The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #117495 Message #2531502
Posted By: BB
04-Jan-09 - 05:05 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Well Below the Valley/Maid & Palmer
Subject: RE: Origins: Well below the valley - discuss!
The Cruel Mother usually refers to 'her father's clerk' rather than a member of the family, so, like so many young girls before and after her, she found a way of getting rid of the babies rather than have her family find out. But so many of the ballads are disturbing to modern ear - and maybe to contemporary ones as well, otherwise maybe the stories wouldn't have been worth telling.
Barbara