Burma Shave signs - Who remembers these?

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in roadside advertising history from 1926 until 1963.

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. (Orange and black was an early alternative, but was abandoned in favor of red and white.) They were spaced about 100 feet apart, so you could read them easily without taking your eyes off the road for too long. The last sign was always the Burma Shave logo.

I remember Dad reading from similar signs along the highway, and after the last one, which could have been hawking anything from farm fresh vegetables to a church revival, he'd say "Burma Shave." I may have seen an original sign or two while standing on the seat in the VW bus, or crawling around on top of the camping gear in the '61 Willy's, but I was more interested in looking for horses and cows when I was little.


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 THINKING'
HE'S JUST HOPING 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?

 

Too early for me. I didn't hit the highways til 1976.

 

Every Summer in OK and Mo trip.
On the way to the Family Farm SW Mo.

 

Way before my time but at least I now know where one of the most effective advertising tools for our markets originated. Thanks.

 

Burma-Shave Jingles

burma-shave.org/jingles/
Here you will find the complete text of the original Burma-Shave jingles, as archived in Frank Rowsome Jr.'s book The Verse by the Side of the Road.

 

Lived along HWY 52 in Minn as a kid, very busy 2 lane road. Dad had signs on fence along road and they would come along every so often and change them, Put on with hog rings if I remember right, and the man doing it would let us look thru the signs and pick out the new one. High point of the day for an eight year old.

Hard to believe now that 52 is a busy 4 lane road with most cars doing about 70, but in the 1940's when we took milk to town in Model A pickup, we seldom went over 40 and the signs were within 15 feet of the road. Plenty of time and easy to read.

 

Only remember one. "Within this vale of toil and sin A man's head grows bald But not his chin Burma Shave. I remember this as a Burma Shave jingle, but it looks too long.

 

We would go to Baton Rouge back in early 50’s to visit my aunt,so I remember them well.

 

Now that you mention it , seems I do remember a few of those out on the country roads .. couldn't recite one of them now tho ,,,

 

Going north on US 23 to Canada, I remember them well. Certainly another era.

 

I might have known some boys who mixed these signs up, or removed the 2nd and next to last one to confuse folks. ....... but of course I don't remember names ..... me do this? of course not, I was an alter boy and also sang in the church choir.

 

All I remember is Repent signs,What ever that means?

 

This was before my time!
I do remember a few stretches in Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas with signs like you guys describe! There was also a stretch on Ol' 66 through Arizona that still had old signs like these, but I don't know if any are still out there!

 

They were along US 40 (a.k.a. The National Road) into the late 1960s. Also along US 19 before they put I-79 in...same time frame.

 

No doubt.

 

Now it's possible to mill groves in the roadway so you hear music if you're going the speed limit. Maybe the groves could be milled to recite Burma-shave jungles also, or even religious verse.

 

Been a really long time.