"The whole tone of this conversation is donnish in the extreme."

Donnish conversations between music nerds is one of the reasons for Mudcat's existence. Like I said before, it doesn't interfere at all with enjoyment of songs for their own sake. Their 'significance to modern listeners' is an element I would always want to discuss at events like the Lewes Ballad Forum in ten days time.

Much of it is doggerel set to a catchy tune.

Some of it is. Some of it is real poetry and, even though the tunes may once have been merely catchy, they often sound strange and even magical to modern ears, as witness the many beautiful modal tunes to 'Unfortunate Lad / Lass'.