The song gained significant popularity among American cowboys and settlers in the 19th century, where it underwent regional adaptations. Interestingly, there’s a popular folk etymology claiming that the song’s title gave rise to the term “gringo” during the Mexican-American War, as Mexican listeners supposedly heard American soldiers singing “green grow” and adapted it as a nickname. However, historians generally dismiss this theory as linguistic coincidence. The song later inspired the title of Lynn Riggs’ 1930 play “Green Grow the Lilacs,” which became the basis for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking musical “Oklahoma!”