If people had not taken the trouble to record some of the local singers of folk music a lot of what we know could have been lost as different areas had differing versions of the same song - think about Barbara Allen for instance. Written down, and with the tune set those differing versions from that particular written one could have been lost. I don't read music so have to learn the tunes of any song I want to sing from an existing version, which is how these songs were disseminated for many years. I have heard, in my travels, many singers of songs, some of whom have wonderful voices but give no feeling to what they sing and others who don't carry a tune quite as well but who make me FEEL the song. I much prefer the latter.

Like Musket I have been at sessions where a 'performer' sings or reads to their song sheet, pretty clearly has not rehearsed their song ahead of time and has not put an iota of thought into what they are doing. Quite often these people have a limited number of songs that they drag out time after time, never improving their performance at all. They are few, I must admit, but they do exist. They have no belief in what they are doing and seem just to do it for their 'fifteen minutes'. That's when I take a bathroom break or go to the bar. Those I do not put into the category of the singers that Jim talks about.

There are some songs that I really do feel, even if I haven't been in that particular situation, and there are songs, particularly heavily religious ones extolling the power of a god I don't believe in, that I would be very uncomfortable singing because I can't feel that emotion. Singing, for me, is about putting a feeling across to listeners, whether that be a serious or a comical one.