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And it's not really a 1800's "songwriting technique", is it?

No. It's the Meter of the song and goes back to the Psalms and the Greeks.

The Metrical Index in a hymnal allows you to put any set of lyrics in that meter to any tune in that same meter, That is why it's there. This page is from one of the hymnals that I work with nowadays. I've been a music director and choir director well over 55 years, just doing part time substitute work to supplement my retirement.
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