> the man was greatly struck by the accuracy of the observations in that ballad and how well they fit the very people he counselled Sometimes I am struck by how new perspectives throw a shaft of light on old songs. I was recently listening to some song where a woman slays her husband and is seen covered in blood and laughing and singing gaily. The natural interpretation of the text is, ooh, that evil woman, what lies in peoples hearts, etc etc. Later that day I read this: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/29/devoted-wife-who-killed-husband-with-hammer-sally-challen Paints the same text in quite a different light.
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