This song, sometimes entitled “Jack Williams, the Boatman” is first noted as a broadside in the early 19th century. Versions of it are rare but Cecil Sharp came across it several times in the early 19th century and some versions in the USA.  It seems to have died out in oral tradition, except for one Scottish version collected sometime between 1960 and 1980.

Notes by Gwilym Davies 7 August 2015