Will A. Heelan — Every Race Has A Flag But The Coon

The leader of the Blackville Club arose last Labor night And said, “When we were on parade today I really felt so much ashamed, I wished I could turn white ‘Cause all the white folks march’d with banners gay Just at de stand de German band They waved their flag and played ‘De Wacht am Rhine’ The Scotch Brigade each man arrayed In new plaid dresses marched to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Even Spaniards and Sweeds, folks of all kinds and creeds Had their banner except de coon alone Ev’ry nation can brag ‘bout some kind of a flag Why can’t we get an emblem of our own?” Chorus: For Ireland has her Harp and Shamrock England floats her Lion bold Even China waves a Dragon Germany an Eagle gold Bonny Scotland loves a Thistle Turkey has her Crescent Moon And what won’t Yankees do for their Red, White and Blue Every race has a flag but the coon He says, “Now I’ll suggest a flag that ought to win a prize Just take a flannel shirt and paint it red They draw a chicken on it with two poker dice for eyes An’ have it wavin’ razors ‘round its head To make it quaint, you’ve got to paint A possum with a pork chop in his teeth To give it tone, a big hambone You sketch upon a banjo underneath And be sure not to skip just a policy slip Have it marked four eleven forty four Then them Irish and Dutch, they can’t guy us so much We should have had this emblem long before”