wouldn't have thought so Andy. more I would guess, to do with magic and ritual - a bit like Nottanum Town.

Theres a famous Pre Raphaelite painting called the scapegoat (by Leigh Hunt I think) - a picture of a goat in extremis - it has been driven from the village, taking on the sins of the village. A sacrifice to make the crops grow, ward off misfortune and all that sort of thing. A symbolic sacrifice.

The incantatory nature of the song implies this. I seem to remember WH Auden used this facet of it for a parody. Though nearly all my books are in the attic -we are trying to sell our house - so I can't check up.

Arnold Wesker uses the actual song in the play Chips with Everything. Its all about some national service men in the RAF in the 1950s. Of course the officers are all upper crust and they look down on the national servicemen.

One night the officers come into the national servicemen's mess. Of course when officers walk in - everything is upposed to stop - everybody jump to attention. But the guys are are singing this song and they just continue, locked into its magic. the officers are just freaked out - wait til its finished and shuffle off with a flea in their ear. Its a magic piece of theatre.