“Get Out, Yellowskins, Get Out”

Description

"The Yellowskins here in these hills Now know how it appears To have their gold by others stole As we have suffered for years. Get out, Yellowskins, get out (x2), We'll do it again if you don't go. Get out, Yellowskins, get out!"

Notes

Reportedly based on an incident of July 1885, in which eight white men shot up a camp where 32 Chinese were digging for gold. None of the murderers were ever punished. I must say, though, that Burt's finding a song about the incident seems awfully convenient. The flip side being, of course, that the song seems to accurately reflect the vicious and irrational anti-Chinese prejudice of the era. - RBW

References

  1. Burt, p. 157, (no title) (1 short text, 1 tune)
  2. BI, Burt157

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1958 (Burt)
Keywords: China gold homicide
Found in: US