I have just picked up this fascinating thread, having sung the song itself last week at a concert in north Germany. The version I used came from The New National Song Book, published in the UK just after the second world war with the express purpose of providing cheering family entertainment. The book includes a range of Sea Shanties (sic) arranged by Sir R R Terry. Unfortunately it does not give references for the origins of any of the pieces or their words. But Terry's arrangements are beautiful and deserve wider hearing. My programme notes and introductions for future concerts will be a lot fuller now than they have been so far!