Among early memories of junior school are some rousing renditions of 'The Farmer's Boy', 'Strawberry Fair' and 'The Mermaid': 'One Friday morn when we set sail and the ship not far from land . . .' What made these quasi-folk songs such a hit? We were suburban kids as far from the farm and the fair as from the sea. We recognised such things, but hardly equated any of the girls we knew (like Fatty's sister) with the pretty maids in the lyrics. From today's perspective, they had nothing whatever in them which resonated with our experience. They worked because of some rousing tunes, strong story-lines, highly visual language, and the sheer singability that comes through hard labour to blend text and tune perfectly together.