Tag Archives: Michael Peter Smith

But don’t you let it take you over

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[This is the fourth post this week on Child ballad 243, ā€œThe Demon Loverā€ or ā€œHouse Carpenter.ā€ Ā Read the first oneĀ here, the second oneĀ here, and the third one here.] Our last post took a look at one of the descendants … Continue reading →

Iā€™m looking for my fortune and it ainā€™t in Illinois

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Panchoā€™s Stepchildrenā€œPancho and Leftyā€ has been a foray into a more Western genre of murder ballad, building on Patā€™s discussion of ā€œJack Straw,ā€ I suppose. Ā The Wikipedia entry on murder balladsĀ cites Olive Burtā€™s 1958 article, ā€œThe Minstrelsy of Murder,ā€ which … Continue reading →