[2] Historically, the song refers to the death of Timothy Merrick, who was recorded to have died on August 7, 1761, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts by snakebite.

[3][4][5][6] The ballad has been cited as representative of elegiac verse tradition which later gained status as folklore throughout the United States.

Although the song is now accompanied by its own distinct melody, early performances of the ballad were sung to other airs, including "Old Hundredth"[7] and "Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife".

[9] Chauncey Peck's 1913 History of Wilbraham relates that it occurred "70 to 90 rods southwest of the boy's home,"[10] placing it within current-day Hampden borders.

[citation needed] In variations which feature the character Timothy Mettick, his name is occasionally spelled "Mirick" or "Myrick".