"Camptown Races", sometimes referred to as "Camptown Ladies", is a comic song in broad, stereotyped negro "dialect" by Stephen Foster (1826 – 1864), known as the "father of American music," who was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. For other persons named Stephen Foster, see Stephen Foster (disambiguation). ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was published in 1850 in Foster's Plantation Melodies as sung by the Christy & Campbell Minstrels and New Orleans Serenaders, Written Composed and Arranged by Stephen C. Foster (Baltimore: F. D. Benteen; New Orleans: W. T. Mayo, 1850). Its official title was "Gwine to Run All Night", and is also known as "De Camptown Races". The Camptown of Foster's own experience was in Pennsylvania, but a "camptown", or tent city was a temporary workingmen's accommodation familiar in many parts of the United States, especially along the rapidly expanding railroad network. The rag-tag mix of horses that are racing, and the disorder of the racing conditions at the ramshackle camptown track provide the fun, with the usual unspoken undercurrent of superiority among the entertained hearers. the christy minstrels were and all black singing group ...

The present day-version of the Camptown Races, a cross country foot race, is the region's oldest 10 K race and one of the most challenging. It's held every year, the first weekend in September and includes the community's annual Old Home Day celebration.

Lyrics

De Camptown ladies sing dis song, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

De Camptown race-track five miles long, Oh, doo-dah day!

I come down dah wid my hat caved in, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

I go back home wid a pocket full of tin, Oh, doo-dah day!

Gwine to run all night!

Gwine to run all day!

I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag,

Somebody bet on de bay.

De long tail filly and de big black hoss, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

Dey fly de track and dey both cut across, Oh, doo-dah-day!

De blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

Can't touch bottom wid a ten foot pole, Oh, doo-dah-day!I can edit!!!!!!!!!!!!

D

Chorus

Old muley cow come on to de track, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

De bob-tail fling her ober his back, Oh, doo-dah-day!

Den fly along like a rail-road car, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

Runnin' a race wid a shootin' star, Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

See dem flyin' on a ten mile heat, Doo-dah doo-dah!

Round de race track, den repeat, Oh, doo-dah-day!

I win my money on de bob-tail nag, Doo-dah! doo-dah!

I keep my money in an old tow-bag, Oh, doo-dah-day!

Chorus

References in popular culture

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• In Blazing Saddles, white railroad bosses attempt to cajole black laborers to sing the song (called "Camptown Ladies" in the movie), but the workers feign ignorance of it.
• In the Bugs Bunny cartoon Fresh Hare Bugs, facing a firing squad, is given a last wish by Mountie Elmer Fudd. Bugs, "wishes" he was in Dixie, singing a brief snippet of that song, before breaking into a full blown rendition of "Camptown Races" complete with Elmer and the other mounties accompanying him in blackface. This scene is generally edited out when shown on television.
• Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn often hummed or sang varriations of the song in many of his shorts.
• In the 1988 film Short Circuit 2, the main character - a sentient robot named Johnny 5 - is tricked into digging a tunnel under a main road in order facilitate a burglary. As he digs, Johnny 5 sings "Camptown robots sing this song...".
• On a 2000 Episode of Oz, Unit Manager Tim McManus sings the song at the funeral of an African American staff member, prompting the African American warden Leo Glynn to fire him immediately.
• The Squirrel Nut Zippers song "The Ghost of Stephen Foster" appropriately mentions "Camptown Races" and uses some of its lyrical structure.
• The Danish pop band Cartoons recorded a version of the song under the title "Doodah!", which reached the UK Top Ten charts, and even appearing on a game called Dance Maniax
• The song has been referenced several times in The Simpsons.
• In Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, many references were made to the song. Most notably, in the episode "Fighting Families", the host's question is, "Name one song by Stephen Foster." Grandma starts singing the song out of nowhere, apparently not paying attention to the question, and they win the round.
• The song is sung a few times in another Cartoon Network show, Camp Lazlo, including an original rendition by a burping choir (from "Burpless Bean") and another version entitled "Go-Kart Racers" (from "Racing Slicks").
• Cyclones fans chant this song when Lucas Duda comes to bat against the Staten Island Yankees.

 (One Fan) De Cyclones Fans sing dis song, (fans) Du-da! Du-Da! (One Fan) De Cyclones outfield very long, (fans) Oh, Du-da Hey!!! (all fans) Hitting Home Runs all night! Hitting Home Runs all day! We'll kick the Yankees* butt very well! Thanks to Duda HEY!!! *Can be used for any other NY Penn League team, usually the SI Yankees, because Cyclones fans always go to see the Cyclones play in Staten Island. 

• In the films The Stepfather and The Step Father 2, the main charactor whistled Campdown Races. Most commonly done after he killed someone or killed a family.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Alex Karras as Mongo in Blazing Saddles Blazing Saddles (1974) is a comedy directed by Mel Brooks and starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, and released by Warner Brothers. ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Fresh Hare is a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon. ... Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ... Elmer J. Fudd is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters. ... Sheet music cover, c. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... Foghorn Leghorn is the name of a character appearing in numerous Warner Brothers animated cartoons, especially Looney Tunes. ... Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 motion picture, sequel to Short Circuit directed by Kenneth Johnson. ... Johnny 5 explores the city. ... Oz was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by HBO. The show, which aired for six seasons (1997-2003), was created by Tom Fontana and produced by Barry Levinson. ... Tim McManus Tim McManus is a fictional character on HBOs prison drama Oz. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Warden Leo Glynn Leo Glynn (played by Ernie Hudson) is the warden of the Oswald state correctional facility on the HBO drama Oz. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Cartoons Cartoons are a technobilly pop band from Denmark best known for their 1999 Eurodance cover of the 1958 novelty song, Witch Doctor by Ross Bagdasarian as well as for their outlandish plastic costumes and wigs used in live performances as caricatures of 1950s American rock and roll stars. ... Dance Maniax is a game from the Bemani series of rhythm games, published by Konami, with songs mostly from the Dancemania series of music, and shares many songs with Dance Dance Revolution. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... This article is about the TV channel. ... Hey Arnold! was an American animated television series that aired from October 7, 1996 until June 8, 2004 on Nickelodeon. ... Camp Lazlo is an Emmy-winning, American animated television series created by Joe Murray, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and currently airs on Cartoon Network. ...

Reference

• University of Toronto: lyrics and information about the song