to take a contempory lyric at random (from show of hands 'arrogance, ignorance and greed')

'you're on your yachts, we're on our knees'

should a folk historian be studying the social comment parts of their work in future she might conclude that 'in fact in 2012 very few members of the very wealthy/bankers etc were on yachts while it was almost impossible to find a poor person on their knees at all'

alternatively 'people were increasingly angry about the crimes of the very wealthy and the bankers' greed and lack of probity in 2008' wealthy people were not punished in any way and were seen to be cruising around giving each other massive handouts at the expense of large sections of the country who were having a hard time and begging for a more humane and generous service from the uk government'

or 'steve knightly was making the point that people of england should get off their knees and fight these financial predators....'

etc. while the lyric is not literally true it illustrates a truth about our own times that we can recognise and agree with. there are a few ways to interpret it - doesn't make it wrong.

ordinary 'folk' have very few ways of documenting history or expressing their opinion of it in a way that might last. these days it is through the arts where always a 'left' perspective is going to be more trustworthy than a right. they can write songs which - inevitably - are often about injustices of their life and harsh, inhumane treatment by their 'masters' or leaders -political, religious or military. it was ever thus - it is, and has always been, us versus them. i know which version i trust and long ago made my choice.

it may have been a different regiment that was clearing homes in the highlands of scotland or in modern day palestine - but you can't say these things never happened.