I think rib roasts are one of the most forgiving pieces of meat to cook. They usually have a lot of marbling which keeps them juicy and tender. I guess you could mess it up by overcooking, but most people probably tend to undercook, if anything.
I've been real happy with the meat from my Dexters. They are one of the few breeds that can marble well on only grass, no grain.
BTW, Elizabeth Cotten was an interesting person. She was born in the 1890's, worked as domestic help as a child to save up and buy a Sears Roebuck guitar for $3.00 at the age of 13. She taught herself to play, left handed and upside down (the guitar). She was "discovered" 40 years later when she happened to be working in the household of Pete Seeger's half-brother Mike. She wrote this particular song as a young girl about a neighbor who was telling lies about her to her mother.
Steve