FOURTH PERIOD COMMENTS ONLY--COMMENT HERE ONLY IF YOU ARE IN FOURTH PERIOD
Ballads have been a popular form of music for hundreds of years. They are deceptively simple, telling a story in rhyming verse, usually in four-line stanzas, but they can truly pack an emotional punch. Think of ballads like "The Cruel Mother," which describes a young woman blithely killing her infant and then seeing its ghost as she goes through the village.
Or "Barbara Allan," the tale of a cruelly beautiful young woman whose love a young man dies for. As she walks home after watching him die, she hears the church bells ringing and feels terrible regret for her cruelty, vowing to die for him the next day just as he died for her.
Remember, for our purposes, ballads are not merely descriptive songs or love songs or slow-paced songs--I have heard the term "ballad" applied to all of those, and that is not the definition I want to use here. A ballad is a rhyming narrative.
In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we have not lost our connection with the art of the ballad. Click on any of the links to hear the following modern ballads:
Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin--great song about the importance of paying attention to your kids when it matters. This is the story of a father who found out that lesson too late
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers--my favorite song when I was ten, and I still think the narrative it tells is a good one
Ode to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry--what I like best about this one is the fact that you don't really ever know exactly why Billy Joe killed himself or how the young woman narrating might have played a role in it
The Ballad of Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash--based on a true but very sad and tragic story of one of the Marines who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll by Bob Dylan--based on the true story of a rich young white man who callously killed an older African-American woman, and didn't pay too much of a penalty for his crime
Me and Bobby McGee sung by Janis Joplin--I like this one a lot--it tells the story of a young couple traveling around together, but they can't stay together. The best line is the repeated one "Freedom's just another word for 'nothing left to lose.'"
Ballad of Curtis Loew by Lynyrd Skynyrd--story of an old bluesman who had a remarkable effect on the young narrator--suggested by Michael Dellinger!
Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues by Johnny Cash--because you can never have enough Johnny Cash. Suggested by Alex!
Hurricane by Bob Dylan--a story of an unfair trial decided by racism. Again, you can never have too much Bob Dylan. Suggested by John!
The Lover by Alesana--based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Annabel Lee," this is a creepy one. Suggested by Lexie!
If for some reason you can't access the songs on Youtube, then just look up the lyrics to comment on them. Not the same effect, I agree, but at least you'll be able to read them.
The Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin explains the life a child would go through when a father tries his best to provide for his son, but in the end all his son needed was attention and love from his father. In the end the son grew up to be just like his father, and forgot all about the importance of family.
ReplyDeleteThe Hurricane song about the unfair trials of Ruben Carter reminds me of all the court cases we have had recently, such as Travyon Martin and Casey Anthony and all the different opinions people had.
ReplyDeleteCat's in the Cradle: This song is really depressing. It is sad that the son grew up to be just like his father and doesn't care about spending time with his dad. If his dad had not been too busy to hang out with him as a kid, the son would be more likely to come visit his father.
ReplyDeleteThe Lover by Alesana explains the love that the Artist (the lead singer) has for the girl of his dreamsn Annabell. He is telling her to run away and live a happy life away from the life that she has now. He wants to provide for Annabell and he cant stand to bear the thought that she would leave him.
ReplyDeleteThe Gambler - This song is about a dad giving advice to his son about dating women. "You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em."
ReplyDelete-Branson
The lover;
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Alesana's whole album theme and how they make their songs into ballad's that play towards the whole central idea of annabel's death.
I saw them live last weekend and they even include story intro's to their song before they start playing. I enjoy it.
Hurricane;
Rubin was falsely accused of murder. I liked that this one a more story layout to it, it was easier to understand because you could just read it as a story.
Cat's in the cradle;
This one is obviously about the lack of time a father has for his child and the son grows up to be the exact same way as the father did, never having time for family.
-Brittany
Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues by Johnny Cash talks about a famous singer who goes to Vietnam with his wife to perform and show his love for the American troops who are fighting for our freedom. By the end of the song he noticed no matter how much he tried there was nothing he could do to change the hell all the young men lived in.
ReplyDeleteI personally like Bob Dylan a lot. I've grown up to it since my parents refuse to part ways with the music they grew up with. I think Hurricane could potentially be a very controversial song. It happens in real life where cops convince others to testify against who they want to go to jail. Using an all white jury to send a black man to jail was probably very common back in the day also. -Taylor Mazur
ReplyDeleteStill is a common enough occurence, unfortuately.
DeleteBob Dylan (Hurricane): This is a powerful message about the innocent suffering while the guilty do not.
ReplyDeleteLynyrd Skynyrd (The Ballad of Curtis Loew): This song talks about a man that people may not have liked, but he inspired at least one little boy with his music.
Alesana (The Lover): This slightly reminds me of Romeo and Juliet in that the guy is obsessed with the girl and hoping that his past doesn't get in the way of her loving him.
-Micah White
The Gambler: This song has a good morale to it. It teaches the listener that you have to have self control because if you become too greedy you will lose everything in the end.
ReplyDeleteOde to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry reminds of a small country town where everyone knows about everything about everyone. The death of Billy Joe is implied that he killed himself or did he? By the end of the song you find out what happens to the family the song is about. While the song is slower and keeps too its country roots, the message I get from it is that even people who act innocent are always so.
ReplyDeletebilly Joe did kill himself--he jumped off the bridge. The question is: What did the young woman narrating have to do with his death? If you read or listen carefully, you see that Billy Joe and the young woman had some sort of relationship, and that they threw something off the bridge together a short while before he jumped to his death. What could it have been?
DeleteThe Gambler by Kenny Rogers is about a young man riding a train and he meets up with this old Gambler who has seen better days. Before dieng in his sleep, the Gambler gives the young man some well needed advice about life and how to gamble.
ReplyDeleteCats in the Cradle - I agree with Dallas because what the son and his father both really needed was attention and time spent together, and they are both realizing now that it is too late.
ReplyDeleteSingin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues - It explains how a bunch of young boys were over in Vietnam getting killed, and Johnny Cash expresses how he wants the boys to return home from that "living hell."
ReplyDelete-Branson
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers is a song describing how someone should live their life. The advice given to the man was to quit worrying about what you have right now, and worry about what your gonna to tomorrow. You have to know when to continue what your doing and you have to understand when you have gone far enough. In the end is when you count your blessings and reflect on the life you have lived.
ReplyDeleteThe Cat In The Cradle is a depressing song. The family never got to be together because the father was always to busy, but the son still was patient waiting for a time to be with him. The father, when his son grows up, now has time for his son, but cannot see his son because the son has grown up to be just like his father and not have time for anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe Gambler: I think this story refers to the times in life when you are delt with good and bad hands. Sometimes you may get lucky and get a good hand delt your way, but you may also have a time when you are delt a bad hand. However, it is what you do with what you're given that counts, and you've got to use the cards correctly to get what you want in life.
ReplyDeleteHurricane - This song shows how the innocent are often stuck on the wrong end of things. The guilty may not always be found guilty, and prejudice may lead to the innocent being found guilty; this shows how messed up some juries were according to Dylan.
ReplyDeleteHurricane - This is one of my all time favorite songs. It portrays the progression of Ruben Carter's trial and how it was not tried well. He was blamed for a murder and the judge assigned a bad jury. In the end, the media went along for the ride and he was publicly portrayed as a criminal when he actually did not commit the crime.
ReplyDeleteSingin' in Vietnam Talkin' blues - This is a song about a man and his wife that tour and sing duets together. The man then suggests that they should go to Vietnam because they have been everywhere but there and there was a war going on at this time. While in Vietnam they experience the horrors of the war and they realize how awful it actually is. When they leave it is a sad heartfelt departure. He ends the song with an inspiration message that hopefully there won't be a war like that again.
Cat's and the Cradle - This is a song of a child who grows up with a father who is never around and constantly working to maintain a good childhood for his son. Then as the son grows up, the father wants to spend time with the son, but the son is too busy and can't find the time. Then it is realized that the son has grown up to be just like the father and the father is very proud.
I looked up the poem Annabel Lee to juxtapose to The Lover and the similarities I saw that both are about a lover that is dead. I actually like the poem a lot better because the reason she dies is that their love is so strong the angels envy them and take her away. The Alesana version seems to imply that he had something to do with her death because of the lines "Please don't hate me for what I've done."
ReplyDeleteYou're right--the Alesana version does take poetic license with the poem.
DeleteThe Ballad of Curtis Loew is about an elderly black man about 60 living in the south who was homeless and played an old dobro outside of a little mart in twon. This kid, about 10, would go and cash in old soda bottles so he could get change for Leow to play for him.
ReplyDeleteOde to Billy Joel: I think that this song shows that even though you may unexpectedly lose someone, life still goes on because the girl is still going to work and eating dinner with her family. It also implies that the girl knows why he committed suicide, but she is not willing to tell anyone.
ReplyDeleteYou're right--I think she most definitely knows. And the more I hear the song, the more I realize the mother probably knows something's up too, but isn't telling.
DeleteThe Gambler: This song is a great lesson for people who are looking for an answer to struggles. The big moral here is to take what life gives you and turn it into something that fulfills what YOU need, not what others need. Like Ian stated, whatever hand you are delt, you must play it wisely, be it good or bad.
ReplyDeleteThe Gambler:
ReplyDeleteThis one was my favorite. It's like a dummies guide to Vegas. Also, I like the deeper message you can gain from it about life when it says, "You've gottta know when to hold'em and know when to fold them." It's like saying you've gotta know wha battles to pick in life and know what dreams and goals are worth chasing for you.
Cat's in the Cradle:
It's telling of a boy who's taking the time with his dad for granted and always as a lot of old people say, "Puts him on the back burner." But I like the message how it's saying cerish every moment with something because there's always going to come a time when you realize what should've meant something and what shouldn't have and take opportunities when you have them.
Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues:
I don't really see the ballad part of this because I thought ballads were meant to be sung and he basically said it while playing music. I don't see the difference between that and most rap songs. But never the less I thought it was a good recolection of him time in Vietnam and the words and structure was written well.
Eli L.
Cat's in the Cradle: I think this song emphasizes how family should always come first. Since the son and father never have time to spend together, the son does not have a father figure to look up to, and begins to turn in to the same way his father does.
ReplyDeleteMe and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin is really sad. The message I get from it is even though you may love someone at the end of the day you have to put yourself first for your own happiness.
ReplyDeleteBob Dylan (Hurricane) This song represents people who are corrupt getting away with it, this should not happen though it should be vise versa.
ReplyDeleteCurtis Leow: This song shows a story of a old man who played blue music and a kid would listen to him until the day he died. The kid would get whipped but he would come back because he enjoyed the music.
Cat's in the Cradle: This song represents a dads son who was born, who wants to be just like his dad. During this song it seems like the kid was ignored a bit by his dad but the kid still wanted to be like his dad.
Hurricane: This song reminds me of how in our judiciary system a citizen is always supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but this song shows the corruption that can lie within those that are convicting just so they can get their way. I think now days though, people are guilty until proven innocent because more people often jump to conclusions before listening to the facts.
ReplyDeleteThe Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll tells the story of Hattie, an elderly black woman, who is murdered. I am coming to realize that most of these ballads are going to be slightly depressing.
ReplyDeleteIra Hayes: I had no idea that a Veteran as important as this one could have been allwoed to die such a terrible death. What is happening America?
ReplyDeleteHattie Carroll: I wish I knew exactly who he was talking to. It's a really powerful message, despite his tempo issues :)
Billie Joe: Why are ballads so sad? Did she love him, it seems that way. It's interesting that the family was impacted by Billie Joe's death even though they didn't think that much of it at first.
Adam Winkler
Ira Hayes and Hattie Carroll are both true stories. Ira Hayes really was one of the Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima and Hattie Carroll was a 51 year old African-American woman killed by a wealthy young white man named William Zantzinger--he died only a few years ago.
DeleteAs for Billy Joe--well, I think the young woman narrating had some knowledge or connection to his death in some way. If you listen or read it close, you'll see that.
Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin was sad because it's basically a struggle everyone has to go through. There will almost always be one person that you fall in love with that ends up slipping away because you have different dreams for your futures. It's sad because while it's good, it's great, but it can't last.
ReplyDeleteThe Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll by Bob Dylan. The message I got from this song is that society is crazy and that money really can by everything that you want even if it’s for murder.
ReplyDeleteThe Gambler has an underlying message about how to have self control and how to listen to yourself. It teaches you not to jump to something to quickly, to think before and to self judge so that others are not given the chance to judge you.
ReplyDelete-Lexie
Meesa G.
ReplyDeleteCat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin - This song was like an outreach between the father and son. It holds a lot of strong emotions and longings between the two.
The Lover by Alesana - Sounds like an obsesssive sort of an addictive love. The girl wants to run away and the boy is willing to run away with her, to give her anything that he possible can for her. he wants to be everything to her, to be her salvation.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers - Even though its making references to what some people consider unsavory actions and or habits. The concepts that the man is speaking of or what he has learned is something that can be applied to actual life. It is something that is important to have in the real world. The ability to analyze and predict, to be able to react at least somewhat appropriately to what is happening in one's surrounding. a lot of which could possible be based on luck.
Yes, the gambling is a metaphor. You have to know when to keep going and when to quit, when to keep quiet and when to speak up.
DeleteCat's in the Cradle- I think it's really sad that the father doesn't have time for his son and when the son grows up he doesn't have time for the father.
ReplyDeleteOde to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry- It seems like she really cared for Billy Joe and was suprised and sad that he had jumped off the bridge.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers- It seems like the gambler gave him a lot of life lessons to go by.
not sure she's really surprised he jumped--they were throwing something off the bridge together not long before he did it. What could it have been and how could it have contributed to his death?
DeleteThe Ballad of Ira Hayes- sad events of how lives on american soil were unfair, but individuals were still fighting outside of the country for freedom.
ReplyDeleteHurricane- didnt quite understand what was being said. A murder occured and someone was shot. Someone was being accused and his life became like a hurricane, things were happening and was being accused of things he couldnt control
Singin in Vietnam talkin blues- he is talking to his wife of places they have been and they have never been to Vietnam to experience the actual affects of the war. Once they entered to Vietnam it seemed okay until nighttime. Bombs were going off and they became scared bringing what they thought about the war into reality
-Melvin
Barbara Allen is about a young woman who doesn't seem to care that a young man is dying and all he wants is to see her. But when she leaves and hears the death bell then she realizes that she was wrong and that she loved him. Barbara died the next day and the throne that grew above the young man's grave and the brier that grew from hers intertwined at the top of the steeple. The two could now be together forever.
ReplyDeleteBob Dylan (Hurricane) - This song describes how corrupt and unfair our society can be to people who are trying to turn their life around.
ReplyDeleteHarry Chaplin (Cat's In The Cradle) - This song reminds people of how easy it is to lose sight of the important things.
Janis Joplin (Me And Bobby McGee) - This song is saying that once you have something you love, don't let it slip away.
-Shane Anthony Parks
But in "Me and Bobby McGee" he leaves because he values freedom more than he values her. She couldn't have kept him if she wanted.
DeleteThe Lover
ReplyDeleteAlesana was slightly misleading from the original poem, by implying that the singer was responsible for her death, rather than envious "winged seraphs of heaven."
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
William Zanzinger got light punishment for murdering, just because she was African-American. Reminds me of today, although not race related, how celebrities get light punishments just because they're famous.
Cat's In The Cradle
A father is too busy trying to advance in his job and provide for his family, that he is actually harming his relationship with his son. Later in life, the son grows up just like his father. Now that the father is retired and has time for his son, his son is too busy for him. I think it's depressing.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers: To me the song talks about a gambler who starts talking to another man while they are on a train. He is tellin the other other man how to gamble but I do not feel that this is the only thing that he is telling the man about. I think that he is also talking to him about self-control and how important it is to have in your life.
ReplyDeleteSinging in Vietnam Talking Blues by Johnny Cash: This is a very sad song and it makes me think of all the men and women overseas that are fighting for our country right now. Like Johnny Cash says at the end of the song, "I hope that war's over with and they all come back home to stay in peace."
The Ballad of Curtis Lowe by Lynyrd Skynrd: The song talks about an old man who is inspired a young boy with music. I can not believe that no one showed up to share their prayers when the man passed away. If he had inspired this one boy so much I would think that there where others that he had inspired also. You would think that they would have came to thank him for everything that he did for them.
Cat's in the cradle shows how important the first few years in a kid's life are. They're the building blocks in a child's development and can make or break their future. It's sad to see that the son's lifewas changed so drasticly just because of what his father might not have done for him and could have.
ReplyDeleteHurricane shows just how easy it is for people to judge and have such an effect on someone else's life. Prejudice and lean a vote to one drastic side of a fight for the majority just if they can persuade them enough.
ReplyDeleteThe Ballad of Curtis Loew- This song is a good one becuase I like Lynyrd Skynyrd's songs and this song talks about an old black man who was his inspiration as a blues player but because of his drinking he was considered useless to many of the people in the community.
ReplyDeleteThe Gambler- This song has a catchy tune and provides a lesson as to pick your battles and not be confrontational about everything so you can avoid trouble.
Hurricane- This song has a nice tune and talks about an unfair case that was fixed in order to send a person that was not favored to jail and shows that things are not always fair.
bob dylan hurricane:
ReplyDeletethis song is about how most of the time innocent people can be found guility and be unfairly judged and accused based on other people being prejudice.
lynyrd skynryd the ballad of curtis lowe: this song is about a man who drank and played the blues. many people thought he was useless but the boy thought they were all fools because curtis lowe was "the finest picker to ever play the blues".
harry chapin cats in the cradle: this song is about a dad whose always too busy to stop and take the time to play with or speak to his son. everytime he turns his son away his son says its okay and that he's oing to be just like his dad. later in the song when the boy grows up and his dad tries to spend time with him and talk to him and his son says he has no time. by the end of the song the dad realizes his son grew up to be just like him
Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks. https://www.personalseniorcarehomes.com/
ReplyDelete