I'm a liberal pagan living in West, Texas. Yes. That West, Texas.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THIS?


To qualify as "old as dirt".

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a
quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and '40's. Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.
They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.
Here are more of the actual signs:
DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW OUT SO FAR

IT MAY GO HOME IN ANOTHER CAR. BURMA SHAVE
TRAINS DON'T WANDER ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITSIN THE ENGINEER'S LAP Burma Shave
SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS HER HUSBAND JAKE Burma Shave
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT Burma Shave
DROVE TOO LONG DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING Burma Shave
BROTHER SPEEDER LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE Burma Shave
CAUTIOUS RIDER TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL AND A LITTLE MORE STEER Burma Shave
SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT Burma Shave
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL
FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER HEMISPHERE Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR WASN'T IT? Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU Burma Shave
A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN
'HE'S JUST HOPIN' Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY Burma Shave
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL DRIVER'S CODE Burma Shave
THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING Burma Shave
CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE. Burma Shave
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE SHAVERS GROW Burma Shave
Do these bring back any old memories? If not, you're merely a child. If they do - then you're old as dirt... LIKE ME!

13 comments:

Jan said...

I totally enjoy being old as dirt when I remember great family drives reading these signs.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I remember Burma Shave, but not this advertising campaign. I don't know if they did anything similar in Canada. But I know these roadside signs were famous and legendary in the States!

Mom said...

I used to love the Burma Shave signs. They made long car rides more bearable. I am old as dirt.

turquoisemoon said...

yep...I'm old as dirt too!!!
You know...I was just talkin to my brother about the first time I had chips and dip. We were watching the Million Dollar Movie on a Saturday night. yummy! :)

My name WAS Female, I shit you not! said...

Those were the days!
Burma Shave & rumble seats.

Ted McLaughlin said...

I guess I'm also a member of the Older Than Dirt Club. I used to love these signs as a kid.

Intense Guy said...

I've only read about these signs.

And oddly enough, I took a picture of one on May 1 inside an old trolley car.

Kulkuri said...

I remember the Burma Shave signs and others were sometimes nailed to fence posts at the edge of the highway right-of-way.

sageweb said...

They sound super cute..I have seen them on tv. I think they did a special on them. Wasnt the owner of Burma shave some big wig NFL team owner too?

billy pilgrim said...

i've never heard of these things so i guess i'm not as old as i thought.

so i got that going for me too.

texlahoma said...

Wow, I'm just a child, a big ugly child!

yellowdoggranny said...

i remember my mother waking me up with jackiesue jackiesue...burma shave sign..and me jumping up to read it..it was a big deal..wish they still had them instead of those big ugly bill boards.

Nit Wit said...

I remember them! I used to see them on family vacations when I was a little shaver. We went down to Tenn. a lot from Buffalo N.Y. We always traveled on 2 lane and stayed in the little out of the way mom & pop motels. You know, the kind that don't really exist anymore.