Hi Jim, Lighter and Steve,

Jim-- Beard's version "New Orleans" uses the "knapsack" stanza found in the songs "Going to the Mexican War" and it's also called "Marching to Quebec Town." In her version it appears to be added to show the lover was a soldier-- just as the first revision of "Seventeen" added "soldier" as her lover's status or occupation-- and that he was leaving to fight a war. This "knapsack" stanza and others are also attached to "Pretty Little Pink" which curiously may have originated with Burns (who registered the first version of "seventeen"). In the US the "How old are you" stanza is a floating one but associations may be made non-the-less.

"Pretty Little Pink" Newell, W. W., "Games and Songs of American Children," first published in 1883. No. 175, from East Tennessee.
"The manner of playing has not been obtained."

My pretty little pink, I once did think
That you and I would marry,
But now I've lost all hope of that,
I can no longer tarry.

I've got my knapsack on my back,
My musket on my shoulder,
To march away to Quebec town,
To be a gallant soldier.

Where coffee grows on a white-oak tree,
And the rivers flow with brandy,
Where the boys are like a lump of gold,
And the girls as sweet as candy.

Wells mentions: "In another version, Mexico was substituted for Quebec."

I get the "vow" for "wow" and it appears as "O" and "Oh" as well as "vow" for "wow." Greig and Duncan used Scot dialect whenever and however they wanted and the same words in a version are written differently-- which is careless.

In my continued study of US versions I'll post a new association.

Richie