Emily Post, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home
This song takes its words from one of many early American books of etiquette and “manuals of politeness.” Much of the advice in these books aim to suppress the voice by dictating how loudly one may speak, for example, or by controlling what words emerge from the voice. It is sad but unsurprising that most of this advice is directed toward women, and even more sad and unsurprising that many of the rules set forth in these century-old manuals continue to be enforced.