@ELCBK Could it be a partial accent? Not accented as much as the full accent mark?

I don't see any partials that are vertical. I just see the normal vertical up-side-down "arrow" or "v".

I found a source that said the upside v is marcato. It said when it is placed above or below a note or chord, it is played with more attack than a simple accent.

I can't post the 82 page PDF link because I think it is pirated. The book is still being sold on the publisher's website. I just checked because I wanted to post the link. Checked the publisher website first. Has a wealth of music theory and notation information.

I think back then, when music was written it really was strictly written by how that person wanted to play it, and wanted everyone else to play it. No room for interpretation. Maybe that is why so much use of ornamentation notation?

Just my thinking, have no knowledge of that, just my thinking from what little I know about it, and how strict lessons always were with playing classical exactly as written, even though it makes me feel a different way and want to change it a bit.

I don't know if that is why Blackbird is written with so much of that. Interesting to see all of it, though, but sure confuses me. Probably because I don't know that much about it, and it also blows my mind by simply looking at it. Too many notes and notations; my same issue I always have.

That is pretty much we were saying. Not as much accent. The PDF I was reading said it is placed above the notehead, not the stem. That explains the above and below. 

I think this is just old fashioned, over notated sheet music. Is this the same song, nut in simpler form? With all notes and that gobblety gook in the notations above, I cannot tell.