Thanks guys, I have long been curious about this. Often a phrase will jump out at me and urge me to do something with it but nothing more will come. Sometimes a whole verse will write itself in my mind and I'll get that much on paper then nothing more rolls out.

Amos, you took me in on your post. I was reaching for my dictionary and planning a response asking for plain, simple English when the light dawned. Now, if you could only craft that language into a song...

I have a friend who regularly writes songs on borrowed melodies. I enjoyed his songs but always thought he was cheating until I looked closer at the tradition. The old-timers did it all the time.