oldtimer / Elsie

as a relative newcomer to this forum, do I detect a previously trodden upon toe?

I sing and play in the folk style (i.e. badly and loudly :-; ) and prefer traditional songs, but have no problem also trying out "folk" arrangements of rock/pop/C&W tunes. So there are times when I might want to request lyrics which are outside the tradition - would it be wrong to do so in this forum, where people are polite, pleasant, well informed and helpful (as opposed to some of the news groups where you have to wade through gallons of useless spam and flames)?

I don't think you can draw any arbitrary lines where music is concerned - certainly what we consider tradition was, at some point in the past, thought of much as we think of pop. Take the Child ballads as an example, or the works of Robert Burns. Most of Burns' songs were composed not from some great humanitarian or revolutionary idealism, but to earn money to keep a roof over his head and a jug in his hand.

So, can you let me know if this forum does draw lines, so that I can avoid stepping over them? Apologies if this posting is repeating or encouraging known arguments.

Cheers

Rick.