I think because of the "life and death" setting of these songs, that other themes are brought out in a more dramatic way. You could claim that the ballad Earl O'Bran deals with the issue that a woman leaves her family to follow her lover. That's something you could say ordinarily happens when someone decides to get married. However in the ballad, fair Margaret runs off (elopes perhaps) with Lord William. She stands and watches while he kills her seven brothers, and only objects when he kills her father. But ultimately goes off with him. Of course she dies that night, too. A sort of ketchup crucifix version.

In the song Omie Wise, the coldness of John Lewis hugging and kissing Omie, to set her mind at ease, and then pushing her in the river really hits home the point that one should be more careful of one's companions.