The Cofers likely learned this song from black musicians. It has the basic couplet-verse-followed-by-single-line-refrain form (a la "Delia," "Boll Weevil," "Frankie And Albert," "Railroad Bill," "McKinley," "The Carrier Line," "The McKenzie Case," "Hop Joint," "Stack O'Lee," etc.) that was far more popular with black musicians than white musicians.

When Peg Leg Howell (who was black) sang "Put up over there, nigger!" and "Soon as I reached old Georgia, the niggers carried a handcuff to me" in "Skin Game Blues" in 1927, for instance, that had nothing to with anyone trying to create a "racist" lyric, it was descriptive of characters in the song. Similarly with Lil McClintock (who was black) singing "she's the swellest coon in town" in 1930, in _his_ "Furniture Man," which was related to the lines about the furniture man in "Cocaine Blues" by Luke Jordan (who was black), who recorded "Traveling Coon" in 1927. Earl McDonald (who was black) mentioned "swellest coon in town," but describing himself, in "She's In The Graveyard Now" in 1927. Maybe he was trying to offend himself.