Learn English – “If it ain’t in writing it don’t exist” – why the broken grammar

grammaridioms

In the idiom "If it ain't … it don't exist.", why is "don't" used instead of "doesn't"?

I'm thinking the intentional error might serve to draw the attention of the listener to the word "don't"/"doesn't", and thus make it more emphatic. I've noticed that when spoken, the word "don't" is stressed.

Is my assumption correct?

Best Answer

Consider also: politics ain't beanbag, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, and probably many others that I can't think of at the moment. Adages that claim to offer no-nonsense straight-talk are often couched in folksy dialect, which presumably makes them sound more authentic. Non-standard English like ain’t or it don’t is acceptable and grammatical in such dialects.