From the recording The Music of Two American Centuries
Stephen Foster (1826-1864)
This Foster song has entered the American folk music tradition and has been greatly altered in the process. There are now many sets of lyrics: some make more sense than others, but none bear any resemblance to Foster’s original. The tune, which uses only part of the original, has become part of the old-time tradition, where it is often played as a showpiece for fancy fiddling. From there, it has moved into the bluegrass tradition.