Poppagator-

Your point about 'reading between the lines' is an important dimension of folk genius. I think it was Woody Guthrie who said that any fool could get complicated, the trick was to say it simply and truthfully (I'm paraphrasing). The distinction between performance and text is important, too. A lot of folk and blues lyrics seem flat and uninspired on the printed page but come to life through an inspired performance.