This thread wandered through some interesting places. Isn't it just a little amazing that a song over 600 years old can still catch people's attention. There are probably a hundred reasons why people still have an interest in Barbara Allen, but one has to be that the story leaves out enough details to allow the imagination to complete the story. It certainly suggests many elements, depending upon one's perspective: a weak male, a cheating male, a devoted one, etc.; a hard-hearted woman, a slighted woman, a maligned woman, etc; a lover's quarrel that ended tragically; and the final, eternal reunion of two lovers as the red rose and the briar tied the knot, to name a few.

A storyteller, told the story of Barbara Allen, did not sing, but told the story at an Ozark Folk Center concert one night. After the show a dozen people were looking for a recording of the song. People still respond to the story.

As I said in the beginning this thread has wandered through some interesting places. I've enjoyed the trip.

A.