![]() While we have no knowledge of the views or intentions of the musicians on this recording, we feel that the word-even considering this historical context-continues to contribute to discrimination and violence against black communities in the United States. The version featured here, performed by the Virginia Mountain Boys, is the only version in our collection that retains the N-word in the title and lyrics. At Smithsonian Folkways, we have many examples of these versions in our collection, including “ Run, Johnny, Run” (Bruce Hutton), “ Run.Run / Mama Your Son Done Gone” (Elizabeth Cotten), “ Run, Jimmy, Run” (Clarence Ashley), and “ Run, Boy, Run” (Jim Smoak & The Louisiana Honeydrippers). As time progressed, pressure mounted to change the title and lyrics so that the N-word was eliminated. ![]() Throughout the twentieth century, musicians performed multiple versions of this song.
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