GUEST,

The article is to be published in the UK Journal "Folklore," and should appear in the issue that comes out this December. Academic publishers are slow compared to the popular press, and this was in fact a very fast turnaround for them because they happened to have a slot open in that issue and made me work very fast on the revisions! I opted not to send it to Musical Traditions first because that would have hurt its chances in the academic journals.

They DID make me cut out a bit (particularly on Reynoldyn/Rinaldini) because the paper was over their word limit. But most what's to be said is above in this thread.

The Green Fields of America Version, by the way, was learned by Mick Moloney from Margaret MacArthur of Vermont, who got it from a field tape. Mick later filled in some words from a songster text. Thus, that version shows none of Bert Lloyd's mediation...no sly, bold, teeth, etc.   

I gave a talk on this ballad at the NY Eisteddfod this year, and Margaret came and played the field tape for us!