Susanne, the Judith Piepe song always sounded familiar to me and now I know why, thanks to you.

Here'sMutter, ach Mutter, another German variant, supposedly more than 200 years old. That site also includes a recent singable English translation. Let's hope Ms. Piepe doesn't sue for copyright, for the similarities are obvious. Perhaps that person thinking this was a song from the 1700's just walked away in disgust.
I'll have a look at Steinitz. If he says it's old, it is.

Wolfgang