Interesting to compare the anglicized version with both the Ray Fisher version and the Child version (if it is accurately reproduced in the two places I looked online). In the latter two Willie offers his mother a horse and a "bonny" cup as a bribe. In the former, it is a horse and a girdle.

In the Child version the narrative jumps from Billy Blind's instruction to Willie to the mother's unwitting admission. The other two versions go to a description of Willie following Billy Blind's instruction. I wonder how that bit got added in - whether invented by a singer who wanted to make the story clearer, or from research into the several Scandinavian versions we are told exist.

I do have a question, here. I'm curious about these Scandinavian versions. I wonder have any been translated to English, and whether there is a tune or tunes for them. The tune it is commonly sung to is nice, but it was written in the 1930s, according to one note here.

I've done some online searching. Best I could find was a recording of a version a duo matched to an old Scandinavian lullaby. The Ray Fisher tune is more compelling, I'm afraid.