And yet Lord Randal is one of the most widespread ballads and not just in the English-speaking world. It must have something going for it! One man's meat eh?

Of course there is no evidence that the Geste was ever sung or even recited. Perhaps it was just a collection of rhymed stories after all!

And anyway fashions change over the centuries. I can't imagine anyone attempting to sing it today.

As for making sense, I have never had much of a problem with the sense in the vast majority of ballads, even those that have been worn down to the bare bones. Tam Lin has always made wonderful sense to me, even in some of the concocted versions. It's one of my all-time favourites.