Thank you for all your interesting replies! I've been going along to folk clubs and folk weekends for some 10 years now, but I still consider myself a newcomer to the folk scene. (No, I'm not being humble, just honest!)

I like what Tony said, "The songs that we call folk tend to be story songs". But some of the older folk songs that we often sing are actually love songs, not story songs.

How about 'Scarborough Fair', for example? It's very cleverly written, and because of its age it's accepted as a folk song; but it's really just another love song, after all! It doesn't carry any message about oppressed workers, world peace, or an idealistic way of living that we might all aspire to.

Any way, these are just a couple of thoughts. I'm not trying to prove anything; I'm just genuinely interested in understanding what the style of music - folk - that I've grown to love, actually is, haha!

Andy7