Johann Gottfried von Herder (25 August 1744 – 18 December 1803), a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic, was the first person—as far as anyone knows—to use the word(s) "folk song." He was suggesting to composers that if they wished their music to reflect the national character of their country, they should study the country's volkslieder (folk songs).

This whole discussion has become downright silly. You can't "write a folk song" any more than you can write a "hit" song or make an "antique chair" in your workshop. What you write or what you build may eventually become a hit song or an antique, but that depends on what happens with the song or the piece of furniture and how people use it—IF they do.

It may sound like a folk song—or look like an antique—but that's not what determines its actual status.

There's nothing that stops you from singing a song that's NOT a folk song—or sitting on a chair that's not an antique. Just don't try to pass it off as something it's not.

Now, people, go find something useful to do!!

Don Firth