The song tells the story of an Irish immigrant or traveler who finds himself stranded near the Lakes of Pontchartrain in Louisiana, where he falls in love with a Creole or Cajun girl who offers him shelter. Its earliest documented appearances date to American Civil War era songbooks around the 1860s, suggesting it emerged from the cultural melting pot of Louisiana where Irish immigrants encountered diverse populations. The song remained relatively obscure until the Irish folk revival of the 1960s and 70s, when it was discovered and popularized by Irish musicians like Paul Brady, whose 1977 recording became definitive. Though not originally Irish, it has been thoroughly embraced by the Irish folk tradition and is now considered part of the Irish musical canon.