Guest Q, thanks for all the info - your definition of mourner/moaners is what I thought from context - not just weepers & wailers at a burial, but participants in other church services too.

I knew the song was originally "Coon from Tennessee" - rather a clever bit of re-writing to make it more palatable. I first heard it on a Greenbriar Boys album back in the late sixties (as coot) and have always liked its drive.

I probably did the spelling error on cane brake - I've always kind of known what a brake was - swamp angels being mosquitos, however, was a real surprise. Thanks all - the info one can find quickly at Mudcat never ceases to amaze me.