Tunesmith:
I've mentioned this before, I think.
I was once asked to teach "Jamaican Farewell" to a bunch of kids, but on scanning the lyrics I realised that the opening line, " Far away where the nights are gay" would lead to silly reactions from some of the children.
I changed it to " Far away where the warm winds play".

If you're teaching children, would it not be better to teach them the 'proper' words, and explain that the word 'gay' has taken on an extra meaning since the song was written? (but only if the reaction you expect arises)
If not, I would suggest you find a different song which you might feel happy to teach.