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Answer The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Some sources claim the song is derived from an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock rifle with a black head-stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Soldiers in the field were said to be "hugging Black Betty". In this interpretation, the rifle was superceded by its "child", a rifle known as a "Brown Bess". Other sources claim the term was a contemporary reference for a prostitute, a prison bullwhip, heroin or the "paddywagon".

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Aglae Pacocha

Lvl 10
3y ago

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