to all posters, bar bert fegg, thanks for your help. now when i play a given song, i can say, this is about blah blah blah, or this is about nothing, enjoy or not as you wish, a 1,a 2, a 1,2,3,4...

to bert fegg, i didn't specify just irish songs, i typed irish, english etc. i quoted "gander" as but one example because the title intrigues me. a series of notes can have any meaning the composer, or the listener wishes to invest them with. harold pinter once said that his plays were "about" "the weasel under the cocktail cabinet" i may have the exact words wrong, but that was the gist, and he said it to frustrate one of those interviewers who like to pigeonhole, and know what something is "about". i don't ask what "gander" is about so i can pigeon hole it, but i'm aware that some songs will have clear origins, and some will be lost in the mists of time. however, the next time i do actually want a smart ass answer, i promise you'll be the first i ask, do we have a deal?