To My Old-As-Dirt Friends and Relatives who qualify as “old as dirt” and, to some younger folks who are trying to understand the behavior of the “old as dirt” crowd.
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, aย popular shaving cream.
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 SITS
IN 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?ย If not, you’re merely a child… ๐
We crossed the country a couple of times when I was a kid.
Burma Shave signs were along a lot of the roads.
One I remember read,
“Though we’ve sold
A million others.
We just can’t sell,
Those cough drop brothers.
Burma Shave.”
Mom usually had a box of those Smith Brothers cough drops in her purse. You may remember that the brothers were pictured on the box with big black beards.
I liked those Smith Bros. cough drops.
I remember these. This is the kind of advertising that I can get behind and approve.
Tremonton, UT to Burley, ID pre Interstate 84, had a billboard you could see from miles away, but at an angle so you couldn’t read it. When you finally came around a slight curve, the billboard read, “Monotonous, Isn’t It”. Can’t remember the sponsor after all these years, but remember how the family laughed.
Driving vacations were all my mom could afford – but we took a week or so every summer to drive around Michigan – saw plenty of these along the way. Also had an image of large signs for “Mail Pouch Tobacco” painted on the side of barns pop into my head – not sure why but that happens alot to “old farts”… ๐
We saw lots of those on Rte. 66 and rural highways in Missouri as a kid; it brightened a lot of otherwise boring car trips.
Leon/LL- Yep, Smith Bros cough drops… sigh…
Euripides- Yep, a much slower world too…
WSF- THAT is a great one!
Bill- Now that you mention it, I remember those too.
Rev- That they did… Like the others, we didn’t fly, we drove…
Dirt and I were classmates in high school. I remember the signs, quite well.
We used to look forward to seeing them on the highway when I was little.
They missed their turn
The car was whizzin’
The fault was hers
The funeral hizzin’
Nifty.
But what did you all look at before there were cars and you just rode horses?
WITHIN THIS VALE
OF TOIL AND SIN
YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD
BUT NOT YOUR CHIN
Burma Shave
Just posted one – not sure why it says “email protected”…?
oops – I think I figured it out … sorry.
Buck- LOL
drjim- Yep, another good one!
Murph- ๐ Lions and bears oh my…
Tim- No problem…
There used to be Burma Shave Ads just off I-70 in Western Maryland up until the Mid-90s. Then they rebuilt the Highway, and they disappeared. Sad.
http://xkcd.com/491/
I don’t remember the signs, but advertising was a helluva lot more creative in those days!
From Wiki:
Free โ free / a trip to Mars / for 900 / empty jars / Burma-Shave
One respondent, Arlyss French, who was the owner of a Red Owl grocery store, did submit 900 empty jars; the company replied: “If a trip to Mars / you earn / remember, friend / there’s no return.”
The company, on the recommendation of Red Owl’s publicity team, sent him on vacation to the town of Moers (often pronounced “Mars” by foreigners) near Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Les- I never knew that!
Ed- ROTF… LOVE it!
Mrs.C- Good one! At least he got ‘something’ out of the deal…
My favorite (somewhere north of Austin): He lit a match to check his gas tank, that’s why they call him skinless Frank.
Burma Shave signs were the highlight of many of our road trips.
We are dating ourselves.
In the 50s and 60s, every 4th weekend, 150 miles New Orleans to Opelousas so Mom could take care of her invalid mother. “Mileposts” were barns, silos, bridges, and Burma Shave signs. Lots of Burma Shave signs. In all those years they never changed a sign. Great memories. Oh, and the silo on the right just before the bridge with a left-hand curve meant 5 minutes to go!
There were barns painted with the following also,
See Rock City.
To Miss Rock City Would Be a Pity
‘Millions Have Seen Rock City. Have You?
See Seven States from Rock City
Don’t remember if it was Burma Shave or a satire,
Beer cans lying by the road
Are unsightly so some say
But at night reflecting bright
They safely guide the way
I first saw the signs on a long drive from Philly to Shreveport, LA in the very early sixties. (no I was not driving as I was about 10.)
A couple nights ago, I went to my favorite restaurant, Haab’s in Ypsilanti. I saw the signs but was in a hurry and neglected to take a picture which I would have shared here.
A couple years ago, in the summer, they started putting a string of small red signs along the tree-lined street up to their door.
Summer’s here.
Leaves are green.
Here is Haab’s.
Sign can’t be seen.
Burma Shave.
Loved these as a little kid. Occasionally I still see a Rock City or Mail Pouch on a barn. Wonder if the barn owners got the whole barn painted for the advertising…
Gomez- OUCH!!! ๐
Craig- Yeah we are… ๐
Bob- 61 up to 190??? Drove that a few times myself over the years…
Rick- I ‘vaguely’ remember those…
John- Probably one, they did have some ‘twisted’ ones to put it mildly… ๐
ED- LOL, that’s great!
Dammit- I remember an uncle had Mail Pouch painted on his barn, and yes they paid AND painted the whole barn, and he had to leave it that way for something like 10 years (I think)…
I missed those, because I always rode tailgunner (back seat of a station wagon) to avoid having to sit with any of my four sisters. It was better for me, better for my dad (who did not like dissension among his offspring), but gave me a somewhat odd outlook on life as a result.
HIS TENOR VOICE
SHE THOUGHT DIVINE
‘TILL WHISKERS SCRATCHED
SWEET ADELINE
TRY BURMA SHAVE
On I-74 through Illinois “Guns Save Lives” posts pro gun “Burma Shave”-style signs. Always make me smile for the nostalgia and the great message.
I have half a mind to write out some of these and put them on the fenceposts around here.
All we’ve got are boring “Don’t Drink And Drive” and “NO FRACKING” signs.