My Black Ass

Hi all,

This is late to the party (last response in 2010), but I thought I'd add my two cents, which confirms some other theories posted. I do not believe this song "doesn't mean anything at all." It seems to me that this song discusses the different ways black people were allowed to participate in the economy of the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, .

"Gonna eat what I pick" seems to be a reference to sharecropping (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharecropping). Many Negro League players probably either directly participated in the system, or had close family members who did.

"I hope you choke on it" follows the sharecropping thing; If I only get a meager portion of these crops, then I hope that you choke on what you get.

"I'm proud to break a sweat" = a man has to be proud of his daily work, no matter the conditions of his labor. Or alternatively, "I am proud to break a sweat for work that I take on myself, following my own ambition."

"Too late for Satchel Paige" By the time Satchel was admitted to the Major Leagues, he was a 42 year old rookie; it was too late for him to have a long career of equal merit to the white players of the era, and his Negro League stats are downplayed in the context of history

"It's a Gary Cooper story" = Gary Cooper played Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees, another reference to white male domination of professional sports (specifically baseball), and the narrative of sports back then used the white athlete as signifying virility, strength, and masculinity even while they would not play with the black athletes (an quite ironic reference, too, as Gehrig ended up with ALS)

"Shines like Sammy's knees" -- Not totally sure; I have seen forums referring to Sammy Davis Jr.'s habit of dancing on his knees, which would rub off the fabric of his pants making his knees appear shiny (which leads to the next section...)

"When I dance I raise the dead" - Black entertainers were seen as fierce and skilled dancers, lauding the physical attributes over the mental, but also pointing to artistic creativity. I'm sure there are tribal/slave dances that specifically meant to "raise the dead" but could not corroborate that, and the metaphor works just as well anyway.

"Drop a nickel in my hat" - Pay the performer, usually on the street dancing for nickels (as opposed to being paid with more lucrative cash or checks for a show in a theater--hence the creation of Apollo Theater when black performers were not allowed to perform in most concert venues for whites).

"Take one look at your big smile" -- a reference to blackface performers?

"I'm proud to break a sweat" -- again, pay me for the hard work I produce, I am proud to do it as long as I am compensated fairly

I hope this is at least somewhat on base, and helpful to Shellac fans. As a young black man, hearing this song was one of my first realizations that "Some white people actually do understand the history of this country and the harsh economic realities blacks dealt with in the quite recent past." Not as far as anyone owing black people anything, but just being cognizant of some of the inequalities. I had much respect for Albini after that, and that's not even considering how great his band and his production skills were.