Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - An fara yin waƙar ne a cikin 1934 ta wani mai wa'azi mai suna "Sin-Killer" Griffin don Laburaren Majalisa, a cikin zaman da mai tattara waƙoƙin gargajiya John A. Lomax ya gudanar a Darrington State Farm (yanzu Darrington Unit), kurkuku kusa da Sandy Point, Texas. Fursunonin kurkukun sun zama ikilisiyar Griffin, kuma Griffin ya yi iƙirarin marubucin waƙar. Tun da wannan shi ne karo na farko da aka sani da waƙar, ba a bayyana ba ko waƙar ta kasance daga sanannen sanannen 1900 Galveston hurricane
, wanda (kamar na 2014) ya kasance bala'in bala'i mafi muni a tarihin Amurka, wanda ke da alhakin kimanin mutane 6,000 zuwa 12,000. Kodayake kamar yadda aka shahara a cikin shekarun 1960, waƙar kanta tana nufin shekara ta 1900 kuma kalmomin suna cewa "Yanzu Galveston ba shi da katangar teku" - wanda aka gina bayan ambaliyar ruwa - wasu masu sauraro sun ji wannan layin a matsayin "Yanzu Galveston yana da katangar teku" wanda a cikin 1900 bai yi ba, babban dalilin yawan mutuwar. Wannan na iya zama alamar cewa an rubuta kalmomin waƙar ko aƙalla an daidaita su bayan guguwar Galveston ta 1915 lokacin da aka gina katangar teku.