Since the 1960s, Carter has become best known for his bawdy songs such as "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", "Pin in Your Cushion", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough for Me", "Please Warm My Wiener" and "My Pencil Won't Write No More". However, his output was not restricted to risqué music. In 1928, he recorded the original version of "Corrine, Corrina", which later became a hit for Big Joe Turner and has become a standard in various musical genres.
Carter and his brothers (including pianist Harry Chatmon, who also made recordings), first learned music from their father, ex-slave fiddler Henderson Chatmon, at their home on a plantation between Bolton and Edwards, Mississippi. Their mother, Eliza, also sang and played guitar.
Carter made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson. Carter soon was recording as a solo artist and became one of the dominant blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording 110 sides. He also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other acts in the area. He and the Sheiks often played for whites, playing the pop hits of the day and white-oriented dance material, as well as for blacks, using a bluesier repertoire.
Carter went partly blind during the 1930s. He settled in Glen Allan, Mississippi and despite his vision problems did some farming but also continued to play music and perform, sometimes with his brothers. Carter moved to Memphis, and worked outside the music industry in the 1940s.
Carter suffered strokes and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Shelby County Hospital, Memphis, on September 21, 1964.
Bo Carter's style of playing the guitar and his songwriting won him fans long after he died. One of the most notable examples was blues-rock guitarist, Rory Gallagher from Ireland, who performed several of his songs, including, "All Around Man."
Banana In The Fruit Basket
Bo Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I need is a little woman, just to burn my bread
I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
Now, I got the washboard, my baby got the tub,
We gonna put 'em together, gonna rub, rub, rub
And I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
Mmm, gonna let my banana spoil now,
Mama, gonna let my banana spoil, now
I can see the way you carryin' on,
You don't want my banana no how
Now I got the dasher, my baby got the churn,
We gonna churn, churn, churn until the butter come
Then I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
Now my baby's got the cloth, and I got the needle,
we gonna stitch, stitch, stitch, 'til we both will feel it
Then I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
Mmm, gonna let my banana ruin, now,
Mmm, gonna let my banana ruin, now
I can see the way you carryin' on,
You don't want my banana no how
Now my baby's got the meat, and I got the knife,
I'm gonna do her cuttin', this bound to solve my life
And I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
The lyrics to Bo Carter's "Banana in Your Fruit Basket" are strongly suggestive and sexual in nature. The singer is expressing his desire for a woman, making use of several innuendos, particularly concerning his "banana" (which is clearly meant to be phallic). He sings about several things that he and his partner can do together, such as "burn[ing] bread" together, or churning butter using the washboard and churn. He emphasizes that all he's really looking for is a woman who will allow him to satisfy his desires, much as one might be content with filling a fruit basket with the right fruit.
At the same time, the song is also playful and humorous, with a slightly ridiculous edge that suggests the singer isn't taking himself too seriously. The constant references to bananas and fruit, in particular, have a slightly absurd quality that makes them less explicit than they might otherwise be. The playful nature of the song is further reinforced by the repeated lines about the banana spoiling or ruining, which suggest that the singer is not entirely serious about his desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a brand new skillet, I got a brand new lead,
I've got new cooking tools, but what I really need is a woman to take care of me
All I need is a little woman, just to burn my bread
I need a woman to take care of me and do all the daily household tasks
I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
I'm not afraid to express my desires and needs to you
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
I want to have sex with you and this is the best way I know to express it
Now, I got the washboard, my baby got the tub,
We have different household chores and we complement each other
We gonna put 'em together, gonna rub, rub, rub
We are going to work together to clean clothes and enjoy the process
Mmm, gonna let my banana spoil now,
I'm getting frustrated because you don't seem interested in me
Mama, gonna let my banana spoil, now
I'm going to stop pursuing you
I can see the way you carryin' on,
I can see that you're not into me and you're showing me with your actions
You don't want my banana no how
You're not interested in me or what I want
Now I got the dasher, my baby got the churn,
We have different tools to make butter, but we're going to work together
We gonna churn, churn, churn until the butter come
We are going to keep working together until we succeed
Then I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
I'm not afraid to express my desires and needs to you, even if they're sexual in nature
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
I want to have sex with you and this is the best way I know to express it
Now my baby's got the cloth, and I got the needle,
We have different skills, but we're going to work together to create something
We gonna stitch, stitch, stitch, 'til we both will feel it
We are going to keep working together until we both feel satisfied
Mmm, gonna let my banana ruin, now,
I'm frustrated because you're not responding to me and I don't know what to do
I can see the way you carryin' on,
I can see that you're not interested in me and you're showing me with your actions
You don't want my banana no how
You're not interested in me or what I want
Now my baby's got the meat, and I got the knife,
We have different household tasks, but I'm going to take care of this one
I'm gonna do her cuttin', this bound to solve my life
I'm going to take care of her and make her happy, which will make me happy too
And I'm tellin' you baby, I sure ain't gonna deny,
I'm not afraid to express my desires and needs to you, even if they're sexual in nature
Let me put my banana in your fruit basket, then I'll be satisfied
I want to have sex with you and this is the best way I know to express it
Lyrics © SPIKEDRIVER LLC
Written by: BO CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JaneFrieman
Can you imagine Bo having a garden and singing about how well endowed his cucumbers are?
@TrayonRobinson
From Weiners to Bananas, Bo was a subliminal genius
@erikboulet7298
Now I know how my parents got here. I love it
@erikboulet7298
Now I know how my parents got here. I love it.
@arthurias7693
A not-so-subtle subliminal genius..
@deloreswilson1798
He was "freaky"...🤔
@deloreswilson1798
Some genius.Old news...🤔
@blondwiththewind
Of course, he is only singing about the standard nutritional recommendation for two servings of fruit per day.
@jen02041
of course he is
@Bobjb999
Just discovered this song today. It seems to be Bo's own "answer" to Memphis Minnie's bawdy song "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit" he recorded a year or two after Minnie recorded her song. Bo's song uses the same first two lines as Minnie's: "I've got a brand new skillet, And a brand new lid." but the rest of Minnie's song's different, & bawdy with a different angle than Bo's!