Here’s the latest installment of our weekly series, The Language of the Blues, in which author/rocker Debra Devi explores the meaning of a word or phrase found in the blues. To learn even more about what your favorite blues songs really mean, grab a signed copy of Devi’s award-winning book The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to ZuZu (Foreword by Dr. John) at Bluescentric.com. “One of the wittiest, bawdiest, most fascinating dictionaries ever.” (Reuters)
Pronounced “pharaoh,” faro is an old rural Mississippi synonym for girlfriend. It was occasionally spelled faror or fairo. Its origins are unknown, but some linguists have speculated that it may be short for “fair brown,” which was sometimes used to describe a beautiful woman or a girlfriend.
The oldest recorded use of faro in a blues song is on the 1926 Peg Leg Howell’s recording of “Tishamingo Blues,” in which he declared:
I got a loving faro, she’s long and tall like me
I love my brownskin, don’t care where she be
In “Big Leg Blues,” Mississippi John Hurt sang:
It was late at midnight and moon shine bright like day I seen your faror goin’ up the right of way
Songs:
“Big Leg Blues” – Mississippi John Hurt (John Smith Hurt)
“Cool Drink of Water Blues” – Tommy Johnson
“Stop Look And Listen” – Kokomo Arnold
Video:
Mississippi John Hurt – “Big Leg Blues”
