Leadbelly is said to have adapted the song from an 18th century marching cadence about a black-painted musket named Black Betty (go figure). Black Bettys child was Brown Bess.
Leadbellys version, and all subsequent versions could mean just about anything, but at the roots Black Betty is a musket.
Leadbelly is said to have adapted the song from an 18th century marching cadence about a black-painted musket named Black Betty (go figure). Black Bettys child was Brown Bess.
Leadbellys version, and all subsequent versions could mean just about anything, but at the roots Black Betty is a musket.