These lyrics are incorrect in a way that makes the song harder to understand. It's "Daddy's gone to stay" not "Daddy's gonna stay." HUGE difference. The song is sung from the pov of someone caring for a baby whose mother (presumably a slave) has gone to work in the fields. The dad is "gone to stay" so they "didn't leave nobody but the baby."
These lyrics are incorrect in a way that makes the song harder to understand. It's "Daddy's gone to stay" not "Daddy's gonna stay." HUGE difference. The song is sung from the pov of someone caring for a baby whose mother (presumably a slave) has gone to work in the fields. The dad is "gone to stay" so they "didn't leave nobody but the baby."