All fascinating stuff. Words get added (and subtracted) over the passage of time. Mention of Gordon Hall, (still to my mind one of the real 'greats') absolutely validates Vic's memories; not only of Gordon's diligence in researching both source and background of a song but also sometimes of building the original text into something far larger, grander and more suited to his love of the 'extended ballad'. This occasionally utilised his own composition in a song like 'The Farmers Toast' to great comic effect, and by extensive research of sources and recordings in the case of a song like 'Babes in the Wood'.

As for the use of 'relope' in the Copper's 'Sportsmen Arouse'...it's funny how you sing a song for aeons and never question the lyric...one evening a few years ago we came to wondering what on earth it could mean...was it a hunting cry like 'Tally Ho!'...good old Chambers came to the rescue and we discovered that it was a corruption of 'elope', to run away...made perfect sense!