Re singing the same words to different tunes ....

Many hymn tunes got attached to specific hymns, and vice versa, because that's how they were paired in Hymns Ancient and Modern; this was the standard hymnal in the Church of England* up till the 1960s or later. But back in the 18th Century, I recently heard, only one carol was permitted at Christmas, and that was While Shepards Watched Their Flocks By Night. "So," said the presenter, "what did they do? They used different tunes." He then played a recording of a choir singing it to Cranbrook (nowadays irredeemably associated with Ilkley Moor). Try it --- once you get the repeats right, they go together surprisingly well, and the tune brings out the joy in the words.

My €0.02: For the sake of the historical record, the scholar in me says it helps to record which tune(s) that went with one particular set of words. My inner performer says: Go with what works best for *you*.

* In all the parishes I knew, anyway.