To answer "Shimrod "-- My point is relevant to the thread topic,ie the Folk Process. My own personal view is that it would be best to leave folk-songs in as close to the original form in which they were learned and handed down as possible,in order to preserve their historical & cultural identity, which is often what makes them so interesting in the first place.If an artiste ( Martin Carthy is a good example ) is at pains to point out the subject matter,and the meanings of some of the more obscure terms used ,in a song which he is about to perform,then I am better able to understand what the song is all about, have been entertained,and have quite probably learned some interesting new facts about how people lived & worked in former times .I voiced an opinion about the otherwise admirable Mr.Sharp, inasmuch as I disagree with his decision to get messrs.Granger,Vaughan Williams ,& Holst ( ET AL ??)to add to,or alter,the tunes of many of the collected pieces, as I question his reasons for doing so !! I suspect that,as a trained musician himself, he couldn"t resist the temptation to "improve " the melodies !! And,to be honest, I suspect that this kind of adulteration continues to this day, in which case the "Folk Process " is very much ALIVE----But I don"t have to AGREE with it !!!!!