Bob, the American collector Joanna C. Colcord wrote that the present tune is "Larry Doolan," but I believe this is an error. "Larry Doolan" (written ca 1860) gave its tune to the Confederate song "The Bonnie Blue Flag," by Harry McCarthy. While there are some similarities, that tune is NOT the tune of the shanty.

If the shanty was really inspired by Grossmith's tune, then it is considerably younger than has usually been thought.