I think songwriters often keep changing their words without even realising it, and sometimes not even remembering themselves what the original version was. The songs just keep evolving a little bit every time they sing them. I know I could paper the walls with all the abandoned and altered song lyrics I find lying around here.

"Time is a Tempest" by John Broomhall, is an interesting example of the folk-processing of a song. I learnt it from the singing of John Thompson (of Cloudstreet) when he was performing with Martin Pearson as "Never the Twain". It was a song we didn't hear much in sessions, and I seemed to be the only one I knew who sang it.

I was performing in a duo and we decided to make a CD. I was considering putting "Time is a Tempest" on the CD and just as I was wondering how to contact John Broomhall for his permission, I ran into him at a festival. We chatted for a while, and he told me that the version I knew was somewhat different from how he had originally written it - including the fact that there was another whole verse which I had never heard. He offered to write it all out for me in its original form, but he said he was quite happy for me to record it using whichever set of words I felt comfortable with. He didn't seem at all worried about the folk processing of the song.

I probably would have gone with the words I knew, adding in the new verse - it was a lovely addition to the song - but my singing partner and I had a major falling out halfway through the recording (not because of it - but that's a whole 'nother story) so I never got to record it. Pity really, but c'est la vie...