Can you tell me what Jimmy is doing when he “cracks” corn? I wonder if little kids still sing “Jimmy Crack Corn” in school. I hope not. It is not what you would call politically correct.

I remember singing “Jimmy Crack Corn” as a kid and thinking that it mentioning “massa” was a little weird. But I had no idea that this was a minstrel song with lyrics about a slave who can ...

"Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me,” “Blue Tail Fly (Jimmy Crack Corn),” “Polly Wolly Doodle,” “Turkey in the Straw.” What do these songs have in common? They’re American folk songs ...