I was cleaning out my mother's home with my daughter and granddaughters and remembered Mom singing this song while I was packing up her spinning wheel. While singing what I remembered of the song to my granddaughter I stopped short when I got to "Old Black Joe". My granddaughter is mixed race and I was uncomfortable singing the original lyrics which might provoke questions I was not prepared to answer to my 7 year old. (Just to provide a different perspective on the issue.) I searched the web to find the lyrics when I encountered this discussion. I am really grateful to locate all the words, and am happy to learn of a substitution for the phrase. The song entirely captured the shared moment of saying goodbye to the homestead and passing on the memories to another generation. (Now, if I can just get that tune out of my head!)