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The song "Union Dixie" (the very opposite of "Dixie") sings: "Away down South in the land of traitors, rattlesnakes and alligators. Right away! Come away! Right away! Come away!"

I'm designing a video game and I need a parody of the two lines (not the whole song, only the two lines) as a part of a few lines/quotes for one unit (a jet), which also says some other lines (which have nothing to do with "Dixie" or "Union Dixie").

The alternative words to "traitors, rattlesnakes and alligators" are: Initiate, Archer, Spook, Bloatick, Brute, Dunerider, Libra Clone, Hijacker, Stalker, Infiltrator, Virus. (All of them are infantry belonging to the same faction in the video game, while the jet belongs to another faction.)

There's no need for the word-play to have much connotative alignment with "Union Dixie" (let alone "Dixie"), except implying that the jets will defeat enemy infantry just as the Union defeated the Confederation. Euphony is the most important.

@Aaron Bell thinks "Away down South in the land of 'Jackers, Infiltrators, and Duneriders. Right away! Come away! Right away! Come away!"is the best.

I'm considering "Away down south in the land of Stalkers, Duneriders, and Infiltrators. Right away! Come away! Right away! Come away!"

Anyone else has other ideas?

related question: Why is “Dunerider” 4 syllables instead of 3 syllables?

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  • Unfortunately this kind of question is off-topic because there can be no definitive right answer- what I consider better may not be what you consider better.
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 5:29
  • You do want to parody "Union Dixie", which I think must be a parody of "Dixie"? "Dixie" must be far better known.
    – tgdavies
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 5:39
  • "Union Dixie" parodied "Dixie", and I parody "Union Dixie". @tgdavies
    – Zhang Jian
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 5:43
  • I know little about rhythm (scansion). With so many available alternative words (which I have already listed), I have no idea at all which word-play is better. @Jim
    – Zhang Jian
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 5:47
  • Given that your “Union Dixie” lyrics keep no rhymes or rhythms of the original, your parody could keep no rhymes or rhythms either. It’s not clear to me why anyone would recognize your version as a parody of a parody and not a parody of the original.
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 6:02

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Listening to it, I feel like "Hijackers, Infiltrators, and Duneriders" would work.

But whatever you do, I vote for thematic consistency.

  • Disconcerting theme: "Viri, Stalkers, and Spooks".

  • Tactical theme: "Stalkers, Infiltrators, Hijackers"

  • Alien(?) theme: "Bloaticks, Duneriders, Libra Clones"

  • Newbie theme: "Archers, Initiates, and Brutes"

If you're looking for "connotive alignment" with Union Dixie:

Archers are emphatically not connoted with traitors, as traitors are anyone who "follow one allegience and then change it", where archers are "marksman who can strike with an arrow from a distance".

  • Hijacker aligns more closely to traitor.

  • Stalker or Spook aligns more closely to rattlesnake, in my eyes.

  • Brute aligns with alligator.

So for connotive alignment, "Hijacker, Stalker, and Brute" is technically right, but "Spooks, Stalkers, and Brutes" rolls off the tongue easier, and one could make a case that "spook" aligns with "traitor", though that's a stretch.

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  • 1
    There's no need to have connotative alignment with "Union Dixie" (let alone "Dixie"). Euphony is the most important, and thematic consistency is the second most important.
    – Zhang Jian
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 6:58
  • I have a little doubt. "traitors" has two syllables, while "Hijackers" has three syllables.
    – Zhang Jian
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 7:08
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    Maybe shorten "Hijackers" to " 'Jackers"
    – Aaron Bell
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 7:10
  • 1
    My MOD for "Mental Omega" (which is a MOD for "Red Alert 2"). Here is my paper (I'm reversing my paper, so the jet hasn't been included yet): forums.revora.net/topic/…
    – Zhang Jian
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 7:38
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    Please do not use the word "Spook" in a parody of "Dixie." "Dixie" is a problematic song with racist baggage that is associated with the Confederate States of America, who fought to preserve the system of enslavement of Black people. "Dixie" is also associated with blackface minstrelsy, an offensive practice by which white people painted their faces black and performed caricatures of Black people. "Spook" has been used as an offensive slang term for Black people. If you put the word "Spook" in a "Dixie" parody, people will find it offensive.
    – shoover
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 16:38
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Thank @DM_with_secrets a lot for his/her method. And I did my homework.

[ˈtreɪ.tə], [ˈræt.l̩.sneɪk], and [ˈæl.ə.ɡeɪ.tə] are 2 syllables, 3 syllables, and 4 syllables respectively.

Among the five -er/or words, 2 syllable words are [ˈɑː.tʃə] and [ˈstɔː.kə]. Considering “traitor” begins with a consonant, “Stalker” seems more suitable than “Archer”.

3 syllable words are [ˈhaɪ.dʒæk.ə] and [ˈd(j)uːn.raɪ.də]. Considering "ˈrattleˌsnake" and "ˈDuneˌrider" are both close compound nouns with a secondary stress, "Dunerider" may be better than "Hijacker".

4 syllable word is “Infiltrator”, pronouncing [ˈɪn.fɪl.treɪ.tə] or [ɪnˈfɪl.treɪ.tə].

So the whole sentence would be "Away down south in the land of Stalkers, Duneriders, and Infiltrators. Right away! Come away! Right away! Come away!"

Thank @DM_with_secrets again for pointing out "the problem with both Duneriders and Hijackers is that you're left with stress on the unimportant 'ers' syllable at the end. I would say Libra Clones is the only option that really fits in place of rattlesnakes"

Bless you, @DM_with_secrets

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