The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #56568   Message #886409
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
09-Feb-03 - 07:10 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: July Wakes (Pomfret, Ellison)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: July Wakes
"Brid", "brast" and so on are earlier forms (Middle English) retained in dialect; the Standard English forms are more recent (metathesis of R).

It seems likely that the text quoted in Harding's book is the one he learned, and the differences in the recorded text are due to improvisation in performance. The book gives no information other than what I've quoted.