Thanks much. For some reason I've been unable to find the Eloise threads, though I've tried.

Sorry for the busted link, I'll try to do it better:
http://www.jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-aaero-hangman.html
but you can also copy the link location from the first one and then truncate the url after "html," and that should work too.

The substance of it is this: in 1987 Aerosmith used some bits of this song in an otherwise startlingly misogynist (but rousing) track. Then Leadbelly's estate appears to have come round and sued them over it. Given the history I was able to drum up by offhandedly asking a couple of folkies, I find it hard to imagine the case wasn't just thrown out of court, but this account by one of the Aerosmith collaborators has a decidedly rueful air about it.