Late 19th century Victorian cultural anthropology, even earlier and later, is littered with well-meaning but misguided Darwinian evolutionary scheme attempts to find the "ultimate distant origin" of this or that popular custom--or formulaic rhyme, expression, etc. Sometimes songs entered the mix.

Lost in much of the speculation and claiming was that human beings, over time and space, are much capable of "independent invention" as well as influenced by learned and past-along diffusions.

If someone, most anywhere in a largely Christianized-influenced Western World, wanted to construct a song telling about carrying a coffin, wouldn't it contain a verse with words and imagery about doing so? About the need for more than one person to do so? Maybe reference to singing or chanting along the way?

There is a point at which well-meaning, oft clever, but very tenuous pursuits and connections just do not seem very reasonable.