Yes I accept it is good to get 'right inside a song'but to do justice to any 'traditional'song, it is surely not necessary to know the details of its ancient origins?

Most singers would choose a song after a reaction on an emotional level rather than anything else- that's surely not the way to go -

I'd always take the first course, but that's personal really. My quotation marks around traditional above only repeat my reluctance to talk about 'genres' or categories of song.

I do think that to describe all pop, rock, jazz,lieder etc as 'collections of words with a tune' is rather strange, and I hope that Gordon intended no denigration of non-traditional' material? You're on dangerous ground if you did!

ps please don't let us get into a definitions swamp!