A while back, I was writing a post and decided to make reference to the Lumberjack Song. After all, it’s got an overt CDing theme and it’s probably one of the best loved sketches from Monty Python. I’m sure we’ve all heard it countless times and those of us who first heard it when we were young probably laughed as Michael Palin proudly sang the verses and perhaps even sang along to it. I know that I did!
But then I stopped to think. As CDers, we still face an uphill struggle to be understood. Often, a TV programme that features CDing will depict the practitioner as either a sexual deviant or as a figure of fun. Pantomime has a long history of CDing but the characters are always ugly sisters or a parody of some other battleaxe (although, somewhat paradoxically, the ‘principal boy’ – Peter Pan, Aladdin etc. – are traditionally played by beautiful young women). And the Lumberjack Song with its merciless parody of a closet CDer is no exception. So is it really appropriate to quote from a song which includes the lyrics ‘I put on women’s clothing and hang around in bars’ on a forum where we are all dedicated to demonstrating to the world that we are not a threat to humanity and just strive, through our efforts to be the best that we possibly can be, for acceptance from a sector of society that we hold in the highest regard – womanhood?
Palin, of course, played it for laughs and was rewarded with plenty. But as I considered whether it was appropriate to reference the song, it struck me that perhaps more attention should be paid to what the song is actually saying.
Let’s start at the beginning – ‘I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK’. Imagine hearing the song for the first time when you don’t know what’s coming. ‘Lumberjack’ could easily be ‘bank manager’, ‘software developer’, ‘truck driver’ or any other career including the one that you yourself have followed. I’m sure that genuine lumberjacks are fed up with the smirks and jokes when they disclose their career choice but the truth is that there are no rules as to the careers that CDers must pursue – we can choose to do whatever we want and are drawn from all walks of life. And as when we heard the song for the first time, we have no way of knowing whether this particular bank manager, software developer, truck driver or, indeed, lumberjack who we may encounter does like to indulge their feminine side. The idea that our friend is an ‘ordinary Joe’ is further cemented by disclosure that he does all of the things that the rest of us do, even if Wednesday is not our shopping day and we don’t necessarily have buttered scones for tea.
But then our friend intimates that he likes to do feminine things like pressing wild flowers. And that really lays out a problem that those of us who are closeted to a greater extent encounter. Is it really ‘manly’ to enjoy pressing wild flowers, watching makeup videos on YouTube or spending time browsing in dress shops? Society dictates that we’re not allowed to admit to such pleasures and yet many of us have our own guilty secrets that, whilst not dependent on us wearing a dress to practise, certainly seem more fitting when we do.
And then comes the confession ‘I put on women’s clothing, and hang around in bars’. Now I’ll stress that I don’t for one moment thing that any of the contributors or readers here are in the habit of hanging around in bars or, indeed, ‘hanging around’ anywhere (but if you do, it’s fine by me) but, for us, it’s perhaps a metaphor for overcoming our fears and visiting a coffee shop, cinema or other public place en femme. I know that Mrs A would be absolutely appalled if she knew that I’d set foot outside the house in my feminine persona, let alone walked around shops and yet many of us understand that we need to spread out wings and project this side of us to the outside world.
We then arrive at the grand finale where various items of women’s clothing that our friend wears are listed and he makes the disclosure that he wishes he’d be born a girl. Speaking personally, that’s the story of my life but as I always stress, there’s a big difference between wishing one had been born female and taking steps to realise that wish. For some it’s the right answer but many of us value our duality. Even so, for many of us, it has been and perhaps continues to be a constant battle as we try to balance our two sides within the confines that society dictates. Being born female would have resolved so many of our internal conflicts.
There’s an interesting aside at this point. When the song was first aired, the final line was ‘I wish I were a girlie, just like my dear mama’ but this was subsequently changed to ‘papa’ with the inference that our friend’s father was also a CDer.
So a dangerous parody that does nothing to further the CD cause or the tale of one man’s struggles to live an honest life? It’s now 56 years since the song debuted and perhaps we can be encouraged that, even in an era when any man who CDed was denounced by people like my late mother and many others like her as having ‘something wrong with them’ and were suspected by many of being closet homosexuals (indeed, the song’s debut in 1969 was only two years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK), there was at least some understanding of the underlying struggles of a CDer, even if it was packaged in the way that it was.
Perhaps, as usual, I’ve overthought all of this. At the end of the day, it was just a comedy skit lasting a couple of minutes and the Monty Python crew were definitely not averse to poking fun at what we now call the trans community in far more overt ways than this – ‘The Life of Brian’ for example where ‘Stan’ declares that he wants to be a woman, be called Loretta and have babies or their frequent high pitched parodies of the stereotypical working class women of the time. But perhaps one or more of Terry Jones, Michael Palin or Fred Tomlinson who together wrote the song had first hand experience of the struggles we face – despite the comedy, as I’ve already mentioned, the song is a lot more true to life than it first appears.
Some will obviously take offence at the whole parodying of trans people within the song but personally, I’m the exact opposite. I may not hang around in bars, but I can’t help thinking that, as I listened to it for the first time, it was a sign of things to come. I just didn’t realise it at the time!
13 Responses
Amanda,
Changing the line from “mama ” to “papa ” has an interesting spin-off . When i told my mother about my situation , I queried to her what dad would have thought , her reply was , ” you’d be surprised !” I could never imagine my father dressed but I’ve always been intrigued by her comment . We tend to consider we are the only ones when deep in the closet but we never know who others might be . I had this conversation with a good male friend , I was expressing my concerns if my son found out , my friend turned to me and said , ” what makes you think he’s not hiding something from you !”
Now lets consider being a transgender lumberjack !! When I moved to my new home I soon had a wood burner installed . I also had one in my old house and at that time had an arrangement with a local farmer to have first refusal on any windfall trees on his land . I had a decent trailer and also a couple of Husqvava chainsaws , so it was never a problem collecting the wood . My new home backs onto fields , with a small copse close to my garden , so I soon notice any windfall trees or branches . On one occasion I’d driven my car with trailer into the field to collect part of a downed Ash tree , I had full makeup on , an older wig and a pair of female styled Dickies overalls . I’d just started my larger chainsaw and was halfway through my first branch when I became aware of a dog walker standing watching me open mouthed with his jaw almost on the floor . I stopped my saw so I didn’t frighten his dog and said good morning in a female voice , I heard a very meek reply , he then shook his head and scuttled by . No he wasn’t singing the song and neither do I hang about in bars !!
Just to add another story , a few years ago i would often walk my dog with two ladies , one was called Mary . I mentioned I’d had to spend the previous day sawing up firewood with my chainsaw , she asked all excited , ” can I have a go with it , I’ve always wanted to ” . I replied , ” Mary , believe me the novelty soon wears off , after a day you’re more than happy to put it down !”
We mustn’t lose sight of the thought that women do most if not all jobs men do now , so it’s not so unusual to see female lumberjack/ tree surgeons .
Teresa, it’s very true that we never know what others are up to behind closed doors but that’s very much a double edged sword. The privacy is very much appreciated while we’re alive but we lose the ability to control the narrative when the time comes. And in the worst case scenario, our mental anguish as we struggle with all of this, which might have garnered some compassion had it been known, just becomes superseded by the assumption that we ‘put on women’s clothing and hang around in bars’!
Mrs A is rather fond of using my chainsaw which does serve as a useful reminder that I need to keep on the right side of her.
Amanda,
You left out the fact that the lumberjack and the RCMP choir are Canadians. I don’t know if the implication was Canadians are tough, wilderness taming, hearty people, and therefore the revelation that one of them is a “girlie” makes the song even funnier.
I too am a girlie lumberjack, even to this day. The number of trees I have fell, cut, split, stacked and burnt is countless. I have also spent a few days in bars.
Life! It takes all kinds!
Love,
Jocelyn
Jocelyn, shopping followed by buttered scones for tea tomorrow is it?!
I’d forgotten to mention the RCMP connection! The whole sketch is a masterpiece of comedy and it’s a testament to Palin et al that it’s stood the test of time. That said, not everyone gets it – I was watching it a few years ago when my daughter who was quite young at the time came into the room, watched for a minute or two and then asked why he was singing about wearing women’s clothes! There really is no rational answer to that question.
Im 77. Needless to say the atmosphere regarding our community has changed in my lifetime. I remember watching Monty Python and that song. I also remember Milton Berle, Flip Wilson and other celebrities wearing women’s clothes. As a teenager I went to.the library and read a book about mental conditions in the reference section. I read about aversion therapy and other treatments for crossdressing. I also remember being asked if I like to.wear.dresses at my draft induction screening in 1967. I lied and went into.the Army.
The world has changed. I think.things have gotten better for us. Its not perfect, but what is?
Terri, I completely agree. It’s very easy for us to focus on the negatives but when I think that I can walk through a busy shopping mall, stop at a cafe, browse womenswear and all I get is warmth, acceptance and service with a smile, it puts things into context. As you say, nothing is perfect but, from my perspective, things are pretty good.
I wonder what would have happened if you had said” yes”
I actually wasn’t familiar with the song before reading this. Take away the comedy context and it feels much more human and relatable than I expected.
Wow, Michelle, have you been in hiding?! Or maybe it’s just a case of the rest of us showing our age!!
You’re right, though, it is very relatable, especially surprising as it dates back to 1969 when, as I put in the post, things were very different. We live in a much more supportive climate these days but many of us have blurted out confessions to our loved ones and received exactly the same reception as the protagonist in the song did (and I include myself in that particular population). For sure, it’s a comedy masterpiece which hasn’t aged but I can’t help wondering how many guys watching it felt it was uncomfortably close to home when it was first aired.
Hi Amanda,
I have heard of the song, but I hadn’t really listen to it. I never got into Monty Python in the late 60’s. I don’t think it was on back then in the LA area. I also had a girlfriend and was engage in other activities, BTW I could fit into her ‘Hot Pants’.
Then in the early 70’s, I was in science labs many nights a week (or partying). So I haven’t seen many ‘Monty Python’ shows, but I did see the movie.
And I too have played the lumberjack, and the coach, and the …
Cali
I think I first saw it in the cinema when I watched ‘And now for something completely different’ – the first Python film when, if my memory serves me correctly, it was tacked onto another classic – the dead parrot sketch. In the days without video recorders, being allowed to stay up to watch MP was a bit of a treat and the school playground the following day was the venue for reliving the episode as much as our memories would permit. Python also released several 12″ LPs, obviously not much good for the visual gags but I had several and they were played incessantly!
I didn’t realize until reading this that the Lumberjack song premiered in 1969, the same year I remember my first crossdressing experience. Who knows, maybe it was on the television at the same moment I was slipping into my sisters clothes. I don’t remember hearing it until I was in college a few years later. I remember how funny the sketch was but also how nervous I got when watching it with friends. I didn’t want my reaction to the song to give away my secret life … but I did sing along!!
Claire, I hope you weren’t hanging around in bars at that tender age!!!
It does of course touch a nerve with us but I think we can draw some comfort that it seems to be perfectly acceptable to know all the words regardless of whether or not they apply! That said, I suspect they apply to far more people than we realise.