Here's a performance of this song by Mudcatter Rick Pollay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9TppdLy1s

Rick's notes:
In the 1930s Alan Lomax collected some song fragments from black prisoners that seem to come from a much older 19th century song about slavery. Even though he recorded it with Guy Carawan, few others in America did and the song has been largely ignored and forgotten at home in the USA. It became far better known in the UK, as Lonnie Donegan and his skiffle band made a hit of it in 1958 with his characteristic brisk style during the folk revival era (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBY-AoRzRh4)