Date Collected
Fall 12-1-2017
Place item was collected
Logan, Utah
Informant
Shelby Taylor
Point of Discovery/Informant Bio
Shelby was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah and is a senior at Utah State University studying Political Science. She is actively involved in the Utah State Campus as well as in Kappa Delta Sorority. Shelby has always had a role within Kappa Delta as a leader, a mentor, and a strong someone to help. As a result of her engagement in many activities, she is able to know so many different people and have a wide range of friendships. She is also happily engaged to her fiancé Angel Lopez. Angel is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Utah State and a marketing major.
Context
In the Greek (fraternity and sorority) community, there is a tradition of recognizing certain men or women as honorary members of their fraternity or sorority. These men and women hold many names such as Favorite Guy, Favorite Girl, Sweetheart, or specific to Kappa Delta is Daggerman. The Daggerman song is sung to those that are chosen as Kappa Delta’s Daggerman. A Daggerman is a man, not necessarily from a fraternity, that exemplifies Kappa Delta values. They are the kind of person we could ask for help, and he will be there. The type of man who will support and strengthen a sister in times of need. We choose these men based on their outstanding character and their ability to help and serve the Kappa Delta’s. Another qualification of becoming a Daggerman is to marry a Kappa Delta. Once a man marries a Kappa Delta, he automatically becomes a Daggerman. The singing of Daggerman is done when first introducing our new Daggerman, second during White Rose Weekend, third when one of our sisters is married, and fourth is when we are celebrating our Daggerman. White Rose Weekend, we initiate our new members and participate in activities that promote sisterhood. We are able to elect one Daggerman a year and try to sing it as often as we can. This song has become something specific to the Beta Delta chapter of Kappa Delta due to the fact that not many chapter sing it, elect Daggermen, or do not know this song at all. This song is only passed down through example and it is not found in the songbook for Kappa Deltas across the nation. This song is rarely sung by one person. It is often if not always sung by the chapter as a whole.
Text
Shelby: Ready? Ok.
Daggerman
Daggerman
You bring sunshine to us all on a cloudy day
And [when} the rain starts to fall
[stomps twice]
When you go away
You are
Hard working
Fun loving
To Kappa Deltas
Kappa Delta loves you
Daggerman
Daggerman
As the years go by and your far away
Never forget
The times
That you spent with KayDee
That you spent with KayDee
That you spent with KayDee!
Texture
Shelby was sitting next to her fiancé in the Kappa Delta house in the study room. During this time she and her fiancé were studying. I asked her if she would sing the song for me and she was apprehensive at first. She mentioned to me that she usually remembers the words best when she is doing it with the group. When singing the song, she sung it quieter than it would normally be done. She was also singing it to her fiancé and gesturing to him and touching his face. She was very theatrical with her body language as she sang the song. The tune of the song is not a regular tune. It goes up and down at odd times. After the recording was taken, one of the girls in the room mentioned that it sounded much nicer than it usually does. She explained it was because Shelby sang it nicely and the last note was beautifully sung. Usually when singing this song as a chapter, the entirety of the last note is one high pitched, off-tune note.
Course
Introduction to Folklore/ English 2210
Instructor
Dr. Lynne S. McNeill
Semester and year
Fall 2017
Theme
G5: Child and Young Adult Songs
EAD Number
1.8.1.3.6
Recommended Citation
Lund, Kelsey, "Daggerman Song" (2017). USU Student Folklore Fieldwork. Paper 59.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_folklore_all/59