1. My favourite absurdity is the "false true lover" who appears in several songs, eg "Fair and Tender Ladies"
2. If I had to sit in a rowing boat all the way to Botany Bay, I'd rather look at a handsome boatman than an ugly one.
3. Some absurdities are accidental. I once sang "Is not your horse uopn its perch, your hawk is eating hay". I've never sung "Little Musgrave" since.