The song was composed in 1810 by Friedrich Sigismund for the text and Johann Michael Anding for the melody, including the common "falleri-fallara" chorus, an onomatopoeia (also written "valleri-vallera" but pronounced the same). In the early 20th century, the song was adopted by the German Scouting Movement and during WWII it became immensely popular with the German paratroopers. After the war, Edith Möller and her brother Friedrich adapted the song to be interpreted by a children's choir and it is this version which became immediately popular around the world. The first adaptation into another language was done by a Belgian woman, Andrée Mazy, who came up with versions in Dutch-Flemish and French. Since in Dutch folk songs "valderi-valdera" (pronounced "falderi-faldera") is more common than the German "falleri-fallera", she used the Dutch model in both versions. Antonia Ridge became acquainted with the French version of the song, with "valderi-valdera", pronounced with a true soft /v/ instead of the voiceless /f/, and borrowed it over into the English version mainly for euphonic reasons (less military, etc.). That's it.