Well, Kent, from today's perspective, everybody in the 17th century could probably be labeled conservative. Still, I wonder about the songs sung by the Americans of the 17th Century. Can't say I've been impressed by the American songs I've seen from the 18th Century. None of them seem to have much imagination in them. I don't really think that it was the "washboard of religion" that scrubbed things clean - indeed, most religious groups seem to be quite open to matters of the imagination. I think, perhaps, that it was "polite society" that tended to sanitize the songs of the common folk. The Enlightenment of the 18th Century didn't really seem to allow for the supernatural. But hey, if the Puritans executed witches, don't you think they must have believed in supernatural witchcraft? As for Puritans being "liberal," I don't think executing witches would be considered a "liberal" act today.
-Joe, still wondering what songs the Puritans sang-