How funny to go looking for song lyrics & fall onto this thread. A good friend of mine once told me that you don't pick the songs, the songs pick you. I am a fifth generation ballad singer & grew up in a household where long story songs were the norm. I do some performing & will agree that you do have to pick & choose the song for the audience, but there are people out there that will sit & listen to the big old ballads & love them. I think the singer has to see the song & believe in it before he/she can make an audience become involved in the song. I've seen my grandmother break into tears while singing "The Great Milwaukee Fire", not only because of the emotional content of the song, but also because it was the last song she learned from her brother before his death. Usually there were tears in the audience too. I will sing these ballads for just myself, in the car or at work (when I think no one else is there.)There is something about these stories that draws you into them, but I have also sung them for audiences who seem to hang on each line waiting to find out what happens. Hooray for all the singers & listeners who keep this style alive