This tune was written in 1907 by Kerry Mills, an American ragtime composer and music publishing executive during the Tin Pan Alley era. The tune is and based on Fröhlicher Landmann, von der Arbeit Zurückkehrend from Album für die Jugend, Op.68 by Schumann (No 10). The tune's subtitle was An Indian Fable, which reflected the early 20th century fad for things Native-American. Lyrics for the tune were written by Thurland Chattaway and it has been recorded many times in various forms by John Wayne, Woodie Guthrie, and others.
