Tune of the Day: Goober Peas
This traditional folk song probably originated in the Southern United States. It was popular with Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, has been recorded by many artists over the years, and is still frequently sung in the South to this day.
The lyrics of “Goober Peas” are a description of daily life during the latter part of the Civil War for Southerners. After being cut off from the rail lines and their farm land, they had little to eat aside from boiled peanuts (or “goober peas”) which often served as an emergency ration. Peanuts were also known as pindars and goobers.
The earliest sheet music for the song was published in New Orleans in 1866 by A. E. Blackmar, who humorously lists A. Pindar as the lyricist and P. Nutt as the composer.