Hello Guest Teacher.........Let me also tell you that if you investigate the thousands of threads and lyrics here at Mudcat you will find more information than you probably imagined was available.

We often get into long discussions (and arguments) over the origins and meanings of a lot of folk songs and in the process a good history/origin of a song emerges with relevant background information. Some of these threads are catalogued on a "Permathread" which one of our members updates. Click on the link below and it will take you to that Permathread and then read down the list and click on any title that might interest you. Some are very complete and others are still a bit short on info, but as a whole I think you will enjoy the mass of information available.

Song Origins PermaThread

For an example of what you will find there, here is a link to one of the songs on the Permathread. It's a Woody Guthrie song named "1913 Massacre" which tells a tale of the Copper mining and Union situation in Michigan. Read the thread and the links within it and I think you'll find that it's a very complete history of the song and what spawned it. 1913 Massacre (CLICK)

I'm sure others will be along with additional suggestions but I wanted you to know how much can often be found here. I bet your kids sing "Big Rock Candy Mountain." Check that one out on the Permathread!

Spaw