I'm picking up this thread a bit later. Did anyone ever figure out what the origins of this song are? The earliest source here seems to be the three sets from Lowell Mason & George James Webb, eds., The Song-Book of the School-Room (Boston: Wilkins, Carter, & Co., 1850), posted by masato sakurai. But do we think that the english versions are adapted from another culture? Does the german come first? What about the references to the "spanish melodies". Has anyone found a Spanish source?