text: old dan tucker " old dan tucker " , also known as " ole dan tucker " , " dan tucker " , and other variants , is a popular american song . 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 blackface troupe the virginia minstrels popularized " old dan tucker " in 1843 , and it quickly became a minstrel hit , behind only " miss lucy long " and " mary blane " in popularity during the antebellum period . " old dan tucker " entered the folk vernacular around the same time . today it is a bluegrass and country music standard . it is no . 390 in the roud folk song index . 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 , , and breaks other social taboos . minstrel troupes freely added and removed verses , and folk singers have since added hundreds more . parodies and political versions are also known . the song falls into the idiom of previous minstrel music , relying on rhythm and text declamation as its primary motivation . its melody is simple and the harmony little developed . nevertheless , contemporary critics found the song more pleasant than previous minstrel fare . musicologist dale cockrell argues that the song represents a transition between early minstrel music and the more european - style songs of minstrelsy 's later years . lyrics " old dan tucker " as originally published exemplifies the masculine boasting songs that predominated in early minstrelsy . modern analysts emphasize the song 's rawness , racism , and disdain for social taboos . in ersatz black vernacular english , the song uses short , active words such as runnin and , to portray dan tucker as a rough - and - ready black man in the mold of jim crow , gumbo chaff , and ultimately the tall tale frontiersman : i come to town de udder night , i hear de noise an saw de fight , de watchman was a runnin , cryin old dan tucker 's come to town . gran ' chorus . so get out de way ! get out de way ! get out de way ! old dan tucker . you 're too late to come to supper . tucker is an animalistic character , driven by sex , violence , and strong drink . he is ugly , unrefined , and unintelligent , even . as a stranger in town , his devil - may - care actions show his problems with or ambivalence to adapting to local mores . more broadly , tucker 's disdain for social norms allows the song to send up respectable middle class american society , as evidenced by the final verse : tucker was a hardened sinner , he said his grace at dinner ; de ole sow , de pigs did squall he ' hole hog wid de tail and all . other verses are simply nonsense that do not go along with the main narrative . their lines seem to serve no other purpose than to make a rhyme or extend the patter scheme . the third verse is one example : here 's my razor in good order magnum bonum — hab bought ' er ; sheep shell oats , tucker shell de corn , i 'll you soon as de water get warm . dan tucker is both the teller and subject of the story . verses 1 , 3 , and 5 of the 1843 edition are in the first person , whereas verses 2 , 4 , and 7 are in the third . this reflects the song 's intended performance by an entire minstrel troupe . the lead minstrel played tucker and began the song , but backup singers took over at times to allow tucker to act out the scenario , dance , and do another comedy bit . there was probably an element of competition to the various dance and music solos . the third - person verses also allowed for commentary to suggest to the audience how they were to judge the character and his antics . individual companies probably selectively performed verses from the song or added new ones . for example , the virginia serenaders added verses about the irish , dutch , and french . at least four versions of the song were published with different lyrics during the 19th century . a parody called " de track " appears in some playbills and songsters . folk versions " old dan tucker " entered american folklore soon after it was written . its simple and malleable nature means that singers may begin or end it at any point or invent new verses on the spot . in fact , hundreds of folk verses have been recorded . this is a common folk variant : old daniel tucker wuz a mighty man , he washed his face in a ' pan ; his head wid a wagon wheel and he died wid de in his heel . a common chorus variant goes : so , git de way for old dan tucker , he 's come too late to git his supper . supper 's over and breakfast ' , old dan tucker standin ' lookin ' . for decades " old dan tucker " was used as part of a dancing game . the players formed a ring , and one man moved to the center . he selected women to swing around according to the lyrics : here 's old dan , he comes to town ; he swings the ladies round and round . he swings one east , he swings one west , he swings with the one he loves the best . the third woman chosen then became his new partner , and her old partner now took the role of " old dan " . these folk versions can be quite ribald . 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 . another version , sung by charles edward carpenter — a lawrenceburg , tennessee business man and world war ii veteran ( born in , tn ) — to his children and grandchildren in middle tennessee during the mid- to late 1900s speaks of old dan tucker 's love of a hard drink . the last line appears to have been sung in the first person ( " oh my goodness , what 'll i do ? ) : old dan tucker , he got drunk , he fell in the far ( fire ) and kicked up a chunk , a red hot coal fell down his shoe , oh my goodness , what 'll i do ? go on home , ole dan tucker , you 're too late to get your supper . " old dan tucker " entered the folklore of slaves as well . this version from orange county , north carolina , was recorded in the 1850s : and missus look ' might fine — gwine to take a journey , gwine dey gwine , crab grass a - ' , red sun in de west , saturday 's comin ' , nigger gwine to rest . political versions the original " old dan tucker " and most folk variants are not political in nature . however , as early as 1844 , the hutchinson family singers were performing " get off the track ! " to its tune , billed as " a song for emancipation " one verse and the chorus say : ho ! the car emancipation rides majestic thro ' our nation , bearing on its train the story ; liberty ! a nation 's glory . get out the way ! every station ! freedom 's car , emancipation ! that same year , supporters of henry clay at a whig rally sang a version that makes references to clay ( " ole kentucky " ) , martin van buren , and james buchanan : the people 's , henry clay , is now the ' fashion ' of the day ; and let the track be dry or mucky , we 'll stake our pile on ole kentucky . get out of the way , he 's swift and lucky ; clear the track for ole kentucky ! 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 " . william jennings bryan 's campaign song for the 1900 democratic national convention in kansas city , missouri , changed the lyrics to say : voters , come and hear my ditty , what was done at kansas city : david hill , the new york lion , nominated billy bryan . get out of the way , you grand old party , you 're so old , you 're getting warty . a version popular during the american civil war adds references to abraham lincoln : old abe is coming down to fight , and put the democrats to flight ; he 's coming with the wedge and maul and he will split ' em one and all . get out the way , you little giant you can 't come in , you 're too short and pliant . structure " 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 . the song is largely anglo - american in nature , although it has black influences . its repetitive melodic idiom matches that of earlier minstrel standards , such as " jump jim crow " , " coal black rose " , and " old zip coon " . the song consists of 28 bars . it begins with a boisterous eight - bar introduction . four bars follow to frame the coda . the remainder consists of sixteen bars with lyrics , half devoted to verse , and half to refrain . each phrase gives way directly to the next with no rests between sections . rhythm is perhaps the most important component of " old dan tucker " . it begins with a cadenced introduction and little melody . even when the tune begins in earnest , it is flat and non - harmonized and does little more than provide a beat on which words are uttered . the refrain is syncopated in a way that had only previously been used in the minstrel song " old zip coon " . the intense rhythm on the line " get out the way ! " generates a forward momentum and is answered by instruments in one example of the song 's black - influenced call and response . " old dan tucker " was , of course , intended for stage performance . the verses are not only to be played but also acted out and danced to . minstrels could begin leaping about at the introduction and coda , beginning the full music at the vocal section . performers probably included instrumental versions of the chorus while they played , a rare practice in early minstrelsy . musicologist dale cockrell argues that " old dan tucker " in fact represents a bridge between the percussive blackface songs of the 1830s and the more refined compositions of songwriters such as stephen foster . 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 . contemporary critics certainly noticed the difference . y. s. nathanson called it " the best of what i have denominated the ancient negro ballads . the melody is far superior to anything that had preceded it . " nathanson compared the song to works by gaetano donizetti and daniel auber . composition the origin of the music of " old dan tucker " has always been obscure , and no sheet music edition from 1843 , its year of its first publication , names a composer . the first performance of the tune ( but not lyrics ) may have happened as early as 1841 . the music may in fact be from the oral tradition or may have been a product of collaboration . nevertheless , " old dan tucker " has been credited to at least three different songwriters : dan emmett , j. r. jenkins , and henry russell . 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 . " the biography claims that emmett first played the song in public at a performance by a group of traveling entertainers . they lacked a fiddle player , and the local innkeeper suggested young emmett to fill in . 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 . wintermute claims that the name dan tucker is a combination of emmett 's own name and that of his dog . however , there is no evidence for any of this . instead , emmett may merely have written the words . even these seem to partially derive from an earlier minstrel song called " walk along john " or " oh , come along john " , first published in various songsters in the early 1840s . some verses have clear echoes in versions of " old dan tucker " : johnny law on de rail road track , he tied de engine on his back ; he pair 's his corn wid a rail road wheel , it gib ' em de tooth ache in de heel . the charles keith company published " old dan tucker " in boston , massachusetts , in 1843 . the sheet music credits words to dan emmett but says that the song is from " old dan emmit 's original banjo melodies " . the lack of attribution of the melody may be another sign that emmett did not write it . possible slave origin a story dating to at least 1965 claims that " old dan tucker " was written by slaves about a man named daniel tucker who lived in elbert county , georgia . tucker was a farmer , ferryman , and minister who appears in records from the late 18th and early 19th centuries . the story , as related by mrs. guy rucker , the great - great - granddaughter of one of tucker 's neighbors , claims that tucker became quite well liked by the slaves in his area through his ministry to them . according to this interpretation , the lyrics address tucker directly . 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 . the song 's occasional lewdness is explained by the natural impromptu nature of its supposed origin . " old dan tucker " does show evidence of black influence . 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 ) . " old dan tucker " most closely resembles african music in its call - and - response refrain . daniel tucker was buried in elbert county in 1818 . 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 . popularity in december 1842 and january 1843 , dan emmett portrayed the character old dan tucker in solo and duo performances ; the playbills do not indicate whether he included the song in his act . 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 . the piece starred richard pelham in the title role and frank brower as a black clown . " old dan tucker " did not appear on a virginia minstrels playbill until a march 7 and 8 performance at boston 's masonic temple . there , the playbill described it as " old dan , a virginian refrain , in which is described the ups and downs of negro life . " as early as february 15 , emmett billed himself as " old dan emmett " . by the end of march , " old dan tucker " was a hit , and it quickly became the virginia minstrels ' most popular song . robert winans found the song on 49 % of the minstrel playbills he surveyed from the 1843 – 1847 period ( behind only " miss lucy long " ) , and research by musicologist william j. mahar suggests that it was behind only " mary blane " and " lucy long " in its frequency of publication in antebellum songsters . the next year , dan tucker returned in the popular " ole bull and old dan tucker " , which pits him against ole bull in a contest of skill . sequels such as " de new ole dan tucker " and " old dan tucker 's wedding " followed . 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 . the song became so identified with emmett and the virginia minstrels that it became part of their foundation myth . billy whitlock and george b. wooldridge both claimed that the troupe members played " old dan tucker " in their first impromptu performance together : . . . as if by accident , each one picked up his tools and joined in a chorus of " old dan tucker , " while emmett was playing and singing . it went well , and they repeated it without saying a word . each did his best , and such a rattling of the principal and original instruments in a minstrel band was never heard before . emmett repeated this story in the may 19 , 1877 , new york clipper , although other details changed . the press began to refer to emmett as " ole dan tucker " , and emmett eventually adopted the nickname . the virginia minstrels sometimes went by " ole dan tucker and co . " they were called " old dan tucker & co . , " either by themselves or by the press , as early as february 16 , 1843 . the song 's disdain for the customs of the upper classes hit a chord with working class audiences . 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 . 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 . " nathanson claimed that " old dan tucker " had " been sung , perhaps , oftener than any melody ever written . " in 1871 , 28 years after its first published edition , board and trade listed editions of " old dan tucker " in print from seven different publishers . the song had by default fallen into the public domain . in later decades , " old dan tucker " became a standard of bluegrass and country music , with recordings by such artists as ' john carson , uncle dave macon , pete seeger , and tanner and his skillet lickers . it is referred to in john steinbeck 's novel the grapes of wrath . more recently , rock musician bruce springsteen made a recording . children 's music collections frequently feature the song and it has been covered by children 's group the wiggles with australian country performer troy cassar - daley . in joel chandler harris ' uncle remus , it appears in the context of powerless crawfish trying to be heard in an assembly of animals , and harris writes , " but dey might ez well er sung ole dan tucker ter a . " in the 1935 novel little house on the prairie by laura ingalls wilder , the character mr. edwards sings the song as his trademark ; accordingly , the little house on the prairie television series from the 1970s and 1980s uses the song as a leitmotif for the character .