Oughta take a rope and hang me

Posted by ESC on December 05, 2003

In Reply to: Dang ESC posted by Lotg on December 05, 2003

: Hey Esc, you said 'dang' in the previous thread, and I really like that word, it sounds like it is. So is this American in origin and does it have any deeper meaning than to offer the appropriate sound effect?

Well, I reckon it is American. Dang = damn and dates back to 1821, according to The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994.

Haven't you ever heard:

Dang Me
(Roger Miller -- 1964)
.Well here I sit-a high, gettin' ideas
Ain't nothing but a fool would live like this
Out all night and runnin' wild
Woman sittin' home with a month old child

Dang me, dang me
They oughta take a rope and hang me
High from the highest tree
Woman would you weep for me.