Margarita, Thanks for the kind words, but now that I've heard your idea (about a Popeye-like character), I think I like it better. :-)

Great. Now I can't stop singig "Hog Eye Man" in my head. But that's always the case anyway. Great Song!!

Dan, You wrote:

It's always been my assumption that what was swept under the rug in the song was an explicit reference to a sexual encounter between a working man of African origin and a white woman.

Dan, I agree that it's possible to imagine (or in your words, assume) some sort of reference to a liaison between a white woman and a black man, but do you have anything else to go on for making that guess? Are there any references out there to this sort of connection?

You know how highly I value your opinion on these matters, Dan. I know that I always feel lured to believing the wilder explanations to things myself, but then reality (usually) kicks me in the butt and puts me back into my place.

gargoyle, I just love the references you cited, but I wasn't able to find that. Which edition were you using?

But in the end, I think Shambles summed it up accurately enough to satisfy me on the point completely.