"The Boatman's Dance", also known as "Dance Boatman Dance" is an American (originally) and English minstrel song, step-dance and morris dance in 2/4 or 4/4 time and G Major. The parts are played AABB (Wade), ABCC or AABBCCDEE (my version). It is an American blackface minstrel tune with words, also used as a vehicle for step dancing. In England "Boatman's Dance" was employed as a vehicle for a morris dance in North-West Morris, for either a polka step or a single step. It was written by Daniel Emmett before 1843. He also wrote "Dixie" and "The Blue Tail Fly". It is a celebration of the Ohio River boatmen. In 1950 it was revived and arranged by Aaron Copland as part of his set of Old American Songs. I learned this from many and various sources, so my version is a conglomeration of them all. It was printed in Gumbo Chaff's The Complete Preceptor for the Banjo (1851) and Wade's Mally's North West Morris Book (1988). It has been recorded by too many musicians to list.