On none of the threads re this song [it has even just cropped up on the Brownskin Girl thread also] that I have so far managed to access have I found the suggestion of an ancient source of this song being that, supposedly ~~

~~ the "Old Man" was Joseph, the baby was the Infant Jesus ~~ who was, indeed, according to Holy Writ, "none of his own". I remember this suggestion being made many years ago [late 1950s], IIRC by Peter Kennedy at a monthly EFDSS Sunday afternoon singaround at C#Hse, and repeated in various other venues by Sandy Paton; but I might have misremembered that.

Has anyone else come across this anywhere as a possible interpretation of this song's origins? It sounds a bit fanciful to me, but with just enough of a crazy sort of analogical sense to suggest there might just possibly be something in it.

Any comment or enlightenment from anyone?

~Michael~