Going way back to a previous post about influential books, I had forgotten to mention David Buchan's book "The Ballad and the Folk". This examines why ballads are so significant in the culture of north-east Scotland that 1/3 of Child's A texts come from that geographical area. And there is a lengthy section where he looks at the differing versions of ballads collected from Mrs. Brown of Falkland over a period of many years, which explores the variations recorded and attempts to offer a theory to explain those differences.
Anyway, it occurred to me that this is very much like the process explored over much of this thread, when singers have discussed their approach to text/final version and all the personal preferences involved.
Remembering that this thread was originally about SINGING, I'd love to know if any visitors to the site have been inspired to follow any of the many suggestions - for tackling particular ballads, or for adjusting/altering their approach to any already in their repertoire.