Personally I love all those more reflective versions of 'Wild Rover', but I too was a table-banger in my younger days and wouldn't want to be too precious about it. Arthur Smith (the comic) was on Radio 4 on Saturday morning extolling the virtues of the song and, in particular, those four bangs - which he described as a tradition in their own right. The provenance of the 'Irish' Wild Rover is rather murky, and it's ironic that a song about giving up the high life should somehow become a drinking song. Nevertheless, you could argue that, having spawned several parodies and football chants, and being widely recognized by the public at large, it's more of a 'folk song' than any of those authentic versions collected in England a hundred years ago. But that discussion really belongs in the 'Folk Process' thread. Meanwhile I'm looking forward to seeing the bright lights of London again, and hoping no-one pulls a knife on me in the tube this time.