Top 10 Children's Songs With Racist Origins

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You'll think twice before singing these songs again after watching this video. For this list, we’ll be looking at some popular songs taught to young people that are hiding some dark prejudices. Our countdown includes “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”, “Camptown Races”, “Jingle Bells”, and more! Are there any other questionable children’s songs that should be on our list? Let us know about them in the comments!
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#Music
#Songs
#ChildrensSongs
#Children
#KidsSongs
#JingleBells
#Christmas
#Singing

[@WatchMojo]

Want more music? Check out Innersleeve, WatchMojo's new music podcast! kzbin.info/aero/PLXtYorCEjScR7Hjc3CLotRzQyxG_tvLis Are there any other questionable children’s songs that should be on our list? Let us know about them in the comments!

[@anthonyadams1325]

I'm curious about that title you won't say.

[@underland1983]

Man am I happy I live in Norway and not America. I will never ever visit America. Canada and Mexico maybe. But never ever will I set my feet down on American soil.

[@Gentleman_Orange]

I'd like a list of ice cream truck music! 🍦🍨🍧❄️😍😋

[@Gentleman_Orange]

@@underland1983 Wzll if it can Make you want to visit America, while hitler was putting people in camps in germany, the US was doing the same with asians of their country after Pearl Harbor 😗

[@WildBill496]

Many so-called Native Americans refer to themselves as Indians WatchMojo. Also Jingle Bells never had anything to do with mocking black people. But WatchMojo will push out their talking points when they are told. This video was only made to attack Christmas. They do this whenever they have a top 10. They're only trying to make one point and put nine other irrelevant points to throw you off of their true agenda.

[@TheCommenterDragon]

I remembering hearing somewhere that Ring Around The Rosie is a song about the plague, or so they say.

[@ashlymenard5780]

Well, shit.

[@ELmayberry]

damn 😲

[@kershabeaver3312]

I hard that too

[@BjornV1994]

A lot of old fairytales and I believe quite a lot of old nursery rhymes are quite dark in their origin or about what is. Most of these things aren't just meant for entertainment, it was also meant to be cautionary tales of things that could happen or has happened. So I wouldn't be really surprised if Ring Around The Rosie was indeed a song based on plague deaths.

[@TitaniumTurbine]

Interesting, Plague, Inc incorporated this nursery rhyme into their game for this reason. Well that’s dark.

[@Mr69BlackDragon]

I grew up in the 90's and I always thought "five little monkey's" was about behaving and listening to you parents.

[@ashlymenard5780]

Same. The real meaning is f**ked up.

[@tariqshaw3132]

No most definitely not lol

[@MxPotato84]

Same!! 😭😭😭

[@SistaKhandie]

Same…

[@opfer88]

Everybody should listen To their parents, but when they're stupid they should not.

[@JenniferRubyHan]

I remember these songs when I was a child. I didn't know there was some disturbing "hidden secret" about every children's song I hear until I watch this.

[@billybelk1831]

I happen to love shortening bread and im white.

[@drfreud65]

I know, right? Not that I understood most of them when I was young, and no one could answer any of my questions. I remember wondering why the baby was in a tree with Rock-a-bye Baby.

[@petesmith5092]

And you still don't know. You believe everything you read on the damn internet? Personally I didn't see one iota of substantiation in any of that. Just like the tip of the index finger and the tip of your thumb touching together with the other three fingers extended it's supposed to mean white power... that's bullshit, and you KNOW that! LET'S GO BRANDON!!

[@Cahos_Rahne_Veloza]

So then... "Jingle Bells, Bat man Smells, Robin laid an egg, The Bat mobile lost a wheel, The Joker got away" ...actually makes the song more palatable 😎👍👌

[@Potrimpo]

My daughter and I still have feud over, "and the Joker got away," vs, "and the Joker did ballet." Obviously it was, "And the Joker got away!!!"

[@trans-dragonroger1948]

That one was much funnier than the original not gonna lie.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

This version was even sung by Bart Simpson in the original pilot film for "The Simpsons." He sings it at the beginning, when he and the other kids in his school are singing Christmas songs during the annual holiday show, and just as he's singing the "Batman smells" verses, someone, probably the school principal, pulls him out of the choir.

[@Cahos_Rahne_Veloza]

@@michaelpalmieri7335 that pilot episode was actually where I first heard of this American Schoolyard parody of the song TBH

[@LittleSongbirdS4L]

Sadly, Jingle Bells is potentially one of these questionable songs now, too. I think Batman is still na-na-na-na-not a problem, though.

[@applefai6021]

Interesting list. Racism is a big issue, but simply erasing it is not the answer, we need to teach our kids to respect differences and teach them the thin veil that separates the world now from the world back then. Put on Dumbo and tech them that the crows were stereotypes and not to associate them with real people, but to also enjoy the movie because of the story it tells, not because of the contents.

[@playlister_404]

Agreed on all three parts of this comment. We really need to teach the new generations to be aware of this sort of stuff.

[@davyhenry8985]

I totally agree with you

[@aakkoin]

Yes, keep racism alive and teach it to children, so they view people by race

[@ninathompson1435]

Absolutely.

[@matthewdemarco6675]

Racism is a big issue between all races, we may never see all of us come together. But we should keep trying no matter the cost.

[@frankdude1838]

Somehow it feels like this whole list was made just to add the jingle bell song in it!

[@69belhaven]

They didn't even really touch on the aspect that despite being well known as a Christmas song the song has absolutely 0 to do with Christmas either. It's just a song about horse and sleigh races that was obviously written through a racist lens.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

@@69belhaven Who races horses and sleighs in the snow? (Remember the lyrics "Dashing through the SNOW/in a one horse open sleigh")

[@69belhaven]

@@michaelpalmieri7335 winter horse and sleigh races were and are a thing they just used to be more popular. The song itself never mentions Christmas and the only Christmas related things are snow and a sleigh.

[@WDB2005]

Number 1: songs sung by kids on Xbox live chat

[@CeaserBTradeGang]

😂😂😂

[@ELmayberry]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Reaperguy67]

🤣🤣🤣 I beat you remember how people use to play there music through game chat . That was annoying .

[@Kirbybros1]

Next do top ten kids songs with dark origins. (Like Ring around the Rosie being about the Bubonic plague).

[@ashlymenard5780]

I'm strangely intrigued to see what other nursery rhymes have messed up origins.

[@kershabeaver3312]

That's a good one

[@SFascetta777]

@@ashlymenard5780 Way too many of them actually

[@rachelvaughan8677]

Jack and Jill; is supposedly about King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was beheaded (lost his crown) during the Reign of Terror. Shortly after, Marie Antoinette was also beheaded (came tumbling after).

[@bellestrange1951]

It's never been definitively proven it was about the plague

[@TheDastardlyDipshits]

I played Ten Little Indians at a live performance once when I saw children in the crowd. To test if they knew it... I hate to confirm this, but they knew every word

[@JadenYukifan28]

There was another song that was similar to "Ten Little Indians" but involved Monkeys, but I think it would also apply to the latter as well

[@TheDastardlyDipshits]

@@JadenYukifan28 yeah

[@JadenYukifan28]

@@TheDastardlyDipshits Never thought these songs were dark

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

A few months ago, I saw a KZbin video that also featured songs and nursery rhymes that originally had racist undertones. Among other things, it said that "10 Little Indians" was originally called "10 Little Niggers." Some historians say that the word "Indians" wasn't aimed at our Native Americans and that the "N-word" wasn't meant as a slur against black Americans, that both words were really targeted towards the people of India, which, at the time the song was written, was still a colony of the British Empire. The theory is that a Britisher wrote the song for the purpose of depicting the natives of India as an inferior race, because of the color of their skins, and implying that the people of the United Kingdom were superior because they were white, and therefore, had the right to rule over India and other countries and peoples considered "inferior." In short, "10 Little Indians" may have been written so the British could show who was boss over India. By the way, despite what the narrator says, not all of the "10 Little Indians" are killed. For example, one verse says: "Nine Little Indian boys sleeping in late, One overslept, and then there were eight." Another verse goes: "Eight Little Indian boys traveling in Devon, One said he'd stay there, And then there were seven." Another goes: "Five Little Indian boys going In for law, One got in Chancery, And then there were four." There are actually other versions of the tune with different lyrics. A few were about each of the "Indians" being killed. But while the original ended with: "One Little Indian boy left all alone, He went and hanged himself, And then there were none," another take on the song had a happier ending: "One Little Indian boy left all alone, HE GOT MARRIED And then there were none." The latter fact was even mentioned in the stage play version of Agatha Christie's mystery novel "And Then There Were None" (later retitled "Ten Little Indians," which was also the title of several movie versions of the story), in which two of the ten people, a man and a woman, who were supposed to have been killed, are still alive, have exposed the real killer (one of the guests, who had faked his own "murder" so he could continue his deadly spree), and apparently, decide to become husband and wife. This is in contrast to the ending of the novel, in which all ten of the guests are murdered, and then a squad of Scotland Yard detectives explore the scene of the crimes, but they can't figure out the mystery. A few months later, someone on a boat discovers a written confession by the murderer explaining in detail how he committed each slaying, how he had pretended to be slain too, and then went on to finish off the rest of his victims before taking his own life (he was dying anyway) in a manner that looked like murder.

[@moviesignsol]

0:28 I've been working on the railroad 10 1:35 Tie me kangaroo down,sport 9 2:30 Jim along Josie 8 3:29 Pick a bale of cotton 7 4:31 Camptown races 6 5:38 Ten little Indians 5 6:25 Oh Susanna 4 7:19 Shortin' bread & Five little monkeys 3 8:26 Turkey in the straw (The ice cream truck song) 2 10:07 Jingle Bells

[@ashlymenard5780]

Thank you, Mr. Helpful.

[@moviesignsol]

@@ashlymenard5780 YW

[@ashlymenard5780]

@@moviesignsol I was trying to make a meme reference.

[@moviesignsol]

@@ashlymenard5780 whoops.

[@ashlymenard5780]

@@moviesignsol It's okay.

[@SongsForVeterans]

This goes out to everyone who can read this. We wish you and yours all the VERY best in these VERY trying times. Spread good vibes and positivity everywhere and stay safe. Merry Christmas. Have a GREAT Holiday Season everyone. ✌😀

[@carminecdinoproductions]

Yep! Have yourself a very Merry Christmas!

[@Gentleman_Orange]

Thanks! That's way better than the spams "praise the lord before the end!" lol

[@SongsForVeterans]

@@Gentleman_Orange you're very welcome.

[@hakumawolf]

Turkey in the Straw came from the irish ballad The Old Rose Tree(1795) in 1820. When the minstrel shows used it they changed it to match their shows. The original the most racist thing was a monkey sitting on a pile of hay.

[@briansullivan5908]

Didn’t know there were monkeys in Ireland. Isn’t that a pretty bad climate for most monkey species?

[@chubbiMommi]

@@briansullivan5908 You...are...joking... right?

[@Nyanek0]

I thought turkey in a straw was a pretty harmless song until somebody used the tune and made a racist song called "n word love a watermelon"

[@Anarcho-Stupidity]

They were already speaking of that

[@brentongr]

I've listened to 'Tie me Kangaroo Down, Sport' for years, I had no idea about racist lyrics!!

[@leonardoarancibia75]

Are you going to elaborate on WHY Jingle Bells is so horrible??

[@damnedash9526]

THANK YOU. I got nothing and I've been reciting it in my head over and over on how it could be racist. I think that one is reaching a bit. Guess what? Lol Still gonna play it at Christmas. Sorry Not Sorry.

[@chubbiMommi]

They literally said why.

[@mauriciovalencia3374]

They said it was written to mock black people that wanted to be part of the winter activities… ‘laughing all the way hahaha’…. This was based on research but it’s so hidden that no one cares it’s too far fetch

[@damnedash9526]

@@mauriciovalencia3374 It IS too deep and far-fetched. At least, too much for me to suddenly be like "welp... that does it. Never playing Jingle Bells again." Lol I care, but if I need to go that left field as to why the song is wrong and interpret the lyrics' intentions I'm pretty sure it's not directly offensive by today's standards. I mean, honestly... up until today, I always thought they were "laughing all the way" because they were having a good time. Lol

[@leechjim8023]

It is a sleigh ride, nothing more.

[@TheRagingPlatypus]

Uh, it was not really a revalation that I've Been Working on the Railroad was about slaves. Lots of folk songs are. And it was likely written and sung by the very same slaves. Our modern version is likely a mash up of three songs. And the Someone in the kitchen with Dinah part is hardly a revalation either. There are more verses, one is Someone's Making Love with Dinah...

[@leechjim8023]

I always understood that it was written post civil war and that Dinah was a locomotive that blew it's whistle to start and end the work day.

[@TheRagingPlatypus]

@@leechjim8023 I always knew it to be an old slave song that got taken to the railroad and then modified.

[@jenniferferguson1517]

I mean to be fair, the wiggles sang a song saying “ I’ve got the clap and I’m giving it to you.”

[@siniebeck4821]

That was a parody. Not actually The Wiggles.

[@moinmahmud6265]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@damnedash9526]

Lol!! Wow. You're for real, aren't you? Lol That, um... wasn't The Wiggles and was a joke song.

[@jenniferferguson1517]

@@damnedash9526lol wow you kiddos really get your panties in a twist when you dare speak I’ll of your hero. Grow up there little one.

[@damnedash9526]

@@jenniferferguson1517 LOL Is that supposed to be some kind of "burn?" LOL Good job, there, cupcake! You just keep doing you! We're all very impressed I'm sure!

[@trinaq]

Wow, to say that I'll never hear these songs in the same way again is a HUGE understatement! 😂

[@kershabeaver3312]

Same

[@DeathG64]

Hard R want a watermelon is probably the one that'll hit harder though all these songs are pretty messed up

[@thecaptaintaz420]

Lol then you're weak and get offended on the behalf of others to much lol. I'm colored. And this is part of history. Like many nursery rhymes. They're dark But if you didn't care about before what's the point of getting all pissy about it now

[@wmdkitty]

@@thecaptaintaz420 I think people are just shocked that these "innocent" children's songs... aren't.

[@DeathG64]

@@wmdkitty As a black man I stopped being able to differentiate the ice cream song with the song I listed above. Mostly because they literally just took the instrumental and started to blast it through neighborhoods.

[@Swordtee40]

Sees title: Me: Isn't that like every single song in existence 😂

[@GrizzyLatrizzy]

Pretty much! Enjoy the songs you like, skip the ones you don't.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

Don't be silly! Not every song ever written has or had undertones of racism.

[@angelofverdun456]

I’m surprised Zip a dee do da, zip a dee day, or whatever it’s called isn’t on here. I read somewhere that the Disney movie Song of the South had it and it had all these racial undertones to it.

[@tiffanydegoya]

was thinking the same

[@Reaperguy67]

You know what's crazy about that song. It is played during splash mountain at magic kingdom. That ride is getting changed as well .

[@punkwrestle]

@@Reaperguy67 didn’t it already change during the pandemic?

[@Reaperguy67]

@@punkwrestle no. It's still the original. It should be changed some time in 2022.

[@wackyruss]

There’s nothing racist about that song and Song of the South isn’t racist either. It’s a classic Disney movie that nobody will get to watch because it’s been deemed “racist”.

[@ilahildasissac1943]

Some of these songs I have never heard of. Never knew about the origins of the railroad song. Loved singing it as a child.

[@alisongorski3664]

Not a song, but a rhyme used when children were trying to decide between two different things, EEn Meeny Miney, Mo catch a tiger by the toe. Always thout that grabbing a tiger by his toe would be a suicidal action. The word "tiger was a a subsititute for a racist slur.

[@Kimmelbee1]

No, it wasn't. The racist slur is not an original lyric. This originally was a children's counting song.

[@AtheistOrphan]

@Condatore - Correct.

[@Kimmelbee1]

@Condatore I have looked at the history of it within the United States! It was a children's counting song! The ORIGINAL lyrics were Hana, man, mona, mike;Barcelona, bona, strike;Hare, ware, frown, vanac;Harrico, warico, we wo, wac.[3] The N word came much later, and was a regional change. The tiger was used by people with some common sense.

[@Kimmelbee1]

@@AtheistOrphan no. Not correct!

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@Kimmelbee1 - The version with the n-word was (sadly with hindsight) the version we all sang as kids (I’m pushing 60 by the way). It also features verbatim in the 1949 Ealing comedy film ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’.

[@BAYAREA_PizzaParty]

As a black person who loves history, eventually you start losing faith in humans once you realize how terrible people who looked like you were treated just for looking that way.

[@xfactor3000]

I know right? We moved to the US in 1998 from Singapore and since then people from my community have been attacked many times because of the way we look. We work hard and mind our business but we are beaten and robbed. In 2009, my 79 year old grandmother was attacked while waiting for a bus and had her jaw broken and hip fractured. She passed 3 years later. As Asians, we have it hard too but we fight forward without harming anyone, yet over 20+ years I personally know of at least 11 racist incidents against us. Losing faith in humanity is something we all share. By the way, every single racist incident we experienced came at the hands of Black Americans. Sad.

[@BAYAREA_PizzaParty]

@@xfactor3000 The problem with immigrants who love to immigrate to America is that they, like you, know nothing about our history. Your people have not been discriminated against based on how they look for over 400 years. You just listed single incidents, you have yet to list systematic, structural, environmental racism, or any kind of racism that has been specifically targeted toward Asians here. Also if it wasn’t for my people who fought for every minorities rights in America in the 1960s to not be discriminated against across the board in all ways, I’m sure your people would be attacked even more than they are.

[@richardabela2090]

When I was a kid I remember listening to some song’s that sounded a lot more harmless than the garbage I have seen on this KZbin video thank you for enlightening me mojo!

[@Ethanol3310]

Can already tell number 1 will be jingle bells

[@jonathans.8537]

You are correct good sir

[@Ethanol3310]

@@jonathans.8537 haha lol just watched the video and saw I was correct

[@xcar0982]

I read the article about Jingle Bells, and explains very well the enviorement a d circumstances of Boston when the song was created, but the article never says that the song itself is a racist song, just the enviorement where it was writen.

[@GuineaPig361]

Yeah, it's not racist, it's about a guy picking up chicks.

[@JudeanIsrealite]

Mojo! Great job guys way to get in the muck of it appreciate you fuys

[@Clarrisani]

I was wondering if "Pick a Bale of Cotton" was on this list. I remember singing it in primary school.

[@Vincent_N89]

Nobody: WatchMojo: TOP 10 Children's Songs with Racist Origins

[@messinalyle4030]

In the novel The Secret Life of Bees, the character May sings "Oh, Susannah!" whenever she is trying to keep from crying. I wonder if the author knew of that song's origins? Especially since May and her two sisters were black and so were a few other fairly prominent characters, and the overcoming of racism was one of the themes of the novel.

[@misseselise3864]

i assume she did considering the book is based in the south US during the civil rights era

[@LittleSongbirdS4L]

Since the author is not black, and MANY people--blacks included, are unaware of these song origins, I'm going to suppose she did not.

[@geviesanta3631]

I remember listening to some of these songs when I was a little kid in Elementary school. Tbh, I didn't even knew that these songs actually have disturbing origins until I started watching this video. 😳😳😳

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

I've also heard most of these songs when I was a kid, and like you, I never knew about their darker origins. It seems to me that racism is more entrenched in American society than we thought and has been so right from the very beginning of this country. Maybe the creators of the 1619 Project and the Critical Race Theory had the right idea after all, but try telling that to those crazy right-wing Republicans who don't want anyone to know or learn about either of these theories, like Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, who actually wants to make it illegal for the schools to teach their students about the history of slavery in the United States. WTF???? 😵😫😱 HOW RACIST CAN YOU GET?

[@geviesanta3631]

@@michaelpalmieri7335 and to think that the Camptown Song was one of those kids song that had messed up origins throughout history is just even more messed up. Especially when you consider how many times this song was briefly used in a couple of classic cartoons like Loney Tunes, which already ruins my childhood. 😱😳🥶

[@AmazonicoIndio]

Ah, yes, the video watch mojo was eager to release since dislikes have been removed.

[@jeanbean7183]

This is one of the reasons why I wish the dislike button wasn’t removed

[@msoseni8348]

There's nothing wrong with talking about racism

[@thewenik6876]

So many songs I liked growing up have such bad real beginnings.

[@RJSchex]

Another one: "Blue Tail Fly" (aka "Jimmy Crack Corn")

[@joncleary8896]

So play the actual lyrics. How can we be offended if you don't show us what is offensive?

[@drfreud65]

KZbin would probably give them a strike for it.

[@StevenFosdick]

@@drfreud65 The version of Oh Susanna, complete with the particularly offensive verse that is usually omitted, is already on KZbin.

[@FateEscape]

Great Mate! Keep it up!

[@BFHarney]

How was “Jimmy Crack Corn” NOT on this list?

[@vishusvic8793]

Right? I was wondering the same damn thing.

[@tinotica]

I just thought of that

[@eclipsehorse8693]

because he cracked corn and well, to be honest...we just don't care :)

[@damnedash9526]

Right? But Jingle Bells is...

[@ArnoldLokman]

Start digging and soon you'll discover that everything around you is insulting for somebody...

[@mlggamer5296]

I appreciate that you were willing to push the boundaries and talk about something that no one else or not many people would be talking about. I wouldn't have even been aware of it had I not known

[@amandapike2477]

When I was little I knew "Do your ears hang low?" to the tune of Turkey in the straw, about a puppy with floppy ears. So when I heard the ice cream truck I thought it was "Do your ears hang low" playing and part of me still thinks of those lyrics instead.

[@graduator14]

I would love to see the Wiggles perform the uncensored version of "Tie Me Kangaroo, Down"! :D

[@ashlymenard5780]

Fat chance of that ever happening

[@Gentleman_Orange]

Where can I buy the album!

[@crypticghost21]

WHAT, NO, NOT JINGLE BELLS 😥 11:06 The way Callum says this sentence really hammers home the seriousness, and makes this song seem way less jolly and a lot more dark

[@Reddudetheog1219]

Wow you guys just ruined my childhood

[@kevinc1001]

This is why racism won’t go away because people will find any excuse to bring it up.

[@thereisnospoon277]

In the world of ‘WatchMojo’, racism is everywhere.

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

no, it's because people of many races are forced to live together and no one likes it.

[@group5time]

No it's because people are racist and prejudiced against my race and many other race not because they're educating you on the racist context of nursery rhymes

[@travisbrewer5391]

Jingle Bells isn’t a Christmas song at all. Christmas is not mentioned in the lyrics. Sleighs are used from the first snow accumulation to the last snow melts. It is a WINTER song.

[@cjbos81]

If the songs have been changed then they've been corrected. Keep the songs.

[@BWS891]

While I don't disagree, ignoring the origins of media can veto the history of why the song, story, whichever, was created and can change viewpoints of how the past was for those in the present or future.

[@leonardoarancibia75]

I agree with @Eric Norman. Knowing the origins of something is never a bad thing. My two cents is that if the songs have been revised, AND instill good feeling rather than its original intention to hurt, then its not really the same song anymore is it?

[@rogue7723]

That's what I say. I _totally agree_ with altering racist and hateful lyrics in songs, but _outright banning_ a song is almost _totalitarian._

[@BWS891]

@@rogue7723 huh. Didn't think of it that way. I don't agree with banning reading material especially. I guess the best people can really do is make one another aware of history, and let each other decide what to do.

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

Im gonna sing the older ones to spite people like you

[@TrueCrimeQueen]

Love your content ❤️ Be safe everyone.

[@raanangeberer1903]

Just because "Jingle Bells" was included in a minstrel show, doesn't mean the song itself is racist.

[@Upcamehill]

To these people it does.

[@coreyhill681]

I know it is shocking, it does sound friendly but the story of this song is racist

[@rogue7723]

I've only heard of "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" from my third grade chorus class and the parody "Pick A Dress Of Cotton" by Allan Sherman.

[@melin4ted_bookworm632]

Yea in my middle school choir we learned this & several other "Negro/Slave Spirituals," which by other metrics would've bummed me out as a black girl growin up, but I don't think it was done 2 glorify the origins of American slavery in my best memory.

[@justanotherinternetwiseguy8018]

One you forgot to mention is eeny meeny miney mo. the original version of the song was practically about abusing enslaved africans. One of the more notable changes is that instead of "tiger" it's the n-word.

[@TheTone37]

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe song is missing from the list.

[@JGreen-le8xx]

WTF! How did "Jimmy crack corn" not make this list?!!!!

[@GrizzyLatrizzy]

Yeah, I'm not going to cancel Jingle Bells.

[@53Betsy]

After a while, all this becomes ridiculous. When Susan B Anthony first started campaigning for women’s rights, she campaign for everything. Because of this she was not taken seriously so she reduced it just to campaign for the vote.

[@yasmynemcdonald310]

MOJO could probably do a list or two about Public Domain songs and the dark TRUE intention that have been forgotten or hidden due to time. I'm still wondering about Foster Brown in Winter Wonderland.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

There's no mystery to that. The character is called "PARSON Brown," not "Foster Brown." The word "Parson" means "minister" or "clergyman." Consider the lyrics that you obviously misunderstood: "In the meadow, we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown, He'll say 'Are you married?' We'll say 'No, man. But you can do the job when you're in town.'" In other words, the couple in the song build a snowman, which they pretend is the local Parson, or minister, who will someday perform the marriage ceremony for them. I trust that solves your mystery for you.

[@johhanwindsalor9478]

Now... do all the current songs that feature: racism, sexism, homophobia, womanizing, rape, robbery, murder!!! **I'm pretty sure WatchMojo would never... ever... dare to create a "Top Ten" for the current artists that produce music featuring racial slurs, and murder**

[@mikecoolgreen]

because they're liberal snowflakes

[@epicnamehere100]

Now do Top 10 Racist songs by Black American Rappers, you'd be surprised how much you find...

[@tcolsher8003]

And they made millions of them.

[@msoseni8348]

Can you name an example

[@DeniseFaraday]

Some of the songs are racist just by the titles of the damn songs, so those are dead giveaways from the jump.

[@Kimmelbee1]

Elaborate. What title of what song is racist?

[@onionbubs386]

A lot of these are surprising but I'm not shocked at all that songs called "Pick a Bale of Cotton" or "10 Little Indians" have racist origins.

[@horrorchicken4851]

I always found “10 Little Indians” to be particularly bad when I was a kid because we were taught the alternate versions of “10 Little Injuns” and “10 Little Redskins”. Both ‘injuns’ and ‘redskins’ are racial slurs, and I’m Native American

[@therealboomshlamian700]

What the actual hell were they teaching kids in school

[@Lotsolov4u]

It's Christmas time! How about top 10 things that my true love sent to me on Christmas

[@dblyth5098]

Rolf Harris writing questionable lyrics, is the least of his worries in recent years!!!!!

[@patrickbateman6885]

That man is not Australian. Australians are people like Travis Head who say oh cunt.

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@patrickbateman6885 - Oh. I always thought he was. What country was he actually born in?

[@patrickbateman6885]

@@AtheistOrphan It was a joke. He was sadly born and lived in Australia.

[@rotimiolu-james9418]

I think Baa Baa Black Sheep should be here. I recently found out that the song was made back in early Britain and it showcase slavery, I can't explain it well since I just found out but there is one thing that I noticed in the song. In the song we know to day it was " One for the master and one for the mayor and one for the little boy who lives down the rail" but that was the modified version the other version back then was " One for the master and one for the mayor and none for the little boy who died down the rail". I don't know if this count but just wanted to point this out.

[@LittleSongbirdS4L]

Oh, wow! That's quite a lyric! In the US it is usually "One for the master, one for the dame, one for the little boy who lives (or cries) down the lane."

[@psychobillynumbnuts1]

Turkey in the Straw was orginally an instrumental. Only cuz later on, was remixed to a racist lyric, doesn't mean it was a racist song to begin with

[@Dendu77]

Is looking for racism everywhere some kind of millennial past time?

[@anthonyadams1325]

Pretty dark. Wow.

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

that's racist, why associate dark with bad?

[@anthonyadams1325]

@@NatCo-Supremacist I hope thats a joke.

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

@@anthonyadams1325 it's not, racism is no joke

[@trans-dragonroger1948]

Honestly, The Wiggles probably didn’t know that the song (Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport) was racist, so I’ll give them a pass.

[@johnstrano636]

Ive only heard the song as it was used in the States for a pro wrestler called "Outback Jack" when he was in the WWE. This a poor mans crocodile dundee who didnt last very long.

[@maxs9445]

how about hip hop ?)) FU, unsubscribe

[@damnedash9526]

Okay, Jingle Bells I'm just not hearing it... I'm reciting all of the lyrics in my head and don't see anything about racism...

[@chrismulwee4911]

Because it's not there. It's a late 1800's song about fun and frolicking in wintertime.

[@christianparrish6647]

4:43 I hear that a lot, I had no idea it was racist.

[@stevenwasco9045]

I thought the Ice Cream Truck song was "The Entertainer" I never heard an Ice Cream Truck play "Turkey in the Straw." The more you know! I'll have to keep an ear out this summer!

[@JamesDavy2009]

I always heard them play _Greensleeves_ but that's probably a thing for my country.

[@goodcommunitylife]

I am seeing and hearing all of these songs in a new light!

[@illahstrait]

You literally can't have a discussion on the internet about racism without people in the comment section saying stupid stuff like... _So what if it was racist, stop trying to ruin my childhood, stop being a cry baby and the ever popular I'm blank race and it doesn't bother me._

[@IcanGOwithTHEflow]

Don't even have to watch to know that black sheep song has to be here

[@thomashald989]

Danish lyrics for "tie me kangaroo down, sport" Rolf Harris 1957. "stop den lille kænguru" Thøger Olesen 1960. When I came to Australia, I got on TV, And I got a kangaroo As a prize for that. All the people said congratulations, Come and press my hand, Said the kid was mine now, Gave me it on a leash. (And then they shouted :) Stop the little kangaroo, Before it jumps again! Stop the little kangaroo, Before it jumps again! It jumped over a flagpole, Poor thing I followed. Everyone roared 'my hymn, While I rolled along (All sang in chorus :) Stop the little kangaroo ... When I left the country, Was I required to pay a duty, For the kangaroo, among other things, It jumped of like hell. (And then they shouted :) Stop the little kangaroo ... At home my girl waited, It was not a success. She started screaming, When she got to see the guy. (And then she shouted :) Stop the little kangaroo ... I was inside the bank, To withdraw a check. It jumped up over the counter, Took the cash register with him and was gone. (Everyone screamed in chorus :) Stop the little kangaroo ... When we got to jail, The kangaroo got angry, And it jumped full of longing, Over the prison wall. (All sang in chorus :) Stop the little kangaroo ... I think they are very harmless. not like "I've seen a real Negro man"

[@kelvinhopkins2859]

Outstanding report.

[@Dreamyblue101]

That is so messed up

[@CeaserBTradeGang]

Remarkably grimey right smfh 😳💯✌🏾

[@unruly_ronin]

Incoming Klan Meeting in the comments.

[@Portknocks]

Lol predominantly pointed to black people. The music is still with us today and wonder why we're not over it. Unfortunately, we're still living it.

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

given how they are today, I can see why my ancestors thought so poorly of them. They knew reality better than anyone today.

[@KyleJBAwesomeness-OfficialChan]

Do Top 20 Nick Jr The Backyardigans Songs next 3-way tie for #1 Castaways, Into the Thick of It and International Super Spy since those are the three songs from that series that went memes viral on TikTok last year. You should also include their cover of I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas from the Nickelodeon's 2010 Noggin/Nick Jr Mega Music Fest concert hosted by John Leguizamo from the Brooklyn Music Academy in New York since that rendition was top notch

[@LowKeyTroll]

Alternate Title: "10 songs shoehorned into being offensive for ad revenue"

[@tonycoleman6797]

Zip a Dee Do Dah from Song of the South should be on this list!

[@Ragetiger1]

Song of the South been vaulted and will never come back out. So only those with the VHS of that Disney movie or the cassette/record of the soundtrack will even know of that song. I remember parts of that song, recalling it being rather upbeat and perky so it's racial undertones would be easily missed.

[@45Gunner556]

0:12 ayyy its Blazing saddles

[@weirdheriawan]

Watchmojo: (This song) original lyrics is so bad... Me: How bad WM: So bad that we can play it here, you have to do your own research me:.... okay....

[@knghtcmdr]

Who cares? Nobody sings a single one of these songs with racist intent, and I doubt anyone cares. It's time to grow up and stop being offended by everything and stop trying to ruin our culture. BTW merry Christmas

[@DeannaBlakeOgTgDq]

You’re Caucasian. What culture? Caucasian isn’t a culture

[@kershabeaver3312]

@Arturo Henrik exactly. If you don't know your past you are doomed to repeat it

[@meanguyy2]

Stop being a snowflake seems you're more offended then anyone else why don't YOU grow up

[@DeniseFaraday]

Whenever someone says a comment like this, they are basically saying 'Who cares if you're offended? Since I'm Caucasian and will never be affected by the horrors of slavery or racism, it's no skin off my white ass. Stop your bitching and whining though you're still affected by systemic racism 400 years later....'

[@scottyrob82]

Stop crying snowflake and acknowledge this as truth. Sorry facts hurt your sensitive feelings.

[@EqualOpportunityDestoroya]

I thought Camptown was a horse racing track, like Canterbury Downs.

[@AtheistOrphan]

So did I!

[@lachlanjeffery00]

Interesting that Rolf Harris apologised for racist lyrics, given he’s never shown any remorse sexually abusing children

[@Jose-ht2lw]

Yall mofos made this list cause #1 is a is asociated with Christmas and were like 2 weeks away.

[@thekingofpigs8566]

Ok. This " everything and everyone is rasist" culture nowadays, it has to stop at some point.

[@donovanlocust1106]

I'm sorry pointing out that things used to be racist upsets you so much. I know what it's like to be a boomer.

[@thekingofpigs8566]

@@donovanlocust1106 "used to be", you said it. so you 're telling me that if a child starts to hate a song like jingle bells from now on it's gonna make him/her a better person? "boomer".... oh please... is that even an argument?

[@donovanlocust1106]

@@thekingofpigs8566 I never said it'd make them a better person and they're not gonna hate it. Theyll probably think about it in a different way but they won't hate it. I know the times are changing too fast for your old ass to keep up with but I know conservatives like you can't think unless it's about hating someone who just a straight cis white male.

[@sage7367]

@@thekingofpigs8566 It'd make them more cognizant of the twisted nature of america. Mostly everything in america has racist origins so no one is wrong to reflect and point out that was indeed taking place. With that ideology of your comment, that's only continuing the problem and with your username it makes sense. Heighten your sensibilities because you can't become defensive when your lineage's lack of culture were always envious of ours and failed to establish a worthwhile legacy that couldn't stand on it's own. It involved mass killings, discrimination, etc. You don't have to carry that negative energy, but it's the internet. Eye wouldn't be surprised if the trolling commenced further now.

[@Kimmelbee1]

@@sage7367 many, many nursery rhymes and songs have origins from places other than America. They were brought with immigrants and assimilated into American culture. Many have no racist origins, however, regional changes to lyrics would often happen, but the original wasn't racist. If someone truly researched these things for themselves instead of relying on some KZbin twit, they'd know the truth.

[@zandos73]

When did Watch Mojo go woke?

[@1992disney]

They've always been that way ever since they started.

[@zandos73]

I haven't seen the political undertones until recently

[@NatCo-Supremacist]

They've been sjw since like 2016

[@mariocanfora9117]

Telling historical realities is not woke

[@barneynedward]

Stephen Foster actually hated those minstrel shows.

[@curtisberard7831]

Jingle Bells isn't a Christmas song either. It was intended to be sung around Thanksgiving.

[@darianclark3980]

Wierd Fact: Ludacris added a little part of the Number 7 song in The Potion

[@mlggamer5296]

"Oh what fun it is to sing a sleighing song tonight" even this line I get that feeling that the word sleighing is not actually spelled like that. Maybe I'm just overthinking it but it wouldn't surprise me

[@mohammedkaunda7038]

All songs mocking black people had their lyrics changed and are still sang till today

[@majorpayne100]

What were they doing in the kitchen with Dinah

[@cultescapee8740]

Yeah, I'll take Bullshit for $500

[@christinavelazquez8931]

I saw on another KZbin video, there was a song, " jimmy cracked the corn and I don't care". About a slave master who cracked his whip to get his horse going... Correct me if I'm wrong! 🤔👍

[@bingewatcherfanatic996]

You are correct

[@kellwng]

They will even say dirt is racist

[@camecex]

A very interesting list. Thanks Watch Mojo