According to Stephen Foster, the ladies at the Camptown Races sing this song: “Doo-dah, Doo-dah” okay where exactly is the Camptown race track and did attendees there at some point suddenly get the urge to get up and sing “Doo-dah Doo-dah” for no apparent reason? Anyone out there know the origins of this?
Although Al Jolson continued to sing (dubbed) in movies until 1949, one of his last appearances as a dancer was a rendition of Camptown Races in the 1940 film Swanee River.
Not sure, but I think it’s five miles long. Oh Dee Doo Dah Day.
I’m guessing the “doo dahs” were put in the song because they fit the music.
Foster’s version of “hey-nonny-nonny” or “rickety-tickety-tin.”
Actually, Camptown is a town in Bradford County, as the original person said, but it isn’t very close to Pittsburgh> Probably about a 4 to 5 hour drive in the other corner of the state. However, Stephen Foster did spend a great deal of time in this area and there is a museum for him in Towanda, PA which is about twenty minutes from Camptown. The Camptown Races was a horse race between the town of Wyalusing, which was 5 miles up the road and Camptown. They still have a race every year, but now it is a trail race and is a 10K foot race. It is a fun little small town. I try to go to the race when I can as my grandfather spent years trying to put it together. It is a challenging race too if you are a runner.
Isn’t 5 miles a long horse race? I mean, for full speed, I’m sure there are > 100 mile races.
Brian
There’s a San Francisco shanty called “Hoodah Day”, but since it’s earliest publication is after Foster’s piece, it’s likely not the source of Doo-Dah, but borrowed from it. (Source: the Mudcat Cafe)
Yes. Thoroughbred races are typically 3/4th to 1-1/2 mile long. Quarter horses are even shorter (quarter-mile).
longer races are called ‘endurance’ races, and are 50-100 miles long. They are often run over several days, with a specified distance to be done each day, timed.
So is betting one’s money on the bobtail nag a good thing or a bad thing? I’ve never been clear on that.
Me, I prefer nocturnes. You know, Frederic fucking Chopin?
Depends. Did anyone bet on the bay?
What in the wide wide world of sports was going on there? If you bet on the bobtail nag, why do you care if someone bets on the bay? In fact, if you want to make money you’ve got to have people bet on the other horses. All you care about is if your horse wins, not if someone bets on the others.
Now I’ve got the song stuck in my head, I’ve got to resist the urge to jump up and sing and dance to it and look like a Kansas City faggot!
Still need to get that track laid, don’t ya? 
In this case it’s a good thing:
“See dem flyin’ on a ten mile heat–
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Round de race track, den repeat–
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
I win my money on de bob-tail nag–
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in old old tow-bag–
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!”
Cite: Camptown Races
He went home with a hat full of tin.
If I’d bet on old Stewball, I’d be a free man to-day.
Meh. Neither of them is a good ol’ worker and a good ol’ pal.
quicksand!!!
In the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich, Stephanie privately refers to her clitoris as her “doo-da”, which I’ve always thought would make singing Camptown Races pretty silly.