<P> It has been suggested that the song may have originally arisen out of American minstrelsy . The earliest printing of the song is from 1852 , when the lyrics were published with similar lyrics to those used today , but with a very different tune . It was reprinted again two years later with the same lyrics and another tune . The modern tune was first recorded with the lyrics in 1881 , mentioning Eliphalet Oram Lyte in The Franklin Square Song Collection but not making it clear whether he was the composer or adapter . </P>
<P> It has been suggested that the song may have originally arisen out of American minstrelsy . The earliest printing of the song is from 1852 , when the lyrics were published with similar lyrics to those used today , but with a very different tune . It was reprinted again two years later with the same lyrics and another tune . The modern tune was first recorded with the lyrics in 1881 , mentioning Eliphalet Oram Lyte in The Franklin Square Song Collection but not making it clear whether he was the composer or adapter . </P>
where did row your boat song come from
where did row your boat song come from
American minstrelsy
American minstrelsy