In addition to ad libbing "new" lyrics (some of which I think he then intentionally uses later if he likes them), he is also a master of what I like to call the "inimitable mumble". He'll mumble a word of two so convincingly that you'll be certain you just didn't quite hear him. And, as with the ad libbed lyrics, most people never notice.
It is generally acknowledged that singer/songwriters have a lot of trouble with lyrics - because the good ones have written so many songs and have often changed the lyrics either when the song was new or over the years. There is a live concert recording where Billy Joel laughs about the problem of forgetting lyrics. He says that he often watches people in the audience who mouth the words, but says that when he forgets what comes next in We Didn't Start The Fire, he is really in big trouble!
------------------
Valerie Magee
Visit my GL web site at
gordonlightfoot.com and Cathy Cowette's site at
cathycowette.com