Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives also worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020s.
Blue Tail Fly
Burl Ives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That this song was a favourite
Of that very famous and great American
Abraham Lincoln"
When I was young, I used to wait
On master and give him his plate
And pass him the bottle when he got dry
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
And when he'd ride in the afternoon
I'd follow after, with a hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
When bitten by blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
One day, he ride around the farm
The flies so numerous, they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
The devil take the blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
The pony run, he jumped, he pitch
He threw my master in the ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
The verdict was the blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
They lay him under a 'simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see
"Beneath this stone, I'm forced to lie
Victim of the blue tail fly"
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
Blue Tail Fly is a traditional American folk song which was popular during the mid-19th century. It is believed that the song is the story of a slave named Jim who is tasked with swatting flies away from his master, or boss, while he is out riding around the farm. Jim cracks corn while he does his job and seems to sing in the chorus that he doesn't care about anything. However, one day the blue tail fly bites his master, causing him to fall off his horse and eventually die. The song ends with his epitaph being read and Jim still declaring that he doesn't care.
The first verse of the song sets the scene of Jim's life as a slave, giving insight into the nature of their duties, and how they would pass the time. The second verse takes us out onto the farm, where Jim follows his master with a hickory broom to chase away the blue tail flies. We get a sense of the mischief and annoyance of these flies when the pony shies away from being stung. The third and fourth verses tell us the story of the blue tail fly biting the master, leading to his untimely death. The end of the song brings a sense of finality to the story, as Jim's master is laid to rest.
Line by Line Meaning
I've heard it said
That this song was a favourite
Of that very famous and great American
Abraham Lincoln
This song is said to be a favorite of Abraham Lincoln, the famous American.
When I was young, I used to wait
On master and give him his plate
And pass him the bottle when he got dry
And brush away the blue tail fly
When I was young, I used to serve my master, give him his food, pass him the bottle when he was thirsty, and brush away the blue tail fly.
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
I don't care about Jimmy cracking corn because my master is gone away.
And when he'd ride in the afternoon
I'd follow after, with a hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
When bitten by blue tail fly
When my master would go for a ride, I would follow him with a hickory broom, because the pony would get skittish when bitten by the blue tail fly.
One day, he ride around the farm
The flies so numerous, they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
The devil take the blue tail fly
One day, my master rode around the farm and the flies were so numerous that they swarmed around him. One fly bit him on the thigh, which angered me and made me wish for the fly's demise.
The pony run, he jumped, he pitch
He threw my master in the ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
The verdict was the blue tail fly
The pony ran, jumped, and threw my master in a ditch, causing his death. The jury was puzzled as to why this happened, but I knew it was because of the blue tail fly.
They lay him under a 'simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see
"Beneath this stone, I'm forced to lie
Victim of the blue tail fly"
They buried him under a 'simmon tree and his epitaph reads, "Beneath this stone, I'm forced to lie, victim of the blue tail fly".
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BURL IVES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roberttownsend7397
What a marvelous old song and a most unlikely worldwide hit for the great Burl Ives.
@stephaniehillman2455
Good old folk songs you dont hear anymore. Burl
Ives was a great story teller
and singer. Makes me think of happier times in the world.
@JakeSmith-ux1xk
I agree
@mikejones5364
Slavery makes you think of happier times?
@stephaniehillman2455
I'm not talking about Slavery!!
@stephaniehillman2455
@Mike Jones I'm Not Talking
About Slavery !!! I'm talking about how people treated one another back in the Days where
Manners were spoken all the time. Everything is so God
Darn political these days and it
Makes me see Red!!! If People
Knew how to Behave, and were
Pleasant to one another we wouldn't have all of the problems
That we are dealing with Today!!
@mikejones5364
@Stephanie Hillman Gotcha.
@chrismdieter
Ones of those songs from early childhood that is so nostalgic it gives me goosebumps!
@cw187
Burl ives singing gives me goosebumps
@ion-shivs
Same here.