Talk:Goober Peas

What are they?
what are goober peas??????? - —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.151.166.77 (talk) 21:29, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

They are peanuts, as noted in the article. - Slow Graffiti 00:58, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

Also noted in the article is that the "Goober Peas" song is still commonly sung in the Southeastern US. I've lived here all my life (38 years) and I've never actually heard it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Samdu (talk • contribs) 17:40, 27 February 2008 (UTC)


 * It was popular enough in the North when I was a kid -- we sang it nearly every week in music class, in upstate New York. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.92.174.105 (talk) 21:12, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
 * i only heard the song in Georgia History class, in a film about the late unpleasantness between the states.72.184.228.91 (talk) 20:55, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
 * We sang it all the time when I was a boy (1960s) in Virginia and Southern Maryland. I still sing/hum it today. Its popularity may have dimmed with time, unfortunately. In my youth, everyone knew it. We sang it on hikes in the Scouts and among friends whenever we felt like it. Everyone knew it. 71.220.162.188 (talk) 16:06, 14 March 2022 (UTC)

"Mister here's your mule"
Why is this a link?


 * Probably because in needs an article."Here's your Mule"/"Where's your mule?" was a famous Confederate catch-phrase during the Civil War, and is often noted in Civil War histories. It resulted in several Civil War songs, including "Here's Your Mule", "Turchin's Got Your Mule", and "How Are You? John Morgan", among others. It is also credited with contributing to General Bragg's failure to rally his troops at Missionary Ridge. TakeTheTable (talk) 23:29, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
 * And here I had thought the mule in question had been served a la cart72.184.228.91 (talk) 20:58, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

Prison version
The exact song as written by Pindar and Nutt likely dates after the Civil War. However, the folk tradition appears older. The Rev W. F. Dunaway (formerly Captain, Co. I, 40th Virgina) heard a version while he was imprisoned at Johnson's Island in Ohio. See page 109 (Chapter XII) of his Reminiscences:
 * But now we are in prison and likely long to stay,
 * The Yankees they are guarding us, no hope to get away;
 * Our rations they are scanty, 'tis cold enough to freeze,&mdash;
 * I wish I was in Georgia, eating goober peas.
 * Peas, peas, peas, peas,
 * Eating goober peas;
 * I wish I was in Georgia, eating goober peas.
 * &mdash;Stanza of a Prison Song.

TakeTheTable (talk) 05:28, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Dunaway, Wayland Fuller. Reminiscences of a Rebel. New York: The Neale Publishing Company (1913).

P. Nutt, A. Pindar
By the way, Blackmar, the 1866 publisher, is likeley having fun with the names "P. Nutt" and "A. Pindar"&mdash;"Peanut" and "A Pindar"&mdash;he knows it's a folk song. That's my guess. TakeTheTable (talk) 05:50, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

The Georgia Militia
I learned verse 3 refrain as
 * ''There sat the Georgia Militia, eating goober peas!'

See also the discussion of the Battle of Griswoldville: Why they were there. --Pawyilee (talk) 10:30, 31 October 2010 (UTC)
 * we always sang it with our home state replacing Georgia. Not sure what that whole is in there about Tn being the last state to secede. Southerners know that Mo and Ky followed it, although northerners generally won't admit it. Both were represented in the Conf Congress, making it clear that the South felt they seceded then 71.171.89.90 (talk) 17:16, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
 * I learned it simply as "The Georgia militia eating Goober Peas!", which isn't far off how you learned it.
 * It's interesting that the photo of the Southern Enterprise publication of the lyrics in May 1866 that the verse says "The Geor-ig-a militia cracking Goober Peas!" This is 1866 and we can already place a Georgia militia in the third verse. And where's the source for the 15th Alabama that was supposed to be in contemporary sources? -anonymous 11/15/2023 4:39 EST. 71.168.64.127 (talk) 21:40, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

Possible update to "popular culture"
I have noticed the song a few times now while watching old TV shows and searched to learn more about it; i then found a ref for MASH and thought to add a couple shows that i remember it being in, but I'm unsure of formatting for ref/bibliography, but hopefully someone reads this and it helps.

In an episode of M*A*S*H "Comrades in Arms" (S6E12), Hawkeye can be heard singing the chorus to himself and explaining to Margaret that it was "an old Civil War marching song".

In an episode of Parks and Recreation "Article Two" (S05E19), during a contest to actually live like a Pawnean from 1817 Garth Blundin (played by Patton Oswalt) can be heard singing a line while pushing a hoop.

In an episode of Son of the Beach "Penetration Island" (S03E01), each member of the unit votes for themselves instead of the others then they group hug and walk off singing the chorus.

https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=mash&episode=s06e12

https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=parks-and-recreation&episode=s05e19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNdmPR9wrNI&feature=youtu.be&t=2166

2601:1C0:4F00:4C70:3129:99CA:E7D8:785A (talk) 01:11, 21 July 2018 (UTC)

I am confused
It says in Wikipedia that goober peas was sung during the Civil War yet it also says in the same article that it was published in 1866 a year after the Civil War??? 2600:1006:B16B:A64D:286B:6914:85E2:F6EE (talk) 21:56, 28 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Itt must have been sung before that particular document was published. — RCraig09 (talk) 22:50, 28 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The lyrics were published after the war is the way I'm reading that. I'f have to go through my books to see if I could get a better explination, probably the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War or Rebel Cornbread and Yankee Coffee (or is the title Yankee Coffee and Rebel Cornbread?). - anonymous 11/17/2023 4:46 PM EST 71.168.64.127 (talk) 21:46, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Ok, just went through some of my personal library, mostly the books I thought most likely to have it (and which were slightly easier for me to get to). The Archive of the Civil War had the lyrics but noting I saw about the song beyond that (side note, Mister, Here's Your Mule is on the same page and has a little background to it). The Civil War Desk Reference didn't appear to have anything on it at all, though to be fair it might have listed the song in the index under music or songs and I only looked for the song by itself in the index. Can't remember the name of the other reference book I looked at, but it didn't have the song listed. The Encyclopedia of the American Civil War was a bust, decent article on music in it but nothing on Goober Peas. Probably should have tried one of my Bruce Catton or Webb Garrison books, didn't think of them until now. I did check Garry Fisher's Rebel Cornbread and Yankee Coffee (ISBN 1-57587-175-0), it's the only one I looked at that gives anything on the history of the song. To quote from the 2001 edition, pages 74 to 75:


 * " "Goober Peas"
 * This Confederate camp song was one of the most popular of the war. "Goobers" were simply peanuts, which, as the Yankee blockade of Southern ports wore on, became an increasingly important part of the Rebel soldier's diet. Georgia soldiers in particular were associated with eating peanuts and were commonly referred to as "goober grabbers." No one knows who first invented this light-hearted tune. When it first appeared in print after the war in 1866, credit was given to "P. Nutt, Esq." and "A. Pindar."
 * It's not nmore than what's in the article now in terms of clearing up confusion, but I believe it does say what I assumed in the last post. That is that the song originates during the war but is not printed until after the war. - anonymous 11/17/2023 6:30 PM EST
 * " 71.168.64.127 (talk) 23:30, 17 November 2023 (UTC)