[JimRed]

In the evenin' by the moonlight
you could hear those darkies singin'
In the evenin' by the moonlight
you could hear those banjos ringin'
How the old folks would enjoy it
they would sit all night and listen...

[Leaning Right]

Boy are you mixed up! It’s:

In the evenin’ by the moonlight
you could hear those dark keys singin’

The “keys” of course refers to the islands known as the Florida Keys.
(See, historical revisionism is easy.)