Indeed, Micca.

BUT a general caveat if I may. Many songs, folk or otherwise, CAN be sung to the tunes of others, as so many are in 'common' or 'ballad' metre. So, to take one familiar example, 'Willie o' Winsbury' is now always sung to the tune of some other ballad [I forget offhand which] because some group [I forget offhand who] recorded it that way ~~ whether or not deliberately or mistakenly is, I believe, still a matter of dispute or conjecture. And indeed pretty well any ballad CAN be sung to any ballad tune.

But there is no denying that certain tunes belong in popular [indeed, universal] conception to certain songs [which is not to deny that several tunes like 'Villikins' or 'John Brown's Body' carry several, or even many, songs; which is a separate question, I should say]. And once we begin to confuse or play about with them, chaos or worse can possibly ensue. I don't want to be a party-pooper or spoil anyone's innocent fun; but I don't think it wise that this game should be played to excess.

I would point out that I was not confusing the tune of my 'pheasant-plucker' rhyme with any other [it was simply a recitation and didn't have a tune], but simply remarking what tune came to my mind when I recited it to myself.

~Michael~