BS: Song Catagories

Subject: Song Catagories
From: MMario
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 04:35 PM

Years ago I was told by someone that there are only four basic subjects for songs....

Love/Sex/Women

Death and Dying

The Sea

Drinking

And challanged me to come up with a song that had all four themes....

I never have been able to come up with one that I felt actually had all four themes present....

Can anyone?

MMario

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: Wolfgang
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 04:46 PM

Carrickfergus would be my choice. It has the ocean to swim, the love, the death and the drinking.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: Jeri
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 05:05 PM

Young Sailor Cut Down in His Prime - but the drinking is sort of only implied.

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 05:57 PM

Even better, this contains all four themes in one verse (from Johnny Riggins )

Johnny Riggins love the waitress at the Spy Inn
In her low-cut blouse, she'd bring him drink for free
Though of the dread consumption she was dyin'
and her husband was a sailor long at sea

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: gaff
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 08:28 PM

Generally speaking, dying is just what women are likely to do if they make a habit of drinking from the sea

Most 70 or 80 verse ballads manage to fit all four in several times each in the first couple of hours or so and "Sir Patrick Spens" crams 'em in within about 20 minutes - in fact the King is so rat-assed on blude-red wine by the end of line 2 that he's already making plans to widow the wives of the best sailors to sail the sea!

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: DonMeixner
Date: 02 Sep 99 - 11:20 PM

Most songs that we sing as folk songs can be found in families of songs.

The Trooper and The Maid family,

The Broken Token family, Art T. has a delightful offsping in this ilk.

The Bold Sailor, Trooper, Cowboy, Tailor family.

The Lovers family.

There must be many others but this is all I can think of after a day at the New York State Fair. Songs that generally tell a story, collect and dispense history, express love or hate, expose a wrong or make us laugh can be found in these families. Anyone care to add to the list.

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: Doctor John
Date: 03 Sep 99 - 03:59 PM

Listen to the complete works of Nic Jones and you'll find an awful lot of death by drowning from the deep blue sea to the water butt in the back yard. Dr John

Subject: RE: BS: Song Catagories
From: teller
Date: 03 Sep 99 - 04:12 PM

About the the most succinct song that i can think of that contains ALL the pre-requisites is Fiddlers Green.Teller