Yes, Jaze, there are many variations.   But, apparently, the song was published in the mid 19th C., and most variations are either mondegreens or just "from-memory" transcriptions of those lyrics.

What I'm wondering is which versions, if any, can be recorded and published without havintg to pay royalties. Since the song was published over 100 years ago, I'd imagine that most versions based direc tly on the original lyrics published in about 1866 are fair game. Am I right?

Genie