The title of this tune comes from its use for a song called A Rose Tree in Full Bearing, written in 1782 by John O'Keefe, for English composer William Shield's opera The Poor Soldier. O'Keefe did not compose the melody, but adapted it from an older tune, possibly Irish or Scottish. The melody appears in a music copy-book of Henry Livingston, Jr. who in 1771 purchased the estate of Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, New York and in 1775 participated in Montgomery’s failed attempt to take Montreal from the British.
This is a polka or morris dance tune from England. The girl may refer to a ship's figurehead and blue dress to the sea. There is a sea shanty with the same name, but different tune. However, the phrase "girl with a blue dress on" is also documented in an African-American muledriver's song, and the meaning is not certain.