I was there when this "folk" song was written. Pete Seeger, in spite of his later story, was at a xmall party in Chicago and sang the chorus which he said he had just heard from Paul Clayton. He thought it had potential as a commercial song but knew no more words. David Lazar, then my husband, and Larry Ehrlich came up with verses and Pete took it back to the Weavers who added more verses and recorded it. After a few legal complications Paul Clayton got added to the authors. Later Billy Grammer recorded it with entirely different lyrics, but I believe the original owners shared in the Grammer royalties. David was still getting a few dollars a year in royalties when he died in 2002