1908, in a way he learned from his uncles Ter(r)ell and Bob. By the 1930s, he had made the song his own, modifying the rhythm and rewriting most of the verses. John and Alan Lomax made a field recording of Bob Ledbetter's version of the song.

Lead Belly continued performing the song during his prison terms. An extended version of the song that includes narratives connecting the verses appears in the 1936 songbook Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Lead Belly. In 1941, Woody Guthrie