Well, erbert, Matty Groves was, presumably a real person who lived - and did certain things - and died in a certain era. Sure, maybe today's singers will bowdlerize the song and story.
But we have real-life sagas taking place in every new generation -- like the story of Bonnie and Clyde or the tale of John and Lorena Bobbit -- and those can always spawn new songs (sometimes in the form of a rap?) for those new generations.

It's not just about watering down or screwing up the stories from earlier times.