So, 'Wife of punkfolkrocker'

"a really good song to drink and dance to..

so does anyone actually ever bother listening to the lyrics..!!????"

Words failed me for a moment - and I managed to bite back some rude ones!

Thing is, some authorities believe that ballads were originally danced to - but I think that at the stage of ballad evolution reached by the 'Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard' / 'Matty Groves' ballad, the words are important - at least they're important to me!

I wonder, have you ever tried listening to this ballad without a heavy rock accompaniment? Try, for example, Jimmy Hutchinson's rendition on his CD 'Corachree'- Living Tradition 'Tradition Bearers Series' LTCD 1002, 2000. Mr Hutchinson's version is, of course, based on Jeannie Robertson's - I'm sure I've got a reference for that, somewhere, but can't find it at the moment.