Interestingly, Steve, this very question arose when I interviewed Bert Lloyd for Folk Review back in 1974. I actually put it to him that Liverpool supporters had made YNWA a folk song. "Folk in function but not in form," he said. "But," I replied, "in folk doesn't the function define the form, at least to some extent?" "To some extent," he agreed, perhaps a bit grudgingly -- and we turned to other matters.

So, apart from that, actually -- no thanks, I wouldn't "like to explain why". Just that I don't feel it here...

Dick, despite my previous challenge to you re Fiddlers Green & the MacColl song you cited, I agree that The Wild Rover has made that breakthru. But I can't think of any others which the first ten people you might stop & ask in a busy street would actually make any sort of familiar response to the names of.

≈M≈