Old Bangum the Badman sure got around, from West Virginia to Missouri. Thanks to rich r and gargoyle for these additions. It has been mentioned that this song was used as a bedtime song for children, and it's often presented as a children's song. I've also heard that many of the traditional ballad singers were women and that they passed on those old stories because somehow they found echoes of their own lives there. I wonder about this song. Why has it been so popular in so many places? And is it more of a man's song? I know women also sing it. I'm always curious about what makes a song popular. I'm speaking both historically/tradionally and about the present as well. On the face of it, this song seems to have such an unlikely subject. Any thoughts on this, as we continue to collect whats out there?