Racist? Please help me understand why you see it as racist. Is this because he says the guy who stole his girl was black? Jack, maybe you have other associations with the 'skin as black as coal', but to me, his main problem is the guy took the love of his life away. He could have said "with a nose long as a pole" or "eating a sausage roll". To me, it was just a description.

I think you've got a right to apply your own experiences and knowledge in understanding the meaning of the song, and there are things I don't understand, but I have a hard time thinking of the song as racist simply because it mentions the student was black. I can accept you do, and I don't intend to try to change your mind, but I don't understand.