I'm probably a guest at the mo cos me cookie's crumbled!

I've just learnt 'Down in the Coalmine' thinking it was written by a J. B. Geoghegan only to discover his is a variation on an earlier version as shown in Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads: BalladsCatalogue: Harding B 11(4304).. So i wonder who the original writer was and if he/she would mind the words bein altered all these years later.

With to-day's modern recording (written or whicheverway) techniques, the original author/writer/composer of a song/tune will probably always be on record if the author desires. Which is good cos its nice to be able to go back and view the 'original' many years later.

I don't see anything wrong (and it's probably inevitable) in singing/playing with a different variation so long as respect/acknowledgement is shown to the original author/composer (as in classical music e.g variation on a theme of.......). That's folk music folks!! Sorry to be boring........