Imagine if you will, having to steal food to feed your child. Guess what? It's been done and is still being done. Imagine being punished for it. Imagine being sent away never to see your child or family again, for the sole crime of trying to keep them alive. If you don't like the song, don't sing it. But don't be a song snob about it. Keep it to yourself. Same with "Danny Boy." If you can't imagine or sympathise with a parent's grief over a lost son, leave it alone. If you sing songs you don't like or can't understand, nobody will want to hear them anyway. If you don't sing them, better for all. If you want to be a snob about such things, perhaps you should find a new venue. Folk is people singing about what really matters to them, or attempting to preserve something they feel is worth preserving. Either way, it's best to sing about what you know. The tune may not be new and the lyrics may not be artistic. If the feeling's there, it will probably be appreciated. And if it's not, at least you'll know you've done your best.