The song used to be a general hymn in the 19th Century. It was excluded from the Primitive Methodist Hymn Book, which was compiled in the 1840s, because the UK equivalent of the Better Music Movement disapproved of the tune, and because of its popularity it found homes outside the chapels. The one that has endured is the carol tradition in the pubs and streets of South Yorkshire and Deryshire. There it is sung widely and regularly between mid November and New Year. For further information see the Village Carols website.

Chris