Someone commented that the song is genuine rather than spurious.

Let us keep in mind that even though it's old, it's still spurious. There never have been elves, and humans have never been spirited to the netherworld by them. And I'm sure the people who were capable of writing these songs were aware of that.

However, it beats a real-life verse, which would go

'And why were you missing, my bridegroom dear?'
'The bachelor party had far too much beer.'