Going back a tad, Leenia's reply needs expanding, the need for long ballads in winter evenings still exists in the Borders, where TV signals are weak unless you have satellite and the nearest cinema is four hours and more away. It's why Northumbrian piping is so strong, the tradition of visiting around in the evenings continues to this day, each farm hosting the neighbourhood one night a week and being hosted in return. The answer is to learn to play, so each verse is subtly different, telling the tale in the music as well as the words.