While its roots are in heavy labor, the song has achieved massive recognition through modern media:
: The "Mister Tally Man" was a real figure who inventoried the load; workers could only leave once he had finished counting their tally.
: References to "hidey deadly black tarantula" were literal warnings about venomous spiders often found in the banana bunches. Cultural Significance
Belafonte, a passionate civil rights activist, viewed the song as a "song about struggle, about black people in a colonized life doing the most grueling work".
: The traditional call-and-response style used in the song served to build community and synchronize the rhythm of labor among workers. Pop Culture Legacy