Well spake..er spoken..er speaked, Harvey. I've heard soooo many songwriters grumble about versions of their songs that had liberties taken. I've heard an equal number (at least) say that they couldn't care less what happens when their songs get passed around from "folk" to "folk". I don't think THOSE writers are any less passionate about their work...just more fatalistic about inevitable human tampering. What I HAVEN'T heard (that I can remember) is the songwriter explaining in detail, AND acknowledging that it can make them look pompous, just how PERSONAL and important those lyrics are (to them). I've mentioned on this forum before that one of the things I admire about Harvey is his willingness to constantly take chances with public perception of his music.

I have been notoriously lax at times in my professional career regarding accurate singing of lyrics. (my own as well as those of others) Other than apologizing for a weird kind of memory, and trying as hard as I can to get my shit together, I just have to accept that it happens now and then. A perfect example would be last week in Boston, when I left out a verse of a Tom Paxton song, with the author in ear-shot. I apologized afterward, and he just shrugged and smiled. Boy, he must be used to it!

What really gets my shorts in a knot, is when the instrumental accompaniment gets really screwed up. When I hear someone leave out an important chord, I feel like I'm on a mission from god to show it to them. I'm (sort of) joking, but if it doesn't look like they'll punch me in the mouth, I'll usually find a (nice) way to get my point across.

So, as much as I think we're both tilting at windmills Harvey, you for lyric integrity, and myself for instrumental appropriateness, as causes go, they ain't that bad.

By the way....I've started singing one of your songs again, that lay dormant in my repertoire for close to thirty years. "Death Come Easy" (Man, that's an appropriate song, no matter how long ago you wrote it) So here's a question. I learned it from an Ian Campbell record. Was their version close to what you had in mind?

Cheers

Rick