# Song Black Betty - whats it saying?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 26, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444 "2012-07-26T13:18:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444/21 "2012-07-27T14:42:34Z")

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FWIW, the line in the [Lead Belly version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYrK464nIeY) is “The little thing went blind, blam-de-lam/I said it wasn’t none of mine, blam-de-lam/They said it wasn’t none of mine.”

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**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444/22 "2012-07-27T18:14:54Z")

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I believe newborns from women with syphilis sometimes go blind.

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444/23 "2012-07-27T18:30:39Z")

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> [@HelenGawn](#):
>
> I believe newborns from women with syphilis sometimes go blind.

Hence the practice of routinely treating newborns’ eyes with silver nitrate.

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**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-black-betty-whats-it-saying/629444/24 "2012-07-27T19:08:33Z")

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Could ‘blind’ be, blind as in drunk, enforcing the liquor aspect?

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