From the recording Starry Starry–Celestial Music from the Heart
The melody and various lyrics were collected from a Mrs. Cox in Somerset, England, by Cecil Sharpe and popularized as an American folk song by Pete Seeger. Some of the lyrics date back to the Scottish broadside song “O Waly, Waly” . For more on the history visit http://www.justanothertune.com/html/wateriswide.html. This was another tune favorite when I was subbing with Trio Galilei at the local military hospital.