From: GUEST,Howard Jones -

"I don't mind them changing songs, but it makes my heart sink when they perpetuate mondegreens, such as singing the meaningless "screw that cart and screw it down" in "Fire Marengo", and compounding the offence by printing those words on the album notes. Especially when the notes also show that they are aware it is a cotton-screwing shanty. No excuse really."

Yup, have to put my hands up to that. Only dawned on me a couple of years ago, since when I have tried to sing it 'correctly' onstage (although it's pretty ingrained now.) My only defence is that I learnt that song aged 19 off a Dave Webber cassette (in the days before you could look stuff up on Mudcat...) to sing at a singaround, and it never occurred to me thenceforth that i might have heard it wrong. As you say, pretty dumb given it's a cotton screwing shanty.

I also have to own-up to a couple of mondegreens on Copshaholme Fair (recently revealed to me in a spectacular fashion whilst duetting with Maddy Prior in front of 2000 people - a tad embarrassing..)

As far as I'm aware I've not recorded any mondegreens since Burlesque (2006), but I could be wrong!

Jon