The difference may be: whether you went to church or not.

If you went to church, like nearly everyone in Britain in the 300 years preceding the folk revival, you learnt how to read a hymn you'd never seen before, understand it straight off and sing it right first time. You wouldn't even think of not using the book. For obvious reasons this was an era when people could make effective use of broadsides.

The folk revivalists were the first generation since the Reformation capable of fucking that up.