Here we go again with the can't understand the words thing. I think PB is an exemplary if somewhat idiosyncratic stylist in this respect - as are most of your actual Genuine Traditional Singers, none of whom could be called easy listening and many you're glad the albums come with transcriptions. Listening to most musical genres I'm not sure if I bother listening to the words too closely, or even bothering if I can understand the words anyway, or even if the words are worth listening to. I caught some singer-songwriters on BBC4 on Friday night and I thought it might be more to my tastes if couldn't hear what they were singing about - something about an American Pie which I don't ever recall hearing before, though my wife informs me it's seminal to the genre and in some corners held to me a 'classic'; then some chick called Melanie (?) singing about peace and love at which point I switched over to watch a random episode of Daffy Duck. Otherwise, with music, I'm happy if I catch the odd word, phrase or image; I only take in maybe 9% (at best) of any given Ballad or Folk Song performance in terms of its narrative, and most of the stuff I'm listening to right now is in Latin or Spanish anyway so if I want the words, I must read them in translation. I enjoy Kipling better when it's sung, then I don't have to bother with what it's about, though of course when it comes to singing the stuff myself I then have to decide if I like it or not as poetry, or if I want to lend my voice such reactionary sentiment, which usually I do, even I disgaree with the text. For example, I love singing the Ralph & Ted fantasy of The Land, for whilst the fuedal sentiments of which offend my innate low-born left-wing sensibilities, they appeal to my more deeply rooted sense of human land-management and history.