Stephen,

Great post.

I think content can define a song as folk or not too. What it is about can at least indicate whether this is the kind of thing folk-songs are about.

That's what I meant when I mentioned Ewan's "Springhill Mine Disaster" being a folksong. (Mr. Mac Coll is who I heard do it first--even though Peggy wrote it. In my mind, Ewan "had" this song. What a great version he did!!)----------It's a ballad---a good story told with a good trad-sounding tune to add to it's appeal.

On the other hand, "First Time Ever" doesn't strike me as sounding like a folk song. --- It sounds, to me, like a pop love song.

And writing a TOPICAL ballad, even though it is a new song, makes it a song I might consider learning because of it having been written very much like the older graphic historical songs I tend to choose and care so much about.

As a folksinger, I tend to think I sing/sang folk songs, or folk type songs at least 50% of the time---hopefully more. I do that because those are the songs that fulfill my criteria for what a folk song is or might be.
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That's just how I feel about it. One fellows opinion. No value judgment intended at all.

A good discussion with many well stated takes on a topic that'll never be exhausted here apparently. It helps us all "know" that what we feel is the correct way to see things actually is, indeed, the best way to go. **SMILE**

Art Thieme