The hornpipe probably has an Irish provenance, with first publication date around 1847. The melody has been adopted by several genres. For example, it was the basis for the old-time tune Possum up the Gum Stump.
This tune dates from the 1700's. A number of possible authors have been identified, in Germany and England. It is often also played as a reel, for example for dancing the Shetland Reel in the Shetland Islands. The tune has also been named Egg Hornpipe, which may refer to performance hornpipe dancers strewing the floor with eggs, in order to dance among them without breaking any.