Many many thanks to those of you who helped on this one, I have now purchased a copy of the Stainer & Bell booklet 'In the Present Tense Book 5' which contains John Ball (not John Bull, even though that's what the listing on their website called it - when I queried this with them they said it was a typo!). It arrived in the post yesterday!

Interestingly the version of the words and tune in the book are similar but not identical to what I'd learned, and thanks to the quote from McGrath of Harlow I'm now happy to stick with what feels nicest & most comfortable (to me!) to sing rather than what was printed, on the assumption that Sydney Carter wouldn't have minded!

I did think it worth checking though. If we end up recording this (which we might well do) it feels better to have checked it all out for a song so recently written.

Jess A