FWIW, Frank (and Anne) Warner collected the song from Frank Proffitt, whose recording of it is available on a Folk-Legacy recording (a fine record, by the way). Warner sang the song, changing it and making it more "regular" and more easily listenable too by un-hip audiences (possibly inadvertantly). The Kingston Trio picked up Warner's version, and made a huge hit of it. Proffitt never had a copywrite.