Its origins remain obscure; the tune may have come from oral tradition, and the words may have been written by songwriter and performer Dan Emmett.

The first sheet music edition of "Old Dan Tucker," published in 1843, is a song of boasts and nonsense in the vein of previous minstrel hits such as "Jump Jim Crow" and "Gumbo Chaff."

In exaggerated Black Vernacular English, the lyrics tell of Dan Tucker's exploits in a strange town, where he fights, gets drunk, overeats, and breaks other social taboos.

The song falls into the idiom of previous minstrel music, relying on rhythm and text declamation as its primary motivation.

"Old Dan Tucker" as originally published exemplifies the masculine boasting songs that predominated in early minstrelsy.

Its simple and malleable nature means that singers may begin or end it at any point or invent new verses on the spot.

[4] This one, recalled by a man from his boyhood in Benton County, Arkansas, in the 1910s, is one example: Old Dan Tucker was a fine old soul, Buckskin belly and a rubber ass-hole, Swallowed a barrel of cider down And then he shit all over town.

[24] Old Dan Tucker climbed a tree His lord and master for to see Stuck his pecker in a peckerwood hole Couldn't get it out to save his soul

[31] In 1856, supporters of John C. Frémont's run for the Republican Party nomination adopted the tune as his campaign song with the changed refrain "Get out the way, old Buchanan".

[32] William Jennings Bryan's campaign song for the 1900 Democratic National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, changed the lyrics to say:[33] Voters, come and hear my ditty, What was done at Kansas City: David Hill, the New York lion, Nominated Billy Bryan.

[35] "Old Dan Tucker" is a breakdown, a dance song wherein the rhythmic accent falls on the second and fourth beats rather than on the third.

Its repetitive melodic idiom matches that of earlier minstrel standards, such as "Jump Jim Crow," "Coal Black Rose," and "Old Zip Coon.

[3] Musicologist Dale Cockrell argues that "Old Dan Tucker" represents a bridge between the percussive blackface songs of the 1830s and the more refined compositions of songwriters such as Stephen Foster.

[5] Cockrell says that, unlike previous minstrel songs, "Old Dan Tucker" is meant for more than just dancing; its tune is developed enough to stand on its own.

[45] In his old age, Emmett related the traditional story to his biographer, H. Ogden Wintermute: "I composed Old Dan Tucker in 1830 or 1831, when I was fifteen or sixteen years old.

Emmett played "Old Dan Tucker" to the troupe manager's liking, and he debuted on the Mount Vernon, Ohio village green in blackface to perform the song on the Fourth of July.

The chorus, "You're too late to get your supper" is a kindhearted taunt to a man who often arrived after dark, forcing his hosts to scrape up a meal for him.

For example, bizarre imagery in folk versions of the song (e.g., "toothache in his heel") may be a sign of legitimate black input (or of someone poking fun of slaves who had an incomplete knowledge of English).

[56] The Elbert County Chamber of Commerce today promotes his grave as a tourist attraction due to his possible connection with the character from the song.

[58] The Virginia Minstrels probably made "Old Dan Tucker" a regular part of their show beginning with their first performance at the Bowery Amphitheatre on February 6, 1843.

Their minstrel show also included a comic scene loosely based on the song, "Dan Tucker on Horseback," about a black riding master.

[59] "Old Dan Tucker" did not appear on a Virginia Minstrels playbill until a March 7 and 8 performance at Boston's Masonic Temple.

"[61] By the end of March, "Old Dan Tucker" was a hit, and it quickly became the Virginia Minstrels' most popular song.

[65] Other companies adopted Tucker for comedy sketches, such as burlesques of La sonnambula by Buckley's Serenaders in 1850 and Sanford's Opera Troupe in 1853.

[40] On January 28, 1843, The New York Sporting Whip reported that the song had been adopted by a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, street gang called the Hallow Guards.

As their leader, Stovepipe Bill, led them against a military raid, he sang the verses followed by the gang singing the chorus.

[71] Two years later, The Knickerbocker remarked, "At this present moment, a certain ubiquitous person seems to be in the way of the whole people of these United States simultaneously.

[74] In later decades, "Old Dan Tucker" became a standard of bluegrass and country music,[75][76] with recordings by such artists as Fiddlin' John Carson, Uncle Dave Macon, Pete Seeger, and Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers.

[77] The song regained some resurgence in Michael Landon's television adaptation of "Little House On The Prairie," based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's semi-autobiographical book series.

The character of Isaiah Edwards, played by Victor French, was frequently heard singing or whistling "Old Dan Tucker" in multiple episodes of the show.