The modern tune was first recorded with the lyrics in 1881, mentioning Eliphalet Oram Lyte in The Franklin Square Song Collection but not making it clear whether he was the composer or adapter.

[2] The nursery rhyme is well known, appearing in several films and TV programmes, including Blackadder Goes Forth, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Trumpet of the Swan, Manos: The Hands of Fate, and Dante's Peak.

People often add additional verses, a form of children's street culture, with the intent of either extending the song or (especially in the case of more irreverent versions) to make it funny, parody it, or substitute another sensibility for the perceived innocent one of the original.

[3][4] Don Music, a Muppet character in Sesame Street, changed the lyrics to feature a car instead of a boat.

Nowadays the song is frequently used as a meme-reference in Asian Communities inside of Germany.