Is it OK to sing?
Is it OK to sing…?
If you find yourself thinking ‘I couldn’t possibly sing a song about fox hunting’ then that is of course, a singer’s personal choice. Few people would think, however, that singing songs about transportation to Australia, death by hanging or the Peterloo massacre made you an advocate of any of the policies associated with those historical events. It is wise to judge the sensitivities of an audience on a case-by-case basis and perhaps consider what might be gained by them hearing, rather than not hearing a piece of material.
Folk song is famously full of tales of murder, incest, war, highway robbery, fratricide, doom and destruction. You’ll also find songs about hare coursing, whale hunting, poaching, fox hunting, slavery and numerous other activities too grisly to mention. Whatever your personal attitudes to these subjects, many of the songs remain fabulous pieces of music, whose lyrics can cast a vivid light on the past and our shared cultural heritage.
Many controversial historical songs make excellent starting points for discussion and offer striking evidence for contemporary popular views on issues which we can now only study from a point of historical detachment.
As a caveat, it is worth noting that there are some pieces within the archive whose language may cause offence to modern audiences, and material should be thoughtfully considered.
The categories and definitions below are intended simply as a handy beginners guide – they are neither authoritative nor definitive statements and it should be noted that some songs might be in multiple categories – for instance you could have a comic broadside ballad, or a custom song with a chorus mentioning real historical figures. These notes are intended only as an introduction to terms and ideas.
