We are finally getting to one of the ballad types and topics that made me realize how much potential lay in these old songs…. Monstrous births. Or, to be clear, that's how they were marketed at the time. They were actually an overall mix of true accounts of birth defects and used the idea of deformity as a direct metaphor. Either which way it went, one thing remained the same. The mother was almost always to blame in some way or another. Prides's Fall The two inseparable brothers. Infant...

Welcome everyone to Episode 19 Where we are looking at all the ways to woo those wonderful and witty wenches… or the ones who value knowledge over marriage, the one’s that fit the Athena archetype. Show transcript and blog A mad kinde of wooing Hares on the Mountain The Blue Stocking Society The Enlightenment Support the show

Today we look at both the history and one of the earliest versions of the Robin Hood legend, which spread and gained popularity largely through the ballad traditions. While we do we will look at how he fits in with that classic trickster archetype, and how the social and economic factors of the 1300's led to fertile ground for the growth of his story. Robin Hode and the Munke / Robin Hood and the Monk Timeline Documentary The Medieval Warm Period The Great Famine Black Death   100 Years...

Today we do a bit of background in how song and politics intermingle from the key years of the English Civil War and look at the ballad "LONDONS Warning-Peece, Being, The Common-Prayers Complaint." from 1643. LONDONS Warning-Peece, BEING, The Common-Prayers Complaint. 5 members of Parliament Charles I Charles I on trial Henrietta Maria Those who signed the death warrant of Charles I “Every tub must stand on it’s own bottom The First Baron’s War Hung drawn and quartered. Black...

Today we look at the timelessness of fart jokes, and look at a couple of them inside ballads, and parts of Jonathan Swift's “The Benefit of Farting Explained,” which is a satirical essay on why farting should be free. We will also look at two parents who shake all their sons sins out in a sieve. BawdyBallads.com “A Looking Glass for Lascivious Young Men” "A bloody BATTLE between a Taylor and a Louse." “The Benefit of Farting Explained” The History of Farting Support the show

Welcome back all you wonderfully curious lil’ devils to Bawdy Ballads and today’s episode,  “Taking dem kids, or the Poor Act of 1601" where we will look at one of the most important laws in terms of ballad sellers, often considered vagrants, but we will begin by looking at the letter home of Richard Frethorne, sold into an "apprenticeship" by his local council or parrish when his parents could no longer afford to care for him during a period of economic recession. Show transcript and Bawdy...

Today we look at some of the ways that addiction presents itself in popular songs, and briefly look at some surprising facts about Shakespeare.   Show Transcript and links Shakespeare himself was likely a user of both cannabis and cocaine. Doctor Dogoods directions, To cure many diseases both in body and minde, lately written and set forth for the good of infected persons. “snake oil” medicine Cod Liver Oil The Dubliners Methhead Ian Noe Support the show

Today we look at mentions of abortion in traditional ballads and the various life and death consequences of historical pregnancy and childbirth. Show notes and transcripts Tam Lin: History and versions from Mainly Norfolk “Bonny Jean of Aberdeen” Historical rates of child and infant mortality Historical rates of maternal mortality Atlas Obscura: The Long Tradition of Folk Healing of GrannyWomen Granny Women of Appalachia by Harriet Masters Support the show

Today we look at the traditional archetypes of the tease and the whore, and how sometimes choice isn’t really a choice.  Show transcript and website The High Prized Pin-box Working Life of Women in the 17th Century A Fayre Portion for a Fayre Mayd Nell Gwyn Support the show

Today we look at just how much money and value are intricately linked with dating, as shown in a couple of old songs from the past: Bawdy Ballads show transcript A DIALOGUE Between Jack and his Mother A FAIRING For Young-Men and Maids Vox: Indian Dowry system Indian Express: Dowry deaths Support the show

Today we look at how power, and the lack of it, play out in sexual liaisons. We'll also talk a bit about Priapus, the god of vegetable fertility. Bawdy Ballads Episode 10: Show notes or transcript A Dialogue between a master and his maid Pigstyle alley scene The Kentish Maiden:OR, The Fumbling Ale-draper Derided Priapus Erotic art of Pompeii and Herculaneum Two Millennia of Impotence Cures from Impotence: A Cultural History.  Support the show

Today we are going to look at a really important ballad that shows how ballads and songs were used to communicate crime reports, and links earlier murder ballads as a way of tracking historical crimes. This ballad covers the murder of Maria Marten by William Corder in 1828, a story and song that has also been covered by the likes of Shirley Collins and Tom Waits, and is the inspiration for a still-running play.   The Murder of Maria Marten original ballad The Murder of Maria Marten...

Welcome back everyone! Today we'll talk about those timeless fboys, and how people manage when they fall victim to them.  Bawdyballads.com What's an Fboy? The lover and the trickster Kentish Dick: or the Lust Coachman of Westminster.  Old Slang for Testicles A trial of skill, performed by a poor decayed gentlewoman.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message

 Today we look at death and love, and there's even a revenant. While we do that we look at the dangers of the "one true love" myth and the importance of rejection in our lives.  BawdyBallads transcript The Suffolk Miracle Revenants Barbara Allen Playlist Barbara Allen EBBA "Let it Die" Feist --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message

Today we look at Golden Booties about a young man going for older women, and the fortunes they provide. Then we'll look at the Cougar archetype and how and why they terrify society so much.  Wisecrack video on the economics of dating.  Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Oedipus Complex Mrs. Robinson "Fat-bottomed Girls" Bawdyballads.com

Today we look at the song "A Pleasant Jigg between Jack and his Mistress" which covers what happens when the lady of the house decides she needs to sleep with the help, and why we love this archetype so much. 

Today we look at Golden Booties about a young man going for older women, and the fortunes they provide. Then we'll look at the Cougar archetype and how and why they terrify society so much.  Wisecrack video on the economics of dating.  Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Oedipus Complex Mrs. Robinson "Fat-bottomed Girls" Bawdyballads.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message

Today we look at the song "A Pleasant Jigg between Jack and hIs Mistress" which covers what happens when the lady of the house decides she needs to sleep with the help, and why we love this archetype so much.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message

Today we look at an actually sweet song and one that is still sung today as "One Night as I Lay on My Bed" as performed by Steeleye Span and others. We will also look at the lover at the window archetype and how it appears today, including Jimmy Hughes' song "Steal Away". "A Favorite Love Song" "One Night as I lay on my bed" "Steal Away" "Steal Away" Spiritual FAME Studios Jungian concepts of Anima/Animus Bawdy Ballads site Episode analytics All time Plays Monthly

Today we look at a great example of three archetypes that appear together. The fool, the prostitute, and the trickster. I also barely get through a list of slang terms for vagina from the 16th and 17th centuries, and how the fool, the prostitute, and the trickster are still working their magic as seen in the Depp vs Heard trial. 

Today we look at an actually sweet song and one that is still sung today as "One Night as I Lay on My Bed" as performed by Steeleye Span and others. We will also look at the lover at the window archetype and how it appears today, including Jimmy Hughes' song "Steal Away".  "A Favorite Love Song" "One Night as I lay on my bed" "Steal Away" "Steal Away" Spiritual FAME Studios Jungian concepts of Anima/Animus Bawdy Ballads site --- Send in a voice message:...

Today we look at a great example of three archetypes that appear together. The fool, the prostitute, and the trickster. I also barely get through a list of slang terms for vagina from the 16th and 17th centuries, and how the fool, the prostitute, and the trickster are still working their magic as seen in the Depp vs Heard trial.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message

Today we'll look at an early example of true crime and look at the evolution of the ballad "The Gosport Tragedy"  into "Pretty Polly"  and how the changes reflect changes in language. BawdyBallads The Gosport Tragedy:EBBA The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter Pretty Polly Lyrics: The Stanley Brothers Pretty Polly Wikipedia What is True Crime? Interview on original pronunciation with Ben and David Crystal with Shakespeare Unlimited by Folger Shakespeare Library.  The Congo Cowboys

Today we look at "A Cuckold by Consent" from 1681 that tells the story of a thirsty miller who gets instant karma. For show transcripts and additional links please visit the website: BawdyBallads. For a look at the original copy and woodcuts, please visit the English Broadside --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bawdyballads/message