I have exactly the same experience as Greg.

One example is that I learned Raggle Taggle Gipsies from an aunt who lived in Royston (Herts. UK). I still sing essentially her words (I had always assumed that the phrase "He went North and he went South and he came down through Barley" referred to the village of Barley, 3 miles East of Royston).

In the mid to late 70s, I went for a few years to local folk clubs around Nottingham and before and after that, I've listened to quite a few records, tapes and CDs. I also find myself singing with people who learned the words of their songs from books (as I have also learned quite a few). I never sang the song at any of the folk clubs I attended (in fact I've never sung at a folk club ... when I attended them, I was too shy and I never felt it was relevant, somehow).

The version of Raggle Taggle Gypsies I sing now has what I think must be an "American" chorus (I don't know where I got it, I can't even say for sure it wasn't from my aunt). The verses are, however, pretty much original.

I can't altogether say where what I sing now "came from" or how it was influenced by "The Revival", but I'm really not sure if it's a useful question either. I can't really believe that "source" singers weren't always influenced in similar ways by others who sang the same or similar songs. Of course the world's smaller now and it's easier to hear more versions of songs from further away etc. but that's really just a matter of degree, and to me it's just a new development in a tradition of singing which belongs just as much in the modern times as it always did (in those modern times).

It seems to me that I sing songs for the same reason as anyone ever did ... to entertain themselves and others. I like listening to people singing, too.   You need to remember that people like Cyril Poacher and Harry Cox were singing songs less than 20 years old as well as their folk "classics". Perhaps if we were less keen on documenting everything, they would have become folk classics too. I'm pretty sure that "Norwegian Wood" and "Blue Eyed Girl" ... songs I like to sing ... are probably in a similar situation. I'd hesitate to consider singing them in your average folk club though.

:-)
Ian