My Grandfather Learned This at my Knee

Subject: My Grandfather Learned This at my Knee
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:04 PM

While it is fairly normal for songs to be passed down over generations, does anyone know of any instances of people performing traditional songs that they have learned from their children or grandchildren?

Subject: RE: My Grandfather Learned This at my Knee
From: MartinRyan
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:45 PM

Weeellll..... A long time ago, I was compiling a collection of shanties for a sailing school I was involved with. At the time, I had a set of words for "Donkey Riding" but no tune! (Long before the Web, of course). One day, I picked up my five or six year old daughter from school. Sitting in the back of the car, as we were heading home, she started singing - "Donkey Riding"! She'd been learning a cleaned up version in school that morning!

Does that count? :>)

Regards
p.s. And then there was Jim McFarlands story about collecting a song - from himself! I'll leave him to tell it.