Well, I thought it was an interesting idea for a thread, but ...
(distant sounds of originator of thread quietly sobbing in a corner.)

In my opinion, a song doesn't often evolve lyrically - and so dramatically - according to who chooses to sing it, well not as dramatically as this one, and usually not with the blessing of the songwriter.

I think that the folk traditional evolution of a song and/or tune is a much slower process and may owe part of the lyrical evolution or even the melodic evolution to the oral tradition and individual memory, or even personal interpretations of the song's or tune's style. (E.g. think about Billie Holiday for creating her own unique, personal style on songs.)

But I may be wrong.