Maggie Holland noted in the liner notes of her CD Circle of Light:

“I learned Roving on a Winter's Night from the singing of Doc Watson—although the Appalachian tradition came up with a sprightly tune the words seem to be descended via various floating verses from My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose. (I don't know what a ‘butter rose’ is, but it sounds nice.) I think Robbie would have approved of the notion of drinking good old wine and reminiscing about some pretty little girl who'd broken his heart.”