Coon, Coon, Coon

The lyrics are about an African American concerned with his appearance including his skin color and hair type while not being accepted by a woman.

Songsheet cover for the music include caricatured African American faces and a photograph of minstrel performers of the song inset.

[5] The Library of Congress has a photograph of two Caucasian children pointing at an African American described as illustrating a line from the song.

[10] In 1945, William Howland Kenney gave a partial defense of Arthur Collins singing the lyrics of the song and described it as bathetic.

[11] Charles Kenyon incorporated a Caucasian woman struggling to perform the song in the 1929 movie Show Boat.

Songsheet cover from 1901 with photograph of Lew Dockstader in blackface inset
Photograph of two white children pointing at a Black man used to illustrate the song lyrics.
Songsheet with photograph of Morris Manley inset.