Goober peas

One of my favourite songs of the period is the silly little ditty "Goober peas". It is a jolly song which isn't about fighting, or lost love or sentimental thoughts of home, but instead takes the fun out of the boring diet of the soldiers.

Poor diet

If the letters CSA stood for "Corn, Salt and Apples" (the staple foods of the Confederate soldier) then the fourth item on the menu would probably be goober peas, or peanuts. They were cooked in their shells and eaten, their kernels were roasted and then ground up as a substitute for coffee (which tastes as bad as it sounds). They were probably added to the thin stews the men cooked for themselves over open fires. I remember a few years ago when I was travelling in the Southern States for a re-enactment event, John the Prof came back to the car after a food raid on a roadside snack bar with a small paper bag in one hand. Inside the bag was a handful of goobers in their shell which had been boiled instead of roasted. They smelled like the bottom of a gerbil cage, and looked like butterfly pupae. According to the prof they tasted good - better (according to him) than the bright red pepperami-like sausage that I had picked, which listed among its ingredients "cow lips" and "recycled paper".

Incidentally, if you want to explore the delights of cooking with goobers, take a look at this site.

Anyway, I digress. Here are the words for Goober Peas, a song guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone's face. Unfortunately, it also drives John and Janet nuts. Oh well.

Goober Peas
Words: A Pindar
Tune: P Nutt
Date: 1866 (officially)

Sittin' by the roadside on a summer's day,
Chattin' with my messmates, passing time away,
Lying in the shadows, underneath the trees
-- Goodness, how delicious, eating goober peas!

CHORUS:
Peas! Peas! Peas! Peas! Eating goober peas! Goodness, how delicious, eating goober peas!

When a horseman passes, the soldiers have a rule
To cry out at their loudest "Hey, Mister, here's your mule!"
But still another pleasure enchantinger than these
Is wearing out your grinders, eating goober peas!

CHORUS

Just before the battle, the General hears a row;
He says "The Yanks are coming, I hear their rifles now!"
He turns around in wonder, and what do you think he sees?
The Georgia Militia, eating goober peas!

CHORUS

I think my song has lasted almost long enough!
The subject's interesting, but rhymes are mighty rough!
I wish this war was over, when free from rags and fleas,
We'd kiss our wives and sweethearts and gobble goober peas!

CHORUS