
Ain'tcha kinda glad? And ain'tcha kinda gay?
When you hear me say I loves ya,
Tell me, baby, ain'tcha?
Don't you kinda miss, that little bit of bliss,
When a hug or kiss I gives ya!
Tell me, baby, don'tcha?
Pretty soon, there'll be a honeymoon,
To the preacher we will go,
And in a year, maybe, baby dear,
We'll have a boop-boop-a-doop, boop-boop-a-doop!
Ain'tcha kinda glad? Ain'tcha kinda gay?
When you hear me say I loves ya,
Oh, tell me, baby, don’tcha?
Didn't you used to say, on some future day,
You'd buy lingerie for baby?
Tell me, honey, didn'tcha?
Can't you take me, please, down to Tiffany's,
Buy some rings and things for baby?
Oh, tell me, honey, can'tcha?
Though this song is rather gender-neutral in who the object of the narrator's affection might be, the use of the multiple-meanings word 'gay' in the first line makes for a fun listen.
In another version performed by Helen Kane, we can hear how the song was written to be about a male love interest, with the word 'beau' included in the introductory verse. Through Hanshaw's rendition skipping that section of the song, queer readings are made even more possible!
Columbia
English
Pointed Heels [film]
Columbia matrix [W]149647. 'Ain'tcha?' / Annette Hanshaw. 1929. DAHR. https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000039205/W149647-Aintcha.