# Dust My Broom. What does it mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629 "2010-07-14T03:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/1 "2010-07-14T03:40:02Z")
One of the most famous Blues songs of all time is Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” in which he says “I’m gonna get up in the morning, I believe I’ll dust my broom. Quit the best gal I been loving. Now my friends can have my room”. Now, of course I know that he means to give her up, leave town, whatever. But why “dust my broom”? Most Blues metaphors are quite obvious. (eg: Another mule is kickin’ in your stall. Somebody’s fishing in my pond, etc.) But this one’s got me stumped. I just can’t make the connection between “dusting his broom” and quitting her. Sounds more like he’s gonna get up in the morning and “choke his chicken” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/2 "2010-07-14T05:27:23Z")
I was sure we’d had a thread about this a while ago, and I was just about to give up when I found it. [So here are some ideas about what the title means.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=386901) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/3 "2010-07-14T06:49:12Z")
Don’t we have a Doper that’s a pretty well known blues historian/writer? I want to say it was a woman from Alaska, but can’t remember her username…think she was even giving a presentation at a museum opening or something… And after reading Marley’s link, that may have been who I was thinking of… ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/4 "2010-07-14T14:56:47Z")
Thanks for the link Marley. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/5 "2010-07-14T15:39:10Z")
Yes, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/6 "2010-07-14T15:43:01Z")
Nothing to do with this thread, but I heard a blues song by Curtis Salgado the other day called “I’ve Learned More About The Blues In Two Weeks Of You, Than In 20 Years Of B.B. King”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/7 "2010-07-14T15:50:22Z")
Another hijack: What is the title of this song? “I’ve got some real bad habits Baby, but the one I’m going to lose is you”? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/8 "2010-07-14T16:22:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Nothing to do with this thread, but I heard a blues song by Curtis Salgado the other day called “I’ve Learned More About The Blues In Two Weeks Of You, Than In 20 Years Of B.B. King”. Great song! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/9 "2010-07-14T17:27:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Great song! [Not bad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWDvTcWq0us) for an old white guy who’s had a liver transplant. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/10 "2010-07-15T04:28:41Z")
Make a “clean sweep”? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/11 "2010-07-15T05:28:12Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Make a “clean sweep”? The thread from before you got here (see post #2) says that the author agrees with you. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/12 "2010-07-15T05:43:53Z")
oh, yeah. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/13 "2010-07-15T05:50:54Z")
It means “Get some new Pussy”. ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dust-my-broom-what-does-it-mean/546629/14 "2010-07-15T15:49:17Z")
People in the rural south sometimes use the phrase to mean “to be done with” something. I’ve heard it all my life and in polite company as well so, while it may have more prurient meanings, there is this innocuous connotation.