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The Spootniks “Pick A Bale Of Cotton“ (Lead Belly) 30/04/2022 Мотовыставка IMIS-2022 “Pick a Bale of Cotton“ is a traditional American folk song and work song first recorded by Texas inmates James “Iron Head“ Baker (1933) and Mose “Clear Rock“ Platt (1939) and later popularized by Lead Belly (Huddie William Ledbetter). The song, particularly its original lyrics, has been criticized as racist and reminiscent and glorifying of the slavery period in American history. The original lyrics contained the racial slur “nigger“ multiple times. One of the verses, according to John Lomax's American Ballads and Folk Songs, goes like this: (“Dat nigger from Shiloh / Kin pick a bale o' cotton / Dat nigger from Shiloh / Kin pick a bale a day“). Amended better-known lyrics say: Gonna jump down, spin around Pick a bale of cotton Gonna jump down, spin around Pick a bale a day Oh lordy, pick a bale of cotton Oh lordy,
