Song Analysis: Lilly R. P. Co.

Money has, is and will continue to be a central part of our lives and play an important role in our daily choices. It essentially defines the existence of human society. Money or the history of money can be illustrated and/or portrayed in many ways; through paintings, drawings, objects like old coins and much more. The image that I have chosen to analyze is a cover drawing for a song that was issued in 1900, in the town of Philadelphia, New York. The song itself was sung by Cogert Gertrude, worded by Daniels Walter and composed by Lilly R.P. As written at the bottom of the drawing, it was published by The Morris Music Pub. Co. The title of the song is the title of the drawing which is “That’s where my money goes” or the alternative
This drawing illustrates three African American men playing dice on a dockyard while a man who plays the banjo sings beside them. The artist used a simple yet perfect image to comment on the economy in the nineteenth century. It may seem like an unsophisticated image but if one looks at this drawing in depth, there are many perspectives to it; two being, racial stereotypes and economical differences. However, the economical perspective is central to the story behind this drawing.

The drawing puts the time in a certain historical context where the economy was dependent on the industrial work. Historically speaking, in the 1900s, also known as the Industrial Age, there was a capitalization on industrial and technological growth. There were factories, containing machines and labor work, that made mass manufacturing. The machines in these factories emitted
Looking at the image, one is able to see the different socioeconomic classes. The working class being the black workers since they are sitting on the dockyard and the upper middle class being the boss or owner sitting above yet beside them. This ranking between them shows the higher/lower incomes they are getting. Higher income earners are able to buy whatever they want whereas the lower income earners are restricted to providing for their families and making sure they have a roof over their heads. The song portrays this idea in a more complex way by telling a real life story about expenditures. In this story, a man named Dick Davis ran a barber shop and had ten men hustling for him. The men on the dockyard were three of those workers. One day, Dick Davis was no longer able to pay them and the African American men were unpleased and asked him why he doesn’t treat them right after working for him for almost a year. They also asked him where his money disappeared. The Barber answered by telling them that his money goes to dressing his wife, buying her everything to keep her in style because he thinks she’s worth her weight in gold. Through these lyrics, one can see how the spending between the wealthy and poor differ. The rich are able to live the luxurious life. On the other hand, having a lower income and being in the working class, you are working even harder to earn