It turns out that a seemingly innocuous song that the University of Texas football team sings before and especially after they win (which though is happening more often, is not as often as their mostly white rich privileged alumni want) is now deemed racist and like the statues of southern generals (or even Abe Lincoln – if you’re really woke and in Boston) – they must come down – the song must be cancelled. The song was written to the tune “I’ve been working on the railroad”. And now I hear that anything to do with rail travel is forbidden and racist too! But I digress.
The story is quite damning really! All you have to do is ask the woke writer at the Texas Monthly who stirred the pot on this one. To quote, “Damning”! Well, what’s so damning you might inquire? The lyrics seem rather innocuous. “The Eyes of Texas are upon you, all the live long days, the eyes of Texas are upon you, you cannot get away, Do not think you can escape them, at night or early in the morn, The Eyes of Texas are upon you ‘til Gabriel blows his horn”. Ah, ha! The word “escape”. Obviously, that’s a reference to slaves trying to escape!
But that’s not all. The song in 1903 was sung at a minstrel show, or might have been sung at a minstrel show, and though they don’t have any evidence, a professor of Black and African studies with no axe to grind, hypothesized, conjectured, that black face might have been used, but they’re not sure, but it makes no difference, because we don’t need evidence, and therefore they conclude one time according to the reporter who as I explained earlier has no evidence that the song was ever sung in black face that didn’t stop Gordon (Prof of African Studies ) from hypothesizing to Mr. Martinez, crack Texas Monthly reporter: “it’s likely that the men donned blackface onstage as they performed the song.” Really! Outrageous! They likely donned blackface! In 1903 at a Minstrel Show. This song must be Cancelled!
My goodness! I mean just because things were a tad different 117 years ago, is no excuse. And thus, the song must be expunged. So, I say, keep the tune of “I’ve been working on the Railroad” but with new lyrics now socially and racially and ethically and morally woke enough for even the wok-est of the woke, the most cancelled of the cancel culture:
Black Lives Matter are upon you, all the live long days,
Black Lives matter are upon you, you cannot get away,
Do not think you can escape them,
at night or early in the morn,
Black Lives Matter are upon you,
‘til Gabriel Blows His HORN!
Amen.