When I was linking the lyrics for Clannadâs version of âTwo Sistersâ for this weekâs main post, I was stumped when I saw the refrain on several sites listed as âthe boys are born for meâ. Iâd always heard it … Continue reading →
âGirl by Streamâ Charles Van Shaick ca. 1880 This week finds us in new waters â sibling rivalry. Ok, ok, I know. One thing to love about murder ballads is that we canât dismiss the violence with simple explanations or … Continue reading →
As Ken commented, the role of the natural world is a significant element in âYoung Hunting/Henry Lee.â Nick Cave may have removed the dialogue between the woman and the bird, but his original chorus uses the howling wind and the … Continue reading →
This weekâs installment focuses on another American contribution to the genre, in the sense that âHenry Lee,â or âLove Henry,â is an Americanized take on an old ballad called âYoung Huntingâ (Child Ballad No. 68). Â Â The ballad tells … Continue reading →
View From Max Patch, North Carolina â by Jeff Pitman  (Prints available here) âKenâs post about Omieâs surviving children gave rise to something in me that popped out as this little poem. Nothing about what they must have gone through made … Continue reading →
The Peopleâs Music Network Winter Gathering is a musical event that is not to be missed! This national organization is joining the Lawrence, MA, Community in its celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Bread & Roses Strike. With the … Continue reading →
Here is Dylan Tuccilloâs award-winning short film, âOmie Wise â A Folktale.â  It presents another contribution to the legend, I suppose, with a modern, if not entirely realistic setting. Iâll keep my thoughts, when I add them, to the comments … Continue reading →
âOmie Wiseâ has been with us a long time, and been âfolk processedâ in a number of different directions. Â That it is still with us is evidence of its power to move and affect the singer and the listener. Â That … Continue reading →
Elvis Costello appeared five or six years ago as part of âThe Harry Smith Project,â a musical renewal of the songs collected by Smith in the Anthology of American Folk Music, providing his proposed resolution of the Omie Wise tale. … Continue reading →
SiriusXM satellite radio broadcasting company announced that its folk/trad music station âThe Villageâ will no longer be broadcast via satellite and will be available only through their web-based client and mobile app. Listeners will still be required to purchase premium … Continue reading →
