AS BrooklynJay wrote above, not all composers maintain their original words. Tawney 'polished' his songs to the extent that he himself lost complete verses, and it is difficult to find one of his more popular songs with a superfluous word. He said that he was surprised when he first heard 'Chicken on a Raft' with the held note in the chorus ('a-a-a-aft') but he liked it.