The Carters recorded the song twice. First version, for Victor (1930), is called "The Cannon-Ball" and features solo vocal by A P Carter, with Maybelle on guitar. In 1935 the Carters switched labels and began recording for ARC (now Sony). They re-recorded many of their signature songs on the new label, sometimes with revised lyrics and usually with revamped arrangements. The remake is "Cannon Ball Blues" and features trio vocal with Sara on lead. (Two takes of this recording are extant though only one was issued on 78rpm.) Fox4zero's text is that of the 1930 Victor recording, the same one from which I learned the song many years ago, while the indefatigable Jim Dixon's text is that of the 1935 remake, hence the differences.

Someone did an M.A. thesis on the song and its variants, portions of which appeared in the John Edwards Memorial Foundation Quarterly around 1969.