Oh Susanna
USA Lyrics
I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee,
I'm going to Louisiana,
My true love for to see.
Oh! Susanna,
Oh don't you cry for me,
For I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee.
With my banjo on my knee,
I'm going to Louisiana,
My true love for to see.
Oh! Susanna,
Oh don't you cry for me,
For I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee.
History and Meaning
Written by Stephen Foster in 1848, this minstrel song became an anthem of the California Gold Rush. The song was one of the first to achieve widespread national popularity in American music and was quickly adopted by thousands of prospectors known as "Forty-Niners" who flocked to California in search of gold, sometimes creating new lyrics that referenced their journey westward. Despite the song's immense popularity and cultural impact, Foster reportedly earned only about $100 for "Oh! Susanna," partly due to music piracy and his decision to gift the rights to a friend.