"they probably never gave any of the intellectual shite a moments thought."
Wonder which singers you mean - didn't get to talk to many 'scource' singers, but source singers like Walter Pardon, Harry Cox, Jeannie Robertson, Sheila Stewart, Phoebe Smith, Paddy Tunney, Texas Gladden, Duncan Williamson........ had hours and hours an hours.... whole books worth in some cases, to say about their singing - intellectual and otherwise. Some of them were even involved in teaching and passing on information on traditional songs and singing.
Listen to what people like these said and how they sang their songs - not to copy them, but as a key into ballad singing
"Jim Carroll: "your mum"."
Sorry, don't understand; pity Walter Pardon isn't still around, he was a very intelligent man and probably would have been able to interpret it for me.
Jim Carroll