[1] All tell the same typical Victorian-era captivity narrative: A woman is kidnapped or captured and may do no more than await rescue by a male protagonist or suffer at the hands of her captors.
The lyrics usually begin by describing the history and current condition of their relationship prior to the abduction:[3] The identity of Mary Blane's abductors varies.
[3] The male protagonist then pines for his lost love and wallows in self-pity in later verses and during the chorus: The song usually ends tragically, with the lover confused and unable to take action or learning of Mary's death.
[3] The seemingly illogical verses that were often added may have served as comedy, or they may simply have provided something familiar to audiences and freed up the company to act out scenes, dance, or do other dramatic bits.
[10] Regardless of who originally wrote or composed it, "Mary Blane" was by far the most popular song in the lost-lover genre in antebellum blackface minstrelsy.
[1] Research by musicologist William J. Mahar's has found versions of the song in more songsters published between 1843 and 1860 than any other number, edging out such hits as "Miss Lucy Long" and "Old Dan Tucker".