Thank you for your comments one and all- I think the consensus of opinion is that it is ok to use crib sheets but its not most peoples cup of tea. Certainly no pressure is put on me to sing without and I haven't experienced any folk fascists but there are rumblings, but not directed at me personally. i only sing in folk circles and strictly for enjoyment. If I felt that any pressure was coming to bear I simply would not sing!yes I realise this is childish, but life is too short to be made to feel inadequate. I do not have any specific memory problems and could quote you great swathes of shakespeare tennyson and shaw but,- i must have sung Grey Funnel Line and Boys of Bedlam hundreds of times and I could not sit down and tell you the first verse all the way through even now. Funnily enough,my husband, who also sings is the most irritated by my inability to memorise