The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #170456 Message #4123100
Posted By: Jeri
15-Oct-21 - 09:37 PM
Thread Name: 10 of the Most Disturbing Folk Songs - BBC
Subject: RE: 10 of the Most Disturbing Folk Songs - BBC
I'm probably looking at this from the same, or a similar, angle as Rain Dog.
I think we're getting "disturbing" confused with "offensive". They overlap, but they aren't the same. There are, for example, songs about horrific things that make you think, and feel sympathetic, but are just truthful. The song I mentioned earlier, "The Well Below the Valley", is about rape, and incest, and a somewhat less obvious disturbing thing is that that woman, the victim would be condemned to Hell. Why? Because she was raped by various family members? I believe it just reflects older opinions, which aren't dissimilar from people in some countries punishing women for having been raped. "Honor" killings.
"Brown Sugar" I've always found a bit uncomfortable, but not "disturbing". I don't know - maybe I should have.