George Christy's cross-dressed interpretation standardized the portrayal of the title character and made the song a hit in the United States.
"Miss Lucy Long" became the standard closing number for the minstrel show, where it was regularly expanded into a comic skit complete with dialogue.
Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels later claimed the song in his autobiography: "I composed ... 'Miss Lucy Long' (the words by T. G. Booth) in 1838.
[4] The New York Clipper ignored Gardner completely and wrote "George [Christy] was the first to do the wench business; he was the original Lucy Long.
[7] Programs regularly ended with the note that "The concert will conclude with the Boston Favorite Extravaganza of LUCY LONG.
[10] Musicologist Robert B. Winans found versions of "Miss Lucy Long" in 34% of minstrel show programs he examined from the 1843–52 period and in 55% from 1843 to 1847, more than any other song.
[11] Mahar's research found that "Miss Lucy Long" is the second most frequent song in popular songsters from this period, behind only "Mary Blane".
[15] Compare this later recorded version by Joe Ayers: I've come again to see you, I'll sing another song, Just listen to my story, It isn't very long.
The lyrics are in an exaggerated form of Black Vernacular English, and the degrading and racist depictions of Lucy—often described as having "huge feet" or "corncob teeth"—make the male singer the butt of the joke for desiring someone whom white audiences would find so unattractive.
[21] Still, the fact that the minstrel on stage would desire someone the audience knew to be another man was a source of comic dramatic irony.
The verses and refrain use almost identical music, which enabled troupes to vary the verse/chorus structure and to add play-like segments.
[27] The lyrics of the comic banjo tune, are written in exaggerated African American Vernacular English and tell of the courtship or marriage of the male singer and the title character.
"Miss Lucy Long" satirizes black concepts of beauty and courtship and American views of marriage in general.
The song is misogynistic; the male character dominates Lucy and continues his sexually promiscuous lifestyle despite his relationship with her.
[21] For example, in 1846, Dan Emmett and Frank Brower added these lines to a "Miss Lucy Long" sketch: [Dialogue.]