Murder Ballads in Squidoo

Subject: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: TinaP
Date: 10 May 08 - 06:14 PM

Greetings, please visit my Murder Ballads lens in Squidoo. I'd love to read your comments there too. Cheers, Tina

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 11 May 08 - 10:36 AM

TinaP, it's a good start.

I don't gather you're setting out to be an encyclopedia of murder ballads (or are you?) but here are a few murder ballads I'm familiar with which you didn't mention. Some of these may not technically be ballads, but they're (mostly) good songs with murders in them.

Lord Randall (The most obvious one, to me.)
Frankie & Johnny
Pearl Bryan
Banks of the Ohio
Eggs & Marrowbone
Binnorie
Dowie Dens of Yarrow
The Bonnie Earl of Moray
Duncan and Brady
Billy DeLyons and Stagolee
Young Hunting
Lady Dysmal and the Kitchen Boy
Charles Guiteau
The Outlandish Knight
The Lonesome Willow Tree
Mary Hamilton
Omie Wise
Poor Ellen Smith

and on and on and on, of course.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: GUEST,Nerd
Date: 11 May 08 - 12:06 PM

I'd agree, there are many many more murder ballads to go, which should keep you in fun for a long time!

Another thing: You date for Matty Groves/Musgrave is late. The ballad is quoted by Beaumont and Fletcher as early as 1611.

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: GUEST,Nerd
Date: 11 May 08 - 12:06 PM

Oops, forgot to say: Fun site! I'll pop in from time to time...

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: TinaP
Date: 11 May 08 - 12:48 PM

Hey everyone, thanks for the response. Yep, this is just a fun site, with a less-than-comprehensive view of MBs. That's Squidoo. I definitely want other folks' comments, which I hope you have provided! Over the summer I want to put up a scholarly website with some aspects of murder ballads, probably focusing on my favorite, MGroves. It will be more in depth, but with a narrow focus. The   Squidoo site is practice, or an "artist's proof". The web is great for bringing words, music, & moving pictures together. Want to keep it fun, even when scholarly. Is "fun" the right word? Will have to think about that, hopefully not too much!
Cheers,
TinaP

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: GUEST,BrenKen
Date: 11 May 08 - 04:14 PM

Fun is definitely the right word where some murder ballads are concerned. Con Fada O'Driscoll wrote a brilliant mb called "The Spoons Murder" about a "musician" who is beaten to death with a bicycle at a music session for sitting among the musicians uninvited and annoyingly playing the spoons. Can there ever have been a better reason to kill someone?

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: trevek
Date: 12 May 08 - 04:07 AM

Nice site

Bonnie Banks of Fordie, has a nice double sibling-cide before a suicide.

Mary Hamilton, of course, has a kiddy-killing.

I have a fun Polish one somewhere about the killing of a lover, if you'd like it. Which reminds me, "Lily of the West" has a nice man-on-man murder.

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: Abby Sale
Date: 12 May 08 - 11:51 AM

Nice beginning. Good fun. I was pleased I got to sing a well-known one (well, only infanticide) on Mother's Day, "The Cruel Mother."

I'd recommend, if you haven't already considered it, Olive Woolley Burt's American Murder Ballads for when you start the scholarly part.

I guess it's usual to define such categories loosely in compilations - even in the most scholarly books. But I don't think of "Matty Groves" as really a murder ballad. You have a fair (or fair enough, considering) duel - Matty even gets choice of weapon and first blow.

As to the Lady, Bernard may only be sneering at her asking who she likes best now and is going to off her regardless of her answer. But I think of him as acting in his lordly capacity as judge, not just husband. He's (maybe) offering her a chance to show remorse and would (like modern judges) show leniency - even forgive her. But no, she figuratively spits in his eye and he executes the proper penalty for adultery.

No murder there - just two legal deaths. My humble opinion.

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: TinaP
Date: 13 May 08 - 12:27 AM

Hello Abby Sale,
Your response would be most welcome on my squidoo page. I want a real conversation there. Would you be willing to post it at http;//squido.com/murderballads ?
Tinap

Subject: RE: Murder Ballads in Squidoo
From: Abby Sale
Date: 15 May 08 - 09:29 PM

ok