Doh! My bad on the Lomaxes!

I know "Pretty Saro" has a very similar opening (identical, sometimes), and the two songs are related, I'm sure, but I am indeed talking about the version that Hootenanny suggests: courting Nancy, stealing the Colonel's/Captain's horse, coat of many colors like Jacob's/Joseph's of old, etc.

That Lyle Lofgren article, originally from a 1999 issue of Inside Bluegrass, has been really helpful to me! I actually tried to post it in my original message, but I wasn't sure if guest users could include hyperlinks.

I'm wondering if we simply use those first two lines, along with a credit like this:

When first unto this country,
A stranger I came...

-Traditional ballad opening

I seriously doubt anyone could claim copyright on those two lines, appearing as they do so many traditional ballads. BUT, I do feel like it would be better to have something in writing. The thing is, it seems like a Catch 22 of a kind: if no one owns a copyright on the lines, who authorizes their usage?