Been here many times before and I'm bloody-well bored with the usual run of arguments, many of which are little more that whining.

I believe Alec has pretty well summed it up just above.

I find that those who insist that a folk song is any song they say it is either want to stamp themselves—or the songs they have just written—or certain songs they want to sing—with an imprimatur of tradition, longevity, and quality that they haven't earned yet.

Flopping down on the floor, kicking your heels, and screaming in a loud voice that a particular song is a folk song does not make it so.

I'm outta here. Thank you very much.

(Who was that masked man, anyway?)

Don Firth