Have a look at Malcolm posts in Lyr/Origins: The Keeper , where you can see the version published for schools and the original collected version.

Here's a quote from Maud Karpeles' Cecil Sharp on the subject: "The following year (1906) the collaboration between Sharp and Baring-Gould resulted in the publication of English Folk Songs for Schools. The songs are drawn from their collections; and the Introduction explains that 'this collection has been made to meet the requirements of the Board of Education, and is composed of melodies strictly pertaining to the people, to which words have been set as closely adhering to the original as was possible considering the purpose of the book'. Cecil Sharp was not very happy about the texts in this volume, although he had given his approval to them. But he felt, rightly or wrongly, that the all-important thing was to get the songs with their beautiful melodies introduced in to the schools, and if a slight bowdlerization of the words would assist the object, then the end justified the means."

This section (pp 52/53 in my edition) goes on to explain his reasons for altering published texts, quoting from the preface to Folk Songs from Somerset: "...In a few instances the sentiment of the song has been softened, because the conventions of our less delicate and more dishonest time demand such treatment, but indication has been given, and we plead compulsion and not desire in these alterations..."

Later she says: "Thirdly, as has already been mentioned, there are songs in which the sentiment was too outspoken for the conventions of the early part of this century. In the present day there would be little to give offence."

(present times was 1967 - MCP note).


Hope this gives some background.

Mick