This carol, Child #54, was collected in Britain in the 17th century and has been found throughout the Appalachians, as well as in the Ozarks and in Canada. The song itself is very old, reportedly sung in some form at the Feast of Corpus Christi in the early 15th century. The versions eventually collected by Francis James Child are thought to be a combination of up to three separate carols that merged through the centuries. The story is derived from the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, which combines many earlier apocryphal Nativity traditions; however, in Pseudo-Matthew, the event takes place during the flight into Egypt, and the fruit tree is a palm tree (presumably a date palm) and not a cherry tree. In the apocryphal Gospel, Jesus has already been born and so Joseph's truculence is unrelated to any dismay over Mary's pregnancy, but has to do with an inability to reach the fruits of the palm and a concern over the family's lack of water. This tune is from Kentucky. It is included in The New Oxford Book of Carols (#128). It was recorded by Jean Ritchie, Joan Baez on Joan Baez, Vol. 2, Clancy Brothers, Judy Collins, José Feliciano, Emmylou Harris, Mary Hopkin, Chad Mitchell Trio, Nowell Sing We Clear, Pentangle, Peter Paul and Mary and many others. I learned this from the recording by Joan Baez.