There's also the question of the song lyrics themselves, rather than their presentation. For some the original lyrics, or the first way they were heard, are inviolate. For others, a song is viewed as something to continue working on until they are more satisfied with the poetry and the story.

I tend to tinker with almost any song I come across, whether it be new or "traditional." At some point I'm done with the tinkering and hopefully that's because there has been a significant improvement. I'm convinced that most of our new songs need to go through this kind of processing,and that the true test of a good song is that some day in the future someone will still be interested in working on it.

It would be nice if everyone would acknowledge (or be acknowledged for) their contributions.