“Cotton Eye Joe” Lyrics And Meaning

Cotton Eye Joe was a huge hit back in 1994.

It was also one of the most hated songs of the year.

And decade. And perhaps of all time.

It was somehow catchy and annoying all at once.

It made people see the song, and the band Rednex, as nothing more than a gimmick.

While that may be true for the band (I know nothing about them), the song actually predates them. By a lot.

It has been around for far longer than most people realize. And previous versions had far more detailed lyrics that tell us much more about the meaning of the song. So let’s take a look.

 

Cotton Eyed Joe Lyrics And Meaning

The tune known as Cotton-Eyed Joe (and also Cotton Eye Joe), along with the lyrics, has been well known in Canada, rural America, and throughout the South for more than 150 years. It existed even before the American Civil War!

Since the 1860s, this song has had so many different versions that it would be impossible to analyze them all. The most (in)famous version of Cotton Eyed Joe is, of course, the one by the Rednex group.

It was a hit in the mid-90s, but it never went away. And it has been experiencing a bit of a resurgence lately.

This version has been included in many advertisements, mostly for mobile phone operators all around the world. This includes the exceptional viral advertisement of British telephone company T-Mobile which, was inspired by a flash mob held in a New York train station.

This insistent version of the song by Rednex, which hit number one in Sweden, Austria, and other countries in 1994, is also quite common at dance parties due to its upbeat music.

The curious thing is that most people don’t know that this song does not belong to Rednex, but is instead an American folk theme, possibly based on some Anglo-Celtic melody brought by the first pioneers to the new continent.

Many bluegrass bands, western swing bands, and even Celtic music bands have recreated all done their own versions of this song. And most of them were done in a much more dignified way than the Rednex version.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics to Cotton-Eye Joe, before diving into the meaning.

 

Cotton-Eye Joe Lyrics

 
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

He came to town like a midwinter storm
He rode through the fields, so handsome and strong
His eyes was his tools and his smile was his gun
But all he had come for was having some fun

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

He brought disaster wherever he went
The hearts of the girls was to Hell, broken, sent
They all ran away so nobody would know
And left only men ’cause of Cotton-Eye Joe

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe
I’d been married long time ago
Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

 

Cotton-Eyed Joe Meaning

One thing all versions of this song have in common is the same theme. A tall and slim African-American man named “Cotton-Eyed Joe” comes to town and takes the musician’s lady with him.

“If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.” The older versions describe this Joe very well, but these descriptions were removed in the newer version for obvious reasons.

His eyes wuz crossed, an’ his nose wuz flat,
An’ his teef wuz out, but wat uv dat?
Fur he wuz tall, an’ he wuz slim,
An’ so my gal she follered him.

Apparently, Cotton-Eye Joe was ugly. His eyes were crossed, his nose flat, and he had missing teeth. According to the narrator anyway, whose girlfriend was swayed by Cotton-Eye Joe. But he was tall and slim, and that was why the girl left with him.

The older versions also say that they went to Tennessee together:

Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so,
Fur ter take my gal erway fum me,
An’ cyar her plum ter Tennessee?

The line “What did make you sarve me so” has two interpretations. One is that Cotton-Eye Joe was the narrator’s slave (based on sarve being used for slave in some cases two centuries ago).

The other interpretation is that the narrator simply asks Joe why he did that. Why did the narrator deserve such a fate? As many believe this song was sung by slaves on plantations, the second interpretation of the sentence is much more likely than the first.

The song then continues to describe the girl:

No gal so hansum could be foun’,
Not in all dis country roun’,
Wid her kinky head, an’ her eyes so bright,
Wid her lips so red an’ her teef so white.

Ef it hadn’t ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I’d been married long ergo.

Obviously, the narrator found her very pretty and wanted to marry her. He loved her very much, which is more obvious from the following text:

An’ I loved dat gal wid all my heart,
An’ she swo’ fum me she’d never part;
But den wid Joe she runned away,
An’ lef’ me hyear fur ter weep all day.

The girl swore to the narrator that they would get married but then left him for Joe. The narrator then cried due to sorrow.

The newer version by Rednex keeps the two protagonists but takes a step further. Cotton-Eyed Joe does not take only one girl, he takes them all! After that, he disappears and the narrator has no idea where:

Where did you come from, where did you go,
where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

He came to town like a midwinter storm
He rode through the fields, so handsome and strong
His eyes was his tools and his smile was his gun
But all he had come for was having some fun

Evidently, Joe in this version is a much more handsome man, in contrast to the old versions of decades ago. This makes much more sense, especially since Joe has seduced every single woman in this town. Finally, Joe disappears with all the women, and just male residents remain in the town.

He brought disaster wherever he went
The hearts of the girls was to Hell, broken, sent
They all ran away so nobody would know
And left only men ’cause of Cotton-Eye Joe.

While the lyrics tell the story clearly, one thing remains to be known. Who is this “Cotton-Eye Joe?” The name suggests that he was a tall African-American, since they were the ones who harvested the cotton manually in the south (though not by choice).

Similarly, some simply contrast the whiteness of the eyes and the darkness of his skin (the eyes look like cotton on his head). The final probable interpretation is that Joe is simply drunk. This would explain his crossed eyes and strange teeth.

The origin of the song also remains a mystery. Was it created by African-Americans working on cotton fields? Or by Anglo-Celtic immigrants, as mentioned above?

There is also the possibility that a popular black fiddler from Nova Scotia who was himself named Joe (Joe Izzard) had it in his repertoire at the beginning of the 20th century.

That photo dates from 1909 and is in the Nova Scotia Museum, a Canadian region well known for keeping the Irish and Scottish Celtic culture quite intact.

Later, with the arrival of the phonographic era, there were more than 130 versions of Cotton Eyed Joe up to 1950. These included versions by Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Bob Wills, and Adolph Hofner.

But without a doubt, the most luxurious, original, and fun version that we have heard is that of Ricky Skaggs with the Irish group The Chieftains (who are something like both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones of Irish Celtic music).

It was recorded at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Sistine Chapel of country music. This version shows the indefatigable joy of Irish music, mixed with the passion of American mountain music.

 

Cotton Eye Joe Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

The song Cotton-Eyed Joe has been around far longer than most people realize. And certainly longer than the popular version by the Rednex.

We don’t know who wrote it or who performed it first. We don’t even know which country it comes from originally. But we do know that it speaks of a (probably) African American man who stole the would-be wife of the song’s author.

If you like these types of breakdowns, we have a bunch more. The lyrics and meaning to 25 Or 6 To 4 are quite interesting, because people had so many bizarre theories, until the writer revealed no hidden meaning whatsoever. The true meaning is actually quite hilarious.

Another good example is the dark meaning behind the lyrics for Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind. They are completely opposite of the tune’s upbeat and happy melody.

Then we have another modern take on lyrics that are hundreds of years old. Nathan Evans gave the Wellerman lyrics new meaning when he made his viral TikTok video. 

And finally, there are the lyrics and meaning for The Weight by The Band. This song also includes numerous images from American folklore.