath it in large letters, "DOO-DAH, DOO-DAH."

1. What does DOO-DAH means?
2. What's the laughing point?

Thank you.
Tony

[pugachevV]

There's an American folk song, The Camptown Races, originally called "Gwine to Run all Day", and written in what was supposed to be an African American dialect.
Here are the words:-

Camptown ladies sing this song,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Camptown race-track five miles long,
Oh, doo-dah day!

I come down here with my hat caved in,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home with a pocket full of tin,
Oh, doo-dah day!

Chorus:
Gonna run all night!
Gonna run all day!
I'll bet my money on a bob-tail nag,
Somebody bet on the bay.

The long tail filly and the big black horse,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
They fly the track and they cut across,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

The blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom with a ten foot pole,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

Old muley cow come on to the track,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
The bob-tail fling her over his back,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Then fly along like a rail-road car,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race with a shootin' star,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

See them flyin' on a ten mile heat,
Doo-dah doo-dah!
Round the race track, then repeat,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

I win my money on de bob-tail nag,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in an old tow-bag,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

Doo Dah doesn't mean anything, but some wag has seen the similarity between "Crosstown busses run all day" and the lines in the chorus.

[Tony 1963]

Thank you so much pugachevV. Have a nice weekend!

[CP]

Wow, Pugachev, where did you find all these lyrics? Every American school child knows this song, but only the chorus and maybe two verses. I've never heard most of these lyrics.

I can't resist explaining a few of the more obscure words and phrases for our friends learning English.

Camptown ladies sing this song,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Camptown race-track five miles long, The verb "is" is often omitted by Americans of African heritage, as in, "You my friend."
Oh, doo-dah day!

I come down here with my hat caved in,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home with a pocket full of tin, That is, a pocket full of coins
Oh, doo-dah day!

Chorus:
Gonna run all night! Usually spelled and sung "Gwine to run all night," etc., as some Southerners used to pronounce "going to" as "gwine to"
Gonna run all day!
I'll bet my money on a bob-tail nag, That is, on an old horse (nag) with its tail cut short
Somebody bet on the bay. A bay horse is reddish brown in color with dark mane and tail

The long tail filly and the big black horse, A filly is a young female horse. I think it comes from the Latin word for daughter, filia
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
They fly the track and they cut across, Across rhymes with hoss, a common way to pronounce horse in the South
Oh, doo-dah-day!

The blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom with a ten foot pole,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

Old muley cow come on to the track,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
The bob-tail fling her over his back,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Then fly along like a rail-road car,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race with a shootin' star,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

See them flyin' on a ten mile heat,
Doo-dah doo-dah!
Round the race track, then repeat,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

I win my money on de bob-tail nag,
Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in an old tow-bag,
Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Tony 1963]

Thank you so much CP. Happy new year!