I want to clear up one first point. When I refer to 'a song book' I am not refering to the book "Rise up Singing" or any other "hymnal" sort of song book.
I apologise profusely to my American friends of folk but until now I've never heard of this song book (but I will now look it up).

My song book is well worn and tattered with beer stains and tears, but for me it contains a treasured collection of folk songs I have noted down as I have heard them sung in sessions or have tediously written them down from listening to cassett tapes and CDs over and over or I've lovingly copied from similar 'informal' song books of fellow songsters and friends over many years (with their gracious permission of course).

I've even got some from LP's, older relatives and nowadays; the brilliant and priceless folk knowledge contained in this exeptional site - MUDCAT!

It's been a labour of love and very painstaking at times but it has been worth all the effort to 'capture' my favourite songs and ones that I know others enjoy as well (but often can't remember all the words).

To me, and I am sure for many songsters out there; I have an innate desire to please and that is what guides me in my journey (albeit not all that well travelled so far) to seek out and find songs that I and others will enjoy - especially good, strong and often emotional and meaningful songs as well as humourous songs with a powerful and familiar chorus that everyone can join in with.

I do feel that I can sing from a book and yet still inject the feeling/emotion/meaning/life into the song that it really deserves without coming across as seemingly reading from rote or being deadpan/lifeless/parrot fashion/boring.

Thankfully I have a a very good memory for the music and every note of a song ( I can't read music and haven't a clue what the chords E,G,B,D,F means - except 'Every good boy deserves favour' - which I remember from Junior School!) - so why is it that I can be note perfect (and friends have commented on this being so) but be absolutely useless about remembering the all important lyrics?

Is it something about how the different hemispheres of the brain works or am I just stupidly dsylexic when it comes to words?

Aaaaaaaargh!

Chris