Stower, I just noticed it. And to me, looking over the castle wall may be general and spying boys playing ball may be general, but the two together seem a little more precise... and I think it interesting, sorry about the thread creep, this is a fascinating discussion on its own, but since we were dissecting the song, maybe not so creepy after all?

The question of whether Trees Grow High was a *particular* arranged marriage had not occurred to me, but so many of the murder ballads I sing turn out to be about specific people when researched on the Mudcat, I would not be surprised if someone figured out whose.