the line is
When all the women heard that king brady was dead
they went back home an "re-rag in red"
they come a slippin and a sliding on down the street
"in their big mother hubbards "and their stockin feet.

what does re rag in red mean??
and what are mother hubbards??

precate y'all help.

No idea about the song, but a "Mother Hubbard" dress is plausible. Mother Hubbard dress - Bing Images

I may be mixing up my kids stories ...

"Re rag in red" likely means to change their clothes into something red. An alternate lyric from that folk song is:

Women all heard that Brady was dead,
Goes back home and they dresses in red
Come a sniffin' and a sighin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet

Here's a website that discusses the wearing of red as a mourning color in West African and African-American communities, and which specifically mentions those lyrics, as well as other similar lyrics from other African-American songs: http://pancocojams.blogspot.co...r-mourning-song.html


A "Mother Hubbard" is a type of loose, comfortable gown or dress, commonly introduced to places in Africa and Polynesia by Christian missionaries in the Victorian era, and whose wear continued in those communities afterwards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Hubbard_dress




So it most likely means that when they heard Brady was dead, the women went home and changed into fancy red gowns before heading to his funeral or wake.

quote:

When all the women heard that king brady was dead

Checked this on lyrics.com and came up with this.

https://www.lyrics.com//lyric/...onk/Duncan+and+Brady

Hope this helps.

John