There is at least one old thread with LOTS of discussion of this song. Judging by the title you are using, I'd assume that you are most familiar with the Peter, Paul and Mary recording.

If I remember those old Mudcat discussions correctly, PP&M may have drawn upon a couple of different old traditional songs to come up with their version. I believe there was also some question about whether the "soal cake" tradition was originally connected to Christmas/Yuletide or to some other seasonal celebration.

If you're cusious and have too much time on your hands, do a forum search, OR wait for Joe or a clone to add the customary list of "related threads" to the top of this page...

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Wuzzat, PoppaGator? [grin]
-Joe-