(distribution trimmed back to those who voluntarily joined this conversation 😉)
That's what I've done with the singing squares I've chosen to learn/program. In most cases it's trivial to make the change and fit the meter of the dance/tune, and the quality/helpfulness of the resultant calls usually improves.
In just one example from "Trail of the Lonesome Pine":
"Do si do, and then your corner you swing,
you swing her, you promenade her and sing."
Larks and Robins generally fit where specifying a particular role is necessary. I never understood why a number of the singers had lines like "swing that corner lady, put her on the right and..." when the "lady" had agency of her own and "corner" was enough to distinguish the target.
Some singers will require quite a bit of rejiggering and may end up losing essence without a lot of clever lyrics revision. Others might not easily survive scrutiny with today's improved cultural sensitivity - where dated attitudes and cultural assumptions/biases are firmly embedded.
-Don
Great discussion!
So, now what do we do with squares? One of my favorites, “Push pa, shove ma” (swing the girl from Arkansas) Darn… but I get it.
Should we rewrite the singing squares that don’t comply? It might not be too difficult. I would just like to know what some of you have experienced with your squares. Are these dances and their poetry part of our tradition, or are they dinosaurs? Could they be called with a disclaimer?
Jill Allen
Lawrence, KS