[4] Critic Robert Cummings wrote: "The jaunty, spirited theme hardly sounds like the product of the pre–Civil War era, and would not sound out of place in a ragtime or even jazz musical from the early 20th century.
"[3] The song is believed to have been composed by enslaved peoples in the first half of the 19th century.
Early published versions include some parts in dialect, such as "fit" for "fought".
A rare, unpublished variation, "Jacob fought the battle of Jericho", has evolved and has been heard sung in the later twentieth century.
In this instance, "Jacob" refers to the people of Israel, who won the battle.