Interesting points from everyone - and thankfully not a hint of flaming.
Falmenco Ted's point about the time you have to get the idea across is one, which occurred to me too. It is hard enough to make a good film from a good book. The song is even shorter.
El Greko is tackling the point, which I think is the most essential. We do not wish to become like some of the characters, whom we betray. I recall one actor saying that the comedian portrays the person, whom he most dreads becoming.
"The Long Black Veil" tells a story from the point of view of an aldulterer, who is executed, because his only possible alibi, would have been that he was sleeping with his best friend's wife. We can sing that one, because it is identified as being safely stowed away in history somewhere.
I wonder why no one has yet had the nerve to try to enter the mind of one of the butchers of Srebrenice? I am not interested in trying to whitewash the indefensible, but I want to try to understand why it happened.
It sounds like I should try and catch up on some of your back catalogue one day George.
Any more comments folks? I am not flaming, but I do wonder if we writers have been a little timid.