Tis a puzzlement.

Frank, I listen to your version of "Buffalo Skinners" and Roger McGuinn's version, and they're completely different in melody and chords. Your version is the darker and the heavier of the two, but which is closest to the original, I haven't a clue.

Yes, I know it's all part of the "folk tradition" but it's always part of the ongoing change and the re-definition of folk music.

On "Jay Gould's Daughter", we took a lot of liberties to make the song more fun for listeners, which possibly makes it more commercial - and less traditional.

Still if you were "dinking" around with that song on guitar, with various of your friends, I imagine Pete would come up with a harmony line similar to the one you used, and Lee would have done pretty much as it sounds on the album.

But, IF it were never destined to be recorded (i.e., just done for fun), would it be traditional or commercial? Does having Pete singing and playing banjo on it move it automatically from one realm to another?

Maybe it's intent that makes the difference. I see this as trying to define language by freezing it at some point in time and saying "that's what it is". But "folk music", like language, is more of a process to me - and it's always changing, which means it really can't be defined - at least in conventional terms.

I'll go take my medication now.