One thing that does exercise me is the reference to the 'foreign money' which he cursed because he could not succeed with it in Jackson, and his telling the Creole girl on first meeting that the money he had brought back with him was "no good" ~~ not, note, that he had none, but that what he had would not pass. Is it at all possible that Louisiana was still using French currency, rather then $US, at the time? If so, presumably this would date the story [and the song?] to some time before the Purchase of 1803. If not, what do these puzzling details mean?

~M~