Wait...What?

1986 alteration[edit]

In 1986, Japanese students visiting the Kentucky General Assembly sang the original version of the song as a gesture of respect. Carl Hines (D-Louisville), a member of the state representative introduced House Resolution 159, which altered the lyrics to amend the word "darkies" to "people" at all official state functions involving the performance of the song.[10].

Oh my God, Oh my God, OMG!!!! Are you kidding me?? Some Japanese students?!

Bless their hearts. They were singing the original out of respect. Not realizing...lolol...Wait, I'm confused. It was made the official state song in 1928, did the state song version have "darkies" in it? Yes, right? That's the version Robeson sung in 1930, I can see an official state song in a southern state still having "darkies" in it in 1930, but that's also the one the Japanese kids sang in 1986. I really can't see an official state song having "darkies" in it in 1986. But the way the Wikipedia entry is written makes it seem like the kids reverted from the state song version, "people," to the original, "darkies." It seems like the Kentucky General Assembly was taken by surprise...

Oh God, can't you just see that scene?...Okay, serious now. It is hard for me to believe that the official state song of Kentucky contained the word "darkies" as late as 1986. And that no Kentucky politician, especially a Black politician, presumably, realized it until the Japanese kids sang it in 1986. But the alternative explanation is that the Japanese kids, their instructor or whatever, reverted to the original, "darkies," from the official, "people," and as a sign of respect! Of those two implausibilities, I think the Japanese kids and their instructor reverting on their own to "darkies" is more implausible. Wait...What if the sheet music the Japanese kids practiced from in Japan had already been sanitized of "darkies" to "people," an updated "unofficial official" version for all "foreigners" North and abroad, and the Japanese instructor, being anal, did his own researches and found that this blasted newfangled version they had been spoon-fed--The one I played as a kid.--was not the official version and he decided to sing the official...out of respect...But that would mean the Japanese instructor wouldn't have realized that "darkies" in 1986 was offensive. I don't know. Oh, Jeezus. Well this was fun anyway.