Dave, it isn't the entire song that evokes images of a racist past, it is the reference to lynching that evokes images of a racist past, especially in Texas, which is the only geographical grounding Toby Keith gives the song, in the lines:

"Take all the rope in Texas
Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys
Hang them high in the street for all the people to see..."

Why is it that some of you here feel such a powerful need to deny that the image above could be construed as being a reference to whites lynching blacks in Texas, just as easily as it can be construed as being a reference to whites lynching whites, when both types of lynchings occurred? Of all the 493 recorded lynchings in Texas, 141 were of whites, and 352 were black. The disproprotionate number of lynchings of blacks to whites throughout US history, is clearly demonstrated in the statistics. Of the 4,743 lynchings recorded in all states throughout US history, 1,297 were white, and 3,446 were black.

Now, considering that reality, how can anyone say that references to lynchings can't possibly be interpreted as racist? To claim that no reasonable person could interpret the reference to lynching as being racist, just defies rational logic, and flies in the face of the facts.

Click below (a link to a website about lynchings in the US provided by Brian in his post above) and scroll down to Texas.

Lynchings by state and race