Aspects of Evil in Traditional Murder Ballads

Abstract

Traditional, or folk, ballads deal with common themes, often “leaping” over some details of plot and character while “lingering” on others, with the result that songs passed down orally through generations often appear in many variants. This paper will examine several songs from Martin Simpson’s 1976 debut album, Golden Vanity. I will trace their historical origins and argue that even some ancient ballads still speak to audiences today.