"Acres of Clams", also known as "Old Settler's Song" is based on an old Irish melody, "Rosin the Bow" also known as "Old Rosin the Beau" that has supported more different sets of lyrics than nearly any other folk tune. It is included in the Roud Folk Song Index as #10032. The first recorded reference to this song was in the Olympia, Washington newspaper the Washington Standard in April 1877. The words are attributed to Judge Francis Henry, a police court judge in Seattle, in the 1874. When the lyrics say “I have been frequently sold” it refers to being conned. It was printed in Lomax's Folk Song USA (1947), Lomax's Folk Songs of North America (1960), Cohen's American Folk Songs: A Regional Encyclopedia, vol 2 (2008), Darling's The New American Songster: Traditional Ballads and Songs of North America (1992), Ives' Burl Ives Songbook (1953) and Silber's Folksinger's Wordbook (1973). It was recorded by Pete Seeger on Sing Along! Live at Sanders Theater (1980).