Malcolm, I just love the sort of thing I see developing in this thread. We need an article surveying the history of this song; you have done most of the real work already; why not write this up and publish it? The distinction between the "lost" and "stolen" types, the relations between broadsides and oral versions, this is what gives us a real grasp of the song in its various expressions. What with the recent disparagement of "item-centered" research, I had almost concluded that we were not going to see this sort of thing again for ages; but recently it seems to be rebounding nicely. And, hey, the Penguin Book updated for the 21st century is out now; we are already permanently in your debt, so please drive us deeper into debt with a song history! I muttered a few unrepeatable words on discovering that I had lost my note with the reference to the version about which I originally inquired, but if I hadn't lost it I would have missed all the lively interchange on this thread. Thanks to all!

Stephen R.