Underwear Joke in Old Hillbilly Songs - Huh?

Cafe Society
1

One of my guilty pleasures is old country music. (and I mean old- 1920’s & 30’s) In a few humorous songs there appears variations of this following verse:

I bought a set of union underwear,
To keep me from the cold and the chilly air,
I wore it six months without exaggeration,
And I can’t get it off 'cause I lost the combination.

I take it the humor lies in wearing underwear six months without taking it off, like being literally locked into them. But does the word “combination” feature into underwear somehow? All the songs are very careful to include the term "combination, and not so much the word “exaggeration”, as one song substitutes the rhyme “changeration”. I even seem to remember a Three Stooges joke that used the punchline, “I lost the combination.” in something relating to clothes. (I usually know all things Stooge but for some reason this one eludes me.)

Anyway, underwear, combination, any connections?

2

I think it must just refer to a combination lock; as you say, they are comparing it to being locked into the underwear. It’s funny exactly because underwear doesn’t have a combination.

3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combination_underwear
“Combination Underwear” or “Union Suit” were interchangeable terms for one-piece shoulder-to-foot underclothes.
ETA: Word Play “combination lock” with “combination underwear”

4

Here’s some you can buy for yourself!

5

i would agree that it is a play on combination and combination lock. those were tight fitting and had lots of buttons.

music from back then is very interesting. music of that type country/folk/hillbilly did develop into folk, country, bluegrass and blues (some styles) of today. you can hear the roots.

a song title would be good. performers that did it would be good.

i would like to checkout. thanks.

6

One song that has this verse is from “The Story that the Crow Told Me” from the compilation album of the same name. The performers were called Carolina Buddies. You can find them at http://yazoorecords.com/2051.htm

You’ll find all sorts of others at this website.

7

Goddamn it. I thought I knew what to get the boyfriend for Christmas (I assume there is a trap door?) but it doesn’t come in red.

8

This one does

9

Have you ever worn a union suit? They have alot of buttons and take a bit of patience to get out of. I think the lyric is just a way of making humor out of this. ie - I wore it so long I forgot how to get out of it (lost the combination). I doubt it is anything more complicated than that.