Time was when words tended to mean something fairly specific. But lately, a folk song is any song someone feels like calling a folk song and a ballad is any song someone feels like calling a ballad. To hell with Francis James Child, Cecil Sharp, John and Alan Lomax, to hell with all the other ballad collectors and folk song collectors and musicologists and ethnomusicologist throughout history.

We're well on our way back to communicating by simply grunting at each other.

(mutter mutter mutter)

Don Firth