There have been several references to the songs Shame and Scandal, Mixed Up Family, Johnny Be Fair, and Emma Turl which are all based upon the same joke. R.L. Burnside has recorded a joke on the subject. Whether his joke is anywhere like the old story, I can't say. I became interested in the story behind the song after hearing Shame and Scandal and later Jimmy Driftwood singing "Mixed Up Family". Jimmy had connections with Odetta who sang Shame and Scandal and Buffy St. Marie who wrote Johnny Be Fair, and I have wondered if any of them inspired the other. The only response I ever had from inquiries was that the song was based on an old joke. I heard the Burnside recording long after having heard the various songs.