P.S., and this is only for the folks that tend to get "defensive." There is absolutely nothing "wrong" with singing "blood red roses" -- and it is quite an awesome chantey and a great one to sing, IMO. My argument simply has these motivations:

1) (in this thread): To explain why I think speculating the origin and meaning of the phrase is moot.
2) (in my article): To demonstrate the dynamics of the folk revival, and how media, clout, strong personalities, and the desire for certain origins and stories behind songs have influenced/changed their previous meanings. One of my more contentious allegations would be that both the perception of chanteys as primarily something White British and the desire to "use" them in articulating that heritage (especially) by certain leading figures in the Revival was played out in subtle ways of how they interpreted the chanteys for audiences, both in terms of musical style and backstory about them.