phrases and sayings

[MRMKHS1]

Is "Yes, we have no bananas" a paradox,an oxymoron or what?

[Ewood27]

A song title.

[jenstar]

I think it's probably more of a send-up of how people whose first language is not English might speak - think of Manuel's dialogue in "Fawlty Towers" for instance. But could also be a perfectly sensible thing to say, for instance if you were asked "Is it true you have no bananas?" and you didn't, then you could quite rightly say, "Yes, we have no bananas".

[redrob2]

It's from a song "Folk Song written By: Frank Silver and Irving Cohn (1923) There's a fruit store on our street It's run by a Greek. And he keeps good things to eat But you should hear him speak! When you ask him anything, he never answers "no". He just "yes"es you to death, And as he takes your dough, he tells you... "Yes! We have no bananas We have no bananas today!! We have string beans and onions, cabBAges and scallions And all kinds of fruit and say We have an old fashioned toMAHto A Long Island poTAHto, but Yes! We have no bananas We have no bananas today!" Business got so good for him that he wrote home today, "Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away." When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet. Someone asked for "sparrow grass" and then the whole quartet All answered: "Yes, we have no bananas We have-a no bananas today. Just try those coconuts Those wall-nuts and doughnuts There ain't many nuts like they. We'll sell you two kinds of red herring, Dark brown, and ball-bearing. But yes, we have no bananas We have no bananas today." http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/bananas.htm

[MRMKHS1]

thankyou to all those who said it is a song. I knew that was where the words came from but I often use the same technique when some questions are posed in a certain way. I would still like to know the answer to my question.