John P: How can you get across the essence of a song like "Povery Knock", eg if you *don't* use the dialect words? And it sounds terrible to me if sung in a "Received Pronunciation" accent or similar:

Poverty poverty knock, mi loom it is sayin all day
Poverty poverty knock, t' Gaffer's ter skinny ter pay
Poverty poverty knock, allus one eye on the clock
Ah know Ah can guttle when Ah 'ear mi shuttle guh
Poverty poverty knock

Although I've lived away from the West Riding area for several decades now and have a pretty neutral accent, I'd revert to the broadest dialect I can if I sing this one.

What gets me though is people putting on "cod Oirish" accents when singing *English* songs. There's a guy I know who spreaks with a strong South London accent, but who *always* sings "Fiddler's Green" in "cod Oirish"...because he's convinced it's an Irish song, despite having been put right several times by different individuals.