Wolfgang, you may be correct in suggesting it is new(I must admit I wondered) but the source I used quotes it as traditional.

I haven't got the Johnstons' version to hand but the only differences I can remember between that and the one I have posted come in the last verse. Im pretty sure they use "dirty" in place of "terrible" and "threw" instead of "pissed". They of course repeat part of the last line of each verse, together with some ?nonsense? words, e.g. In the first verse, it would be:

"With me fal-de roldity too rye eh, and a beggin he will die" (or something similar).

Jon