[Alternately: “Old Joe, Or Somebody in de house wid Dinah?” “Ole Joe, or Dare’s Someone In De House Wid Dinah,” “Old Joe, or “Some One In De House Wid Dinah”]


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According to Nathan, Keith first published the song at Boston in 1844 (457). The song is of interest as the vocal line is constructed to allow room for solo banjo breaks, particularly in the pre-chorus sections (see Minstrels in the Parlour). Recorded versions of the song that attempt to channel minstrel performance allow for entire phrases of instrumental break (see Winans’ The Early Minstrel Show). As Mahar suggests, the song recounts the extra-marital escapades of a male slave with a “yaller gal” (398 n. 44). You will also notice that in the B. Williams and Samuel K. Hales edition of the song, explicit reference is made to “The Dandy Broadway Swell”.



Certainly a popular song during the period in question, it seems to have now passed into the American folk canon. The song has been recorded a number of times.



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