This song is proving very popular with the folk revival, presumably helped by the very singable chorus. The idea of robbing a prostitute is a turn around from many songs in which the lady is the robber. The song can be traced back to the beginning of the 19th century as “The Countryman’s Ramble in Cheapside”, and may be older. Versions were still being collected in recent times.
Notes by Gwilym Davies 23 June 2015