Editing Cecil Sharp (section)

===Bowdlerisation===
Sharp and Marson [[bowdlerisation|bowdlerised]] some of their song texts, especially those containing references to sexual intercourse. Given the prudery of the Edwardian era, these could never have been published in full (especially in a school textbook), but Sharp did note such lyrics accurately in his field notebooks, thus preserving them for posterity. A good example of the transformation of a formerly erotic song into one suitable for all audiences is ''Gently Johnny My Jingalo''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharp |first=Cecil |date=1916  |title=One Hundred English Folk Songs |location=Boston |publisher=Ditson }}</ref> The immediate goal of Sharp's project – disseminating the distinctive, and hitherto little known ''melodies'' of these songs through music education – might also explain why he considered the song texts less important.