Conflicts over the British Succession (excluding the Jacobite Rebellions) [c. 600-1821] • Scottish History Cycle (excluding Jacobite songs) [1286-1411] • Jacobite Songs and Songs about the Orange and Hanoverian Successions [1692-1746] • The Irish Rebellion Cycle [1641-1947] • The French and Indian War and the Seven Years' War [1755-1759] • The American Revolution Cycle [1770-1783] • Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars [1851-1821] • The War of 1812 Cycle [1812-1815] • The Australian History Cycle [1829-1917] • The New Zealand History Cycle [1810-1906] • The Crimean War Cycle [1854] • The American Civil War Cycle [1857-1872] • The Arctic Exploration Cycle [1497-1913] • The Great Shipwrecks [1838-1942] • Newfoundland -- Its History, and Its Ships and Sealers [1851-1982] • Songs of World War I [1914-1917] • Songs of World War II [1935-1944] • Tales from Other Wars [1746-1903] • Outlaws and Pirates [1604-1922] • The History of Labor • Miscellaneous Historical Events [1027-1958] • The Great Lakes [1855-?] • Christian Apocrypha and Legends • The Earliest English Ballad • Other Topics
The Traditional Ballad Index was originally designed as a bibliography of folk song -- and, of course, it still functions as such. But, from the start, we incorporated occasional notes on the background of songs -- their history, or the events they described, or links to other non-traditional literature.
Some of these articles have now grown so extensive that they deserve to be noted in their own right, rather than forcing people to find them hit-or-miss. This document constitutes a catalog of the more substantial articles found in the Ballad Index notes.
Needless to say, you are invited to submit your own material for inclusion in the notes to some songs. You won't get academic credit, and we don't promise to include it -- but we might.
The list below tries to organize the information so as to be relatively easy to find. For these purposes, I've tried to organize the information into "cycles" or groups of related topics -- e.g. the American Civil War, the history of Irish rebellion, the exploration of the Arctic. In some cases, the result is literally a cycle -- the articles, if read in sequence, will tell a full history of a particular topic.
Each cycle is arranged as a table with a header referring to the general topic. The table itself contains four parts: The approximate dates of the events described, a brief summary of what is discussed, the name of the song under which the entry can be found, and the initials of the primary contributor(s) of the entry.
Note that a special article may apply to several songs -- an obvious example being the historical article on the Titanic associated with The Titanic (XV) ("On the tenth day of April 1912") (Titanic #15). Although this article is filed with this particular song, it in fact includes historical notes on every Titanic song in the Index. Similarly, the Phoenix Park Murders in Ireland inspired about a dozen songs, but the notes are all contained in the note (and historical references) to The Phoenix Park Tragedy.
As a general rule, I have only listed songs where the notes total over 500 words. The songs where the notes total over 2000 words show the song names in emphasized type.
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| before 600 | The Arthurian Legend as found in English Ballads | King Arthur and King Cornwall [Child 30] | RBW |
| 869/870 | Edmund of East Anglia is definitely dead. Somehow. Somewhere. Somewhen | A Carol for St. Edmund's Day | RBW |
| 978 | The murder of Edward the Martyr (also, the subject of the earliest English ballad) | Edward the Martyr | RBW |
| 1122?-1204 | The life and legend of Eleanor of Aquitaine. | Queen Eleanor's Confession [Child 156] | RBW |
| 1170 | The Murder of Thomas Becket, who very likely deserved it but got sainted anyway. | Saint Thomas of Canterbury | RBW |
| 1199? 1399? 1483? | Was Ritchie Story really King Richard? And, if so, which one? | Richie Story [Child 232] | BS, RBW |
| 1327 | Hugh Spencer had feats in France. Hugh Despenser mostly had feats in the mind of King Edward II. Are they the same guy? | Hugh Spencer's Feats in France [Child 158] | RBW |
| 1415 (1337-1453) | The Hundred Years' War, and especially the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, cause Henry V to claim the crown of France -- and his descendents to lose it. | King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France [Child 164] | RBW |
| 1483? | Were the Babes in the Woods victims of Richard III? | The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods) [Laws Q34] | RBW |
| 1485 | The Battle of Bosworth -- the last battle (well, almost) of the Wars of the Roses ends the Plantagenet dynasty and brings Henry VII Tudor to the throne. He adopts the Red Rose as an emblem -- but was he a rose himself? | The Battle of Bosworth Field; also
The Rose of England [Child 166] | RBW |
| 1487 | The Battle of Stoke and Lambert Simnel's Rebellion and Waterford's loyalty to Henry VII: The many revolts against the first Tudor king | The Mayor of Waterford's Letter | BS, RBW |
| 1491 | Perkin Warbeck and the British succession: More on the troubles of Henry VII | The Praise of Waterford | BS, RBW |
| 1537 | The death of Jane Seymour and the birth of Edward VI | The Death of Queen Jane [Child 170] | RBW |
| 1685- 1714 | The conflict over the Protestant Succession: Could Britain remain a Protestant nation with a Catholic on the throne? And if not, who should succeed? And how could a courtier survive in those circumstances? | The Vicar of Bray | RBW |
| 1685 | James II survived Monmouth's Rebellion. Lady Lisle, who had nothing to do with it, didn't. | The Monmouth Rebel | RBW |
| 1688 | Seven bishops. Three faiths. One king. No Compromise. Who wins? | Trelawny | RBW |
| 1689 | Is there really no other rhyme for Oranger? Or even a wife for him? | What's the Rhyme to Porringer? | RBW |
| 1821 | Did a Queen of England really dip her hair in turpentine? (Or was it her husband's mistress?) | Queen Caroline | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1286 | Was the King's Daughter of Norrowa' really Margaret Maid of Norway? | Sir Patrick Spens [Child 58] | RBW |
| before 1299 | Thomas of Ercildoune: Landowner, definitely; poet, possibly; prophet, maybe.... | Thomas Rymer [Child 37] | RBW |
| 1305 | Execution of Scotland's (eventual) hero William Wallace | Gude Wallace [Child 157] | RBW |
| c. 1315 | Will the real Sir Colin (Colling, Cawline) please stand up? | Sir Cawline [Child 61] | RBW |
| 1346 | Who was first to publish about the Battle of Neville's Cross? | Durham Field [Child 159] | RBW |
| 1353 | They called him the Knight of Liddesdale. He would be assassinated by his own godson. | The Knight of Liddesdale [Child 160] | RBW |
| 1371 | Was there a true conflict between "The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward"? | Lord of Lorn and the False Steward, The [Child 271] | RBW |
| 1388 | Otterburn. Percy and Douglas fight. Douglas won the battle and died. Did the minstrels care? | The Hunting of the Cheviot [Child 162] | RBW |
| 1411 | In a Scotland without a central government, two factions battle over the Earldom of Ross. But -- how accurate is the song? | The Battle of Harlaw [Child 163] | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1692 | The nature of The Massace at Glencoe | The Massacre of Glencoe | RBW |
| 1710 | Did the Reverend Henry Sacherevell really "scratch out both his eyes" for political purposes? And what was he doing in Ninevah anyway? | Johnny Lad (I) | RBW |
| 1745 | Lord George Murray may have raised a brigade for Bonnie Prince Charlie, but was it worth it? | The Athol Gathering | |
| (1745-1746) | The Battle of Culloden, with an overview of the Forty-Five Rebellion and the later career of Bonnie Prince Charlie | The Muir of Culloden | RBW |
| 1746 | Flora MacDonald helps Bonnie Prince Charlie escape the Hanoverians -- and ends up in America | Flora MacDonald's Lament | RBW |
Editor's Apology: A very large fraction of the songs in this section were first indexed due to their inclusion in Patrick Galvin's anthology of Irish freedom songs. Galvin's psychotic hatred of the British is so extreme that it inherently caused me to take a relatively pro-British view. I'm now trying to clean this out of the notes, trying to be as even-handed as possible. But it's a slow process, particularly since it's so hard to be absolutely objective about a conflict where one side bred mindless oppressors and the other side bred terrorists. Nonetheless, no nation has come closer to telling its history in song than has Ireland; this cycle of songs does an excellent job of relating the story of "the most distressful country."
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1265 | At a time when English and Irish lords are indiscriminately raiding each other, the town of (New) Ross tries to protect itself | The Entrenchment of Ross | (BS), RBW |
| 1641- 1653 | In the aftermath of the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell takes fire and sword to Ireland, committing perhaps the worst single genocide between the Crusades and World War I | The Wexford Massacre | RBW |
| 1649 | Death of Owen Roe O'Neill, who had some success in fighting the English but whose behavior helped encourage Cromwell's atrocities | General Owen Roe | BS, RBW |
| 1688- 1689 | The siege of [London]derry ends James II's hopes of gaining easy control of Ireland in his quest to regain the British throne. | The Shutting of the Gates of Derry; also Derry Walls Away | BS, RBW |
| 1690 | In the wake of the Glorious Revolution, the deposed king James II tries to use Ireland to rebuild his fortunes, but is defeated by William III at the Battle of the Boyne. | The Battle of the Boyne (I) | BS, RBW |
| 1782 | Grattan's Parliament gives Ireland its greatest measure of independence prior to 1922. Sadly, it is too corrupt and feeble a legislature to last. | Ireland's Glory | BS, RBW |
| 1795 | The Battle of the Diamond highlights the tension between Catholics and Protestants in Ulster. | The Battle of the Diamond | BS, RBW |
| 1795 | Foundation of the Orange Order, devoted to maintaining as much power for Protestants as possible | The Grand Mystic Order | BS, RBW |
| 1796 | The French attempt to invade Ireland (to distract England), but the Bantry Bay expedition falls apart | The Shan Van Voght | BS, RBW |
| 1798 | The planning for the rebellion of 1798, which sowed the grounds for its failure. | The Wearing of the Green (I) | BS, RBW |
| 1798 | The planners of the 1798 rebellion are captured before they can even get the rebellion started. The one leader to remain at large is Edward Fitzgerald -- but he too is soon found and captured, dying of the wounds he suffered while resisting capture | Edward (III) (Edward Fitzgerald) | BS, RBW |
| 1798 | The massacre of Protestants at Scullabogue | Father Murphy (II) (The Wexford Men of '98) | BS, RBW |
| 1798 | After a promising start, the Wexford rebels turn victory into defeat at the Battle of New Ross | Kelly, the Boy from Killane | RBW |
| 1798 | Father John Murphy helps start the Wexford rising -- and is killed after its collapse | Father Murphy (I) | RBW |
| 1798 | A Wexford rebel honestly and brutally examines the reasons the rebellion failed | Sweet County Wexford | RBW |
| 1798 | The Sheares Brothers, among the most important of the Irish rebel leaders (though not very famous) are hanged for their part in the events of 1798. Also the career of the poem's authoress "Speranza." | The Brothers John and Henry Sheares | RBW |
| 1798 | The new viceroy Cornwallis tries to bring some degree of peace and justice after the 1798 rebellion -- though it is the Protestants who rejoice in the results | The Troubles | BS, RBW |
| 1801 | The Parliamentary Union of Britain and Ireland completely alters Irish politics -- and the economy | Dublin After the Union | BS, RBW |
| 1801- c. 1852 | A catalog of the troubles of post-Union Ireland, with a cynical view of the politicians responsible | The Wheels of the World | BS, RBW |
| 1803 | In the aftermath of the 1798 rebellion and the Act of Union, Robert Emmet tries to raise a rebellion. It fails pitifully, and Emmet is executed after making a stirring farewell speech | Bold Robert Emmet | RBW |
| 1828 | Daniel O'Connell, "The Liberator," runs for and is elected to Parliament. Eventually the parliamentary rules are changed, allowing men such as Fergus O'Connor to serve. | Fergus O'Connor and Independence | BS, RBW |
| 1843 | At the "Monster Meeting of Tara," tens of thousands of Irish turn out to campaign for repeal of the Union between Britain and Ireland. | The Meeting of Tara | BS, RBW |
| 1845- 1848 | The Irish Potato Famines cut the country's population in half and dramatically changes the political situation | Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small) | RBW |
| 1848 | Nationalist John Mitchel, who claims his only crime is loving Ireland, is convicted and transported | John Mitchel | RBW |
| 1848 | One of the feeblest of all the Irish rebellions fizzles out without really even getting started | The Shan Van Voght (1848) | RBW, BS |
| 1852 | Thomas Francis Meagher, convicted of anti-British activities, escapes and flees to the United States | The Escape of Meagher | BS, RBW |
| 1858, 1901 | James Stephens, founded the Fenians in 1858 -- though he largely dissociated himself from them in later years; he died in 1901, and is remembered in this song | James Stephens, the Gallant Fenian Boy | RBW |
| 1866 | The Fenians in American try to bring about Irish independence by attacking Canada. They fail spectacularly | A Fenian Song (I) | RBW |
| 1867 | The Manchester Martyrs: In the process of attempting to rescue a prisoner, the Fenians cause the death of a policeman. The actual murderer goes free, but three others are executed by the British for the crime | The Smashing of the Van (I) | RBW |
| 1868 | William Johnston defies the Party Processions Act and becomes the hero of the radical Protestants of Ulster. | William Johnston of Ballykilbeg | BS, RBW |
| 1871 | Irish nationalist Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa is freed from prison on condition that he leave Ireland | Rossa's Farewell to Erin | BS, RBW |
| 1872 | The Irish Home Rule League is founded; although initially associated with Isaac Butt, it is Charles Stewart Parnell who does the most to advance the cause | Home Rule for Ireland | BS, RBW |
| 1879 | The Land League places increasing pressure on the British to assure greater rights for tenants against their landlords | The Bold Tenant Farmer | RBW |
| c. 1880- 1891 | Charles Stewart Parnell becomes the dominant force in Irish politics and, by carefully playing off both sides in the British parliament, gains many freedoms for Ireland | We Won't Let Our Leader Run Down | BS, RBW |
| 1882- 1883 | The Phoenix Park Murders, in which an Irish secretary and his assistant are killed by terrorists, badly damaging the hopes for Irish "Home Rule." | The Phoenix Park Tragedy | BS, RBW |
| 1886 | Gladstone's Home Rule bill (which fails in the British parliament) inspires much hope in large parts of Ireland -- and fervent opposition among Ulster Protestants | A Loyal Song Against Home Rule | RBW |
| 1914 | At a time when the British could least afford it, due to the coming of World War I, a riot over gun-running results in civilian casualties and an increase in Irish dislike for the English | Bachelor's Walk | RBW |
| 1916 | The Easter Rebellion. Padraig Pearce and other nationalits attempt to take over Dublin, and are crushed. Reviled at first by the ordinary Irish, they are treated so badly by the British that the rebellion eventually changes the attitudes of all Ireland save the Protestants of Ulster. | The Boys from County Cork | RBW |
| 1914 | Will the Irish accept "Home Rule" -- internal autonomy while maintaining ties to the British crown -- or insist on an independent republic? | De Valera | RBW, BS |
| 1916 | Roger Casement tries to run guns to the Irish nationalists, and -- given the consequences of the Easter Rebellion, plus the fact that it was the Germans who were arming him -- is hanged | Lovely Banna Strand | RBW |
| 1920 | Sean Treacy, nationalist and terrorist, is finally run down by the British and killed in a shootout; among nationalists, he became famous both for his many escapes and for his death | Sean Treacy | RBW |
| 1920- 1921 | After the First World War, with Ireland in turmoil, the British brought in ex-soldiers, the Black and Tans, to try to control the violence. Having no sympathy for the Irish, the Black and Tans instead escalated the conflict. | The Bold Black and Tan | RBW |
| 1920 | The fight at Kilmichael: A random act of violence during a period of random acts of violence. This one serves to make Tom Barry famous. | The Boys of Kilmichael | BS, RBW |
| 1921 | The fight at Crossbarry: Another random act of violence associated with Tom Barry. | The Piper of Crossbarry | BS, RBW |
| 1921 | After the violence of the Black and Tan Wars, the English agree to negotiate with the Irish. The result is the "Treaty" creating the Irish Free State. Most Irish welcome peace; the extreme nationalists fight on -- against their own government | The Irish Free State | RBW |
| 1916- 1922 | In the years after the Easter Rising, one man above all others comes to represent Ireland. Michael Collins hurt the British enough that they decided to negotiate, helped negotiate the Free State treaty, led the Irish Free State -- and was assassinated by hard-liners | General Michael Collins | RBW |
| 1922 | In the wars over the Irish Free State, the former cabinet member Cathal Brugha is killed while in rebellion against the Irish government | The Death of Brugh | RBW |
| 1923 | After starting a civil war mostly over names and forms, the extreme republicans finally give in -- but the "Legion of the Rearguard" will not abandon the hope of a Republic. | The Legion of the Rearguard | RBW |
| 1947 | Death of James Larkin, who early in his career campaigned for worker's rights and independence in Ireland, but went into exile, then returned and spent many years as a relatively minor M.P. | Jim Larkin, R.I.P. | BS, RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1755 | General Edward Braddock marches his men toward Fort Duquesne; his army is destroyed by the French and he is killed | Braddock's Defeat | RBW |
| 1756 | The loss of Minorca and the execution of Admiral Byng | Admiral Byng | BS, RBW |
| 1759 | Sir Edward Hawke wins the Battle of Quiberon Bay, giving the British naval superiority for the rest of the war | Bold Hawke | RBW, BS |
| 1759 | The Battle of Quebec, the English conquest of Canada, and the life of General James Wolfe | Brave Wolfe [Laws A1] | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| c. 1770- 1775 | British taxes on the American colonies cause increasing frustration with the crown, eventually causing the colonies into rebellion | Taxation of America | RBW |
| 1770 | It was bloody. But did the massacre really take place at "Butcher's Hall"? | The Massacre at Butcher's Hall | RBW |
| 1771 | Bloody suppression of the Regulators leads to more revolutionary agitation | When Fanning First to Orange Came; also From Hillsborough Town the First of May | RBW |
| 1775 | Granuaile, Ireland, and the American Revolution | Old Granny Wales (Granny O'Whale, Granua Weal) | RBW |
| 1775 | Arnold and Montgomery's invasion of Canada proves a disastrous failure. | Beside the Kennebec | RBW |
| 1777 | The Battle of Bennington sets the stage for the great American victory at Saratoga | Riflemen at Bennington | RBW |
| 1777 | The Battle of Saratoga finally gives the Americans a major success in the Revolution. | The Fate of John Burgoyne | RBW |
| 1778- 1783 | John Paul Jones, his battles, and his ships the Ranger and the Bonhomme Richard | Paul Jones's Victory [Laws A4] | RBW |
| 1778 | (Brief biography of composer William Billings, plus notes about the British generals of the time) | Chester | RBW |
| 1780 | The American Revolution, the treason of Benedict Arnold, and the execution of British agent John Andre | Major Andre's Capture [Laws A2] | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1815 | The Battle of Waterloo: Just which songs are included in Laws J3? | The Plains of Waterloo (II) [Laws J3] | BS, RBW |
| 1815 | Marshal Grouchy: The cause of Napoleon's defeat? | Napoleon Bonaparte (III) | RBW |
| 1815 | Marshal Ney: The cause of Napoleon's defeat? | The Grand Conversation on Napoleon | RBW |
| 1815- 1821 | Napoleon is exiled and dies suspiciously on Saint Helena | Napoleon Is the Boy for Kicking Up a Row | BS, RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1812 | The first Detroit campaign: British general Isaac Brock maneuvers the Americans out of the area | Brave General Brock [Laws A22] | RBW |
| 1812 | The American counter-attack on Canada is repulsed at Queenston Heights, but General Brock is killed | The Battle of Queenston Heights | RBW |
| 1812 | The U.S.S. Constitution scores the first great naval win of the War of 1812, encouraging the Americans at a difficult time | The Constitution and the Guerriere [Laws A6] | RBW |
| 1812 | The U. S. S. Hornet "stings" H. M. S. Peacock | The Hornet and the Peacock | RBW |
| 1813 | The duel of H.M.S. Shannon and U.S.S. Chesapeake gives the British a noteworthy victory -- but gives the Americans the slogan "Don't Give Up the Ship" | The Chesapeake and the Shannon (I) [Laws J20] | RBW |
| 1813 | The Battle of Lake Erie and the career of Oliver Hazard Perry | James Bird [Laws A5] | RBW |
| 1812- 1813 | Sundry successes by the American navy in the War | Charge the Can Cheerily | RBW |
| 1813- 1814 | The Creek War. Andrew Jackson defeats a rebellious Indian nation, freeing him up for work against the British | Andrew Jackson's Raid | RBW |
| 1814 | The Americans make one last attempt to invade Canada; they fight to a bloody stalemate at Lundy's Lane, and eventually retreat | The Battle of Bridgewater | RBW |
| 1814 | The General Armstrong can't escape the British, but she makes them pay a high price for attacking her | General Armstrong | RBW |
| 1814 | The British, in an attempt to break the stalemate, attack and burn Washington, D.C., but are repelled before Baltimore | The Star-Spangled Banner | RBW |
| 1814 | A British army heads down the Champlain to attack the Americans as part of the grand 1814 strategy, but the officer in charge forces the navy to attack in unfavorable circumstances, then retreats when they are defeated | The Siege of Plattsburg | RBW |
| 1815 | After the end of the War of 1812, British forces attack forces (from Kentucky and elsewhere) led by Andrew Jackson and are bloodily repulsed | The Battle of New Orleans [Laws A7] | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1829 | The Cyprus mutiny briefly brings freedom for a gang of doubly-convicted felons | Seizure of the Cyprus Brig in Recherche Bay | RBW |
| 1830 | The death of Captain Patrick Logan brings some relief to the much-abused prisoners of Moreton Bay | Moreton Bay (I) | RBW |
| 1830 | Death of John Donahue, the first of the famous bushrangers | Jack Donahue [Laws L22] | RBW |
| 1854 | Diggers demand a free parliament, until soldiers show up at the Eureka Stockade | Victoria's Southern Cross | RBW |
| 1860s | Who was Charles R. Thatcher and why was he asking about licenses? | Where's Your License? | RBW |
| 1865 | Death of Ben Hall, "The Noblest of the Bushrangers" | Ben Hall | RBW |
| 1880 | Destruction of the Kelly Gang, the last of the bushrangers | Kelly Was Their Captain | RBW |
| 1895? | Banjo Paterson and "Waltzing Matilda": Just what was his role in the making of the song? | Waltzing Matilda | MK, RBW |
| 1903 | Steele Rudd published On Our Selection. Did someone really make a song about it? | Stir the Wallaby Stew | RBW |
| 1917 | Les Darcy is dead. But why? | Les Darcy | RBW |
| 1810 | A party of sealers from the Active waits four years for rescue. | Davy Lowston | RBW |
| 1840 | The Weller Brothers give up shore whaling in New Zealand. Did someone actually write about them before that? | Soon May the Wellerman Come | RBW |
| 1866 | The Maungatapu Murders horrify New Zealand | Murderers Rock | RBW |
| 1868 | Te Kooti, imprisoned without trial or charge, escapes and puts New Zealand in fear. | Te Kooti | RBW |
| 1906 | Joseph Ward first becomes Prime Minister of New Zealand | Vote for Joey Ward and Sir Joseph Ward | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1854 | British and French forces win the Battle of Alma to establish their base for the Crimean War | The Heights of Alma (I) [Laws J10] | RBW |
| 1854 | In the supreme example of the mismanagement of the Crimean War, the Light Brigade rides to a lot of death and somewhat less glory at Balaclava | The Famous Light Brigade | RBW |
| 1854 | Sir Colin Campbell, the organization of the British Army, and victory in the Crimean War | The Kilties in the Crimea | RBW |
| 1854 | The Baltic campaign against Russia brought relatively little fighting -- and at least one happy ending | The Baltic Lovers | BS, RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1857- 1860 | The Lincoln, Douglas and the coming of the Civil War: How the North came to elect an all-but-unknown man from Illinois to be President | Lincoln and Liberty | RBW |
| 1860- 1861 | More on Lincoln and Douglas, and on the latter's financial practices | Lincoln Hoss and Stephen A. | RBW |
| 1859 & after | Which John Brown was the body in question? | John Brown's Body | RBW |
| 1861 | The First Battle of Bull Run/Manasses results in the complete rout of Union forces | The Battle of Bull Run [Laws A9] | RBW |
| 1861 | Missouri's War-Within-a-War | The War in Missouri in '61 | RBW |
| 1861 | The Bucktails get their baptism of fire at New Creek | The Bucktail Boys | RBW |
| 1861- 1862 | The Irish Sixty-Ninth: Which regiment was it and what did it do? | The Irish Sixty-Ninth | RBW |
| 1861 | How the Irish "won" at Bull Run -- if they did. | The Gallant Sixty-Ninth | RBW |
| 1862? | A Union soldier dies after some battle somewhere sometime. | The Battle of Mill Springs [Laws A13] | RBW |
| 1862? | Josy Hooker fights somebody in the Virginia Low Lands Low. Was it the Confederates, the mud, General McClellan? | The Old Virginia Low Lands Low | RBW |
| 1862 | Daniel Martin fights for... one side or the other... at the Battle of Pea Ridge | The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, or The Pea Ridge Battle [Laws A12] | RBW |
| 1862 | The Battle of Hampton Roads: The C.S.S.Virginia/Merrimac destroys the U.S.S. Cumberland and Congress but is held to a draw by the Monitor | The Cumberland Crew [Laws A18] | RBW |
| 1862 | How the occupation of Confederate territory meant freedom for many Slaves | Kingdom Coming (The Year of Jubilo) | RBW |
| 1862 | Horatio van Cleve wins the battle of Stones River -- with a lot of help from the people who really did most of the fighting | The Battle of Stone River | RBW |
| 1862? | Joseph Shelby wasn't there and didn't do it, but apparently gets the blame anyway. | Colonel Shelby | RBW |
| 1862 | Who was Charles G. Halpine, and why was he pretending to be a private in the 47th New York? | We've Drunk from the Same Canteen | RBW |
| 1861- 1863 | The Union makes repeated attempts to take Richmond; all fail, with Confederate jeers becoming more pointed each time | Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel | RBW |
| 1861- 1863 | The Irish Brigade of Thomas Meagher suffers extreme casualties as part of the Army of the Potomac | By the Hush | RBW |
| 1863 | The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts is willing to fight. Will the government acknowledge the fact? | Give Us a Flag | RBW |
| 1863 | Murder of Earl Van Dorn, general, landowner, seducer.... | Oh You Who Are Able.... | RBW |
| 1863 | The capture of Vicksburg changes the course of the Civil War -- but that doesn't help the dead! | The Battle of Vicksburg | RBW |
| 1863? | If Longstreet didn't have any Rangers, who was it that was fighting at the Rapidan in the song "Longstreet's Rangers"? | The Texas Rangers [Laws A8] | RBW |
| 1863 | Walter Kittredge, composer of hundreds of songs, writes "Tenting Tonight," his only song to have gained the slightest attention | Tenting Tonight | RBW |
| 1864 | The Confederacy is forced to indelicate means to meet its desperate need for saltpeter | Chamber Lye | RBW |
| 1864 | A late defeat for Jubal Early -- although not at Fisher's Hill | Battle of Fisher's Hill | RBW |
| 1864 | Sherman's March to the Sea can't come soon enough for Samuel H. M. Byers | Sherman's March to the Sea | RBW |
| 1872 | The Grant presidency rouses opposition from all sides, but Horace Greeley is unable to replace him | Does Your Mother Know You're Out? | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1497 | John Cabot goes somewhere and discovers something. Where and what? That is the question.... | The Landfall of Cabot | RBW |
| 1829- 1833 | John Ross is bold, brave -- and stuck in the ice. | Bold Adventures of Captain Ross | RBW |
| 1845- 1859 | The Franklin expedition seeking the Northwest Passage and the search for the expedition after it vanished | Lady Franklin's Lament (The Sailor's Dream) [Laws K9] | RBW |
| 1860- 1909 | The quest to reach the North Pole, which at the time this song was written (1903) had been very difficult and dangerous | Hurrah for Baffin's Bay | RBW |
| 1905- 1913 | The career of Robert Bartlett, Newfoundland sealer and companion of Robert Peary as the latter sought the North Pole | Captain Bob Bartlett | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1838 | The Forfarshire wreck makes Grace Darling an English heroine | Grace Darling (I) (The Longstone Lighthouse) | BS, RBW |
| 1863 | The sinking of the Anglo Saxon, still considered the worst wreck off Cape Race, Newfoundland | Loss of the Anglo Saxon | RBW |
| 1873 | The sinking of the Atlantic, the earliest of the great tragedies on the North Atlantic liner routes | The Loss of the Atlantic (I) | RBW |
| 1855? | Where and when was the Antelope lost? And which Antelope? | The Loss of the Antelope | RBW, Sol Foster |
| 1893 | HMS Victoria is rammed by the Camperdown and sinks | When the Flagship Victoria Went Down | RBW |
| 1912 | The destruction of the Titanic and the historical basis (or lack thereof) for the claims made in many songs about the wreck | The Titanic (XV) ("On the tenth day of April 1912") (Titanic #15) | RBW |
| 1915 | The sinking of the Lusitania and the various claims made about the sinking | The Lusitania | RBW |
| 1918 | The wreck of the Florizel and mystery of what happened. | The Wreck of the Steamship Florizel | RBW |
| 1922 | What would you do if a brand-new warship happened to get wrecked just outside your home? | The Nordfeld and the Raleigh | SH, RBW |
| 1934 | The burning of the cruise liner Morro Castle and the real (and slightly unreal) proposed explanations of what happened. | Morro Castle Disaster | RBW |
| 1942 | The torpedoing of the Caribou and the Battle of the St. Lawrence | The Loss of the Caribou | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1497 | John Cabot discovers Newfoundland, or somewhere, sometime, with the help of someone | The Landfall of Cabot | RBW |
| 1851-1930 | Life of Johnny Burke, Newfoundland's leading popular songwriter | The Kelligrews Soiree | RBW |
| 1855 | Birth of Abram Kean, the greatest Newfoundland sealer (at least in terms of pelts taken) of all time | Captain Abram Kean | RBW |
| c. 1860? | The sealers of Ferryland think they have a good trip. The merchants might not agree. Plus, when did the sealers give up their schooners? | The Ferryland Sealer (The Sealers) [Laws D10] | RBW |
| 1860 | Crown Prince Edward visits the St. John's regatta | The Terra Nova Regatta | RBW |
| 1861 | Violence erupts in St. John's after the Conservatives pull tricks to force, and then win, an election | The Riot in St. John's | RBW |
| 1863 | The sinking of the Anglo Saxon, still considered the worst wreck off Cape Race, Newfoundland | Loss of the Anglo Saxon | RBW |
| 1867? | Just what were Captain Bill Ryan and Terry doing when they separated anyway? | Captain Bill Ryan Left Terry Behind | RBW |
| 1867 | Captain William Jackman saves an entire ship's crew and creates a legend | Captain William Jackman, A Newfoundland Hero | RBW |
| 1873 | Construction begun on the Neptune, the only Newfoundland sealer to take a million seals | Neptune, Ruler of the Sea | RBW |
| 1876? | Which ship lost her Spanish Captain near Cape Spear? | The Spanish Captain | SH, BS, RBW |
| c. 1887 | Polina? Polynia? Balaena? What's in a name? | The Old Polina | RBW |
| c. 1890 | A catalog of sealing ships and sealing men | Sealer's Song (I) | RBW |
| 1898 | The loss of dozens of men from the Greenland | The Greenland Disaster (I) | RBW |
| 1901 | Robert Bartlett, later companion of Robert Peary, begins his sealing career | Captain Bob Bartlett | RBW |
| 1902 | A strike leads to (slightly) better conditions for sealers | The Sealer's Strike of 1902 (The Sealers Gained the Strike) | RBW |
| 1902? | A sealing ship pays the price for getting stuck in the ice | The "Kite" Abandoned in White Bay | RBW |
| c. 1902 | A catalog of sealing ships and sealing men | Arrival of "Aurora," "Diana," "Virginia Lake," and "Vanguard," Loaded | RBW |
| 1904 | When did the Aurora and Walrus first arrive first? | First Arrival -- "Aurora" and "Walrus" Full | RBW |
| 1906 | A catalog of the seal hunt (of 1906) | The Sealer's Song (II) | RBW |
| 1907 | How a storm almost killed the crew of the Snorre | The Loss of the Snorre | RBW |
| c. 1907 | Why the Nimrod ceased to be a sealer and became an exploration ship | The Nimrod's Song | RBW |
| 1908 | Disastrous year for fishermen which allows William F. Coaker, Newfoundland's first great labour organizer, to organize the Fisherman's Protective Union | Coaker's Dream | RBW |
| 1909 | The Newfoundland Railroad, a disaster both financial and political, brings hard times to its workers as well | The Bonavist Line | BS, RBW |
| 1910 | A catalog of the seal hunt (of 1910) | Captains and Ships | RBW |
| 1910 | The Regulus is lost with all hands | The Loss of the Regulus | RBW |
| 1911 | After more than a dozen years of service, the Bruce finally fails on its ferry run | The Loss of the Bruce | RBW |
| 1912 | Just who took the most seals in 1912, anyway? | First Arrival from the Sea Fishery S. S. Fogota, 1912 | RBW |
| 1914 | The sealers of the Newfoundland are left on the ice to die. | The Newfoundland Disaster (I) | RBW |
| 1914 | The loss of the Southern Cross | The Southern Cross (I) | RBW |
| 1918 | The wreck of the Florizel and mystery of what happened. | The Wreck of the Steamship Florizel | RBW |
| 1919 | The Ethie was wrecked, but does a dog get the credit? | The Wreck of the Steamship Ethie | RBW |
| 1922 | An airplane looking for a patch of seals sights -- a patch of something-or-other | Cotton's Patch (I) | RBW |
| 1922 | The Raleigh, a British cruiser, goes hard aground in Labrador | The Nordfeld and the Raleigh | RBW |
| 1924 | Three sailors from the Terra Nova die in a sealing accident | The Terra Nova | RBW |
| 1926 | The Ella M. Rudolph pays for a late journey home | The Ella M. Rudolph | RBW |
| 1927 | A hurricane causes great damage in eastern Canada and Newfoundland, sinking four Lunenberg ships | The Gale of August '27 | RBW |
| 1928 | Who are all those people hunting squid? | The Squid-Jiggin' Ground | RBW, BS |
| 1929 | Harps and Cats: Not What You Think | The Sealing Cruise of the Lone Flier | RBW |
| 1931 | The Viking explodes, killed members of a film crew as well as some of the ship's crew | To the Memory of the Late Captain Kennedy | RBW |
| 1942 | The torpedoing of the Caribou and the Battle of the St. Lawrence | The Loss of the Caribou | RBW |
| 1946 | Urged on by Joseph Smallwood, Newfoundland becomes part of Canada -- but not everyone agrees with the idea | Anti-Confederation Song (II) | RBW |
| 1950 | The Eagle, the last of the wooden wall sealers, is scuttled because she is too old to serve any longer | Last of the Wooden Walls; The Ice-Floes | RBW |
| c. 1951 | It may be a noble fleet of sealers, but it isn't a very noble set of ships | A Noble Fleet of Sealers | RBW |
| 1954 & after | Joseph Smallwood resettles the people of Newfoundland | The Blow Below the Belt | RBW |
| 1959 | Poor loggers in Newfoundland try to improve their situation, turning the government against them | The Loggers' Plight | BS, RBW |
| 1982 | The Ocean Ranger oil platform sinks in a severe storm, with all her crew being lost | In Memoriam | RBW |
| after 1913 | Why, when they talked in the Steamroom, it had to be on the Kyle | Steamroom on the Kyle | RBW |
| 1914 | Oh where, oh where has the Goeben gone? | Dardanelles Patrol Song | RBW |
| 1914 | So that's why H. M. S. Kent was coaling, coaling, coaling | Coal Ship Song (III) | RBW |
| 1914 | The "noble" eighth of December costs the German noble Graf von Spee | The Noble Eighth of December | RBW |
| 1914- 1916 | You can play Alexander's Ragtime Band all you like, but will it bring in recruits? | Billy Hughes's Army | RBW |
| 1915 | The sinking of the Lusitania and the various claims made about the sinking | The Lusitania | RBW |
| 1917 | The Halifax Explosion: A ship collision causes a load of munitions to blow up, nearly destroying the city | The Halifax Explosion [Laws G28] | RBW |
| ? | Just how high do those German planes fly, anyway? | I Was Chasing One-Elevens | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ? | Was the Wellington bomber truly Wimpy? | Ops in a Wimpey | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1939 | A British force catches up with the German Admiral Graf Spee off South America and causes her to scuttle. | The Sinking of the Graf Spee | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| c. 1940 | Was the Ariadne a tiddley ship, or was that the Nelson, Rodney, Renown, Hood? | She's a Tiddley Ship | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1940 | The Jervis Bay fights a hopeless fight against the German Admiral Scheer, saving most of the ships in her convoy. | The Jervis Bay | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| c. 1940 | So many S-boats, so little time! | Twelve Little S-Boats | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941 | Broadcasts from Radio Belgrade make "Lili Marleen" the most noteworthy song of the North African campaign -- and, eventually, of World War II | Lili Marlene | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941 | An unofficial war moves toward being more official when a German submarine sinks the U. S. S. Reuben James | Reuben James | RBW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941 | When the Bismarck destroys the Hood, most of Britain feels the loss | The Sinking of HMS Hood| RBW
| 1941 | The Mosquito finally gives the British a bomber good enough that the crews survive to complain about what they were ordered to do in it | 692 Song | RBW
| 1941 | Did the B-17 Flying Fortress really carry "bags of ammunition and a teensy-weensy bomb"? | Flying Fortresses | RBW
| 1942 | Canadian patrol planes make their mark against Japan | 413 Squadron | RBW
| 1942 | A horrid voyage aboard a ship nicknamed Horrible saves a Russian convoy | The Kola Run | RBW
| c. 1942 | About the tough conditions on the Arctic convoy route | 23rd Flotilla | RBW
| c. 1942 | A catalog of the dangers faced by the ships on the Russian convoy route | Russian Convoy Escort's Song | RBW
| 1943 | The ships of the "Barber Pole Brigade" make many tough trips between Londonderry and St. John's | Beneath the Barber Pole | RBW
| 1943 | What the Highlanders felt leaving Sicily | Banks of Sicily (The 51st Highland Division's Farewell to Sicily) | RBW
| 1943 | The troops in Italy aren't dodging D-Day; they're dodging bullets | The D-Day Dodgers | RBW
| 1943? | You think the enemy planes are dangerous? Try the paperwork.... | A-25 | RBW
| 1944 | "Uncle Percy" Nelles sent home from his Navy job | Wearing of the Green (III -- Canadian Navy) | RBW
| 1944 | The Canadian destroyer Athabaskan is destroyed by a smaller German torpedo-boat | Athabaskan's Finish | RBW
| |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1746 | The Nottingham, under a captain who was neither Irish nor named Somerville, defeats the Mars | Warlike Seamen | RBW |
| 1799 | During the Quasi-War with France, Thomas Truxton leads the Constellation to victory over L'Insurgente -- the first significant victory of the new U. S. Navy | Truxton's Victory | RBW |
| 1837-1838 | Mackenzie's Canadian rebellion and the Battle of the Windmill | The Battle of the Windmill | RBW |
| 1845 | During the War of the Austrian Succession, a French force (which includes an Irish Brigade) beats a partly-English army at Fontenoy | The Brigade at Fontenoy | RBW, BS |
| 1846- 1847 | Santa Anna and Zachary Taylor: Just who did win that battle, anyway? | Santy Anno | RBW |
| 1846 | The Americans win at Monterrey, but the victory is expensive.... | The Field of Monterey | RBW |
| 1862? | Is the Indian raid of the Haunted Woods/Haunted Falls really related to the 1862 Dakota Conflict (Sioux Uprising)? | Haunted Woods | RBW |
| 1898 | The casualties on the Maine were heavy, whoever sank her | My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine | RBW |
| 1899- 1900 | A handful of South Africans of Irish ancestry form an "Irish Brigade" during the Boer War; John McBride is their commander for part of that time | John McBride's Brigade | RBW, BS |
| 1903 | Suicide of the brilliant general Hector MacDonald | Hector MacDonald | BS, RBW |
| c. 1900? | Were baboons really marching on the South African capital in the reign of Queen Victoria? | Marching to Pretoria | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1604? | Captain Ward: Pirate, privateer, or both? And did he reign king on the sea? | Captain Ward and the Rainbow [Child 287] | RBW |
| 1696 | Would spelling his name wrong make Henry Every/Avery any less a pirate? | Captain Every | RBW |
| 1699- 1701 | William Kidd was executed as a pirate -- but was he a pirate or a privateer? | Captain Kidd [Laws K35] | RBW |
| 1717- 1718 | He may have been called Teach, but Maynard taught him.... | Teach the Rover | RBW |
| 1735- 1739 | Dick Turpin: Certainly a highwayman. But did he make a 12 hour ride to Yorkshire? And if he didn't, who did? | My Bonny Black Bess (II) (Poor Black Bess; Dick Turpin's Ride) [Laws L9] | RBW |
| 1774 | Jack Rann's fine clothes can't keep him from the scaffold | Sixteen String Jack | RBW |
| 1807 | Naomi Wise is pregnant for the third time by three different men. And none of them will marry her.... | Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] | RBW |
| 1831 | Frankie Silver: Murderer? Abuse victim? Or both? | Frankie Silvers [Laws E13] | RBW |
| 1844 | Patsy Beasly found dead | The Murder of Patsy Beasley | RBW |
| 1847- 1892 | Jesse James: Confederate veteran. Robber. Killed by Robert Ford. But was he really a friend to the poor? | Jesse James (III) | RBW |
| 1860 | Albert Hicks tries to capture his own ship. It doesn't work out well for anyone. | Hicks the Pirate | RBW |
| 1864 | First of several murders by Lydia Sherman | Lydia Sherman | RBW |
| 1872 | The Murder of Jim Fisk -- who perhaps deserved it, but was killed for the wrong reasons. | Jim Fisk [Laws F18] | RBW |
| 1876 | The robbing of the Northfield Bank, resulting in the apprehension of Cole Younger and his brothers; the James Brothers escaped | Cole Younger [Laws E3] | RBW |
| 1878 | The Hatfield-McCoy Feud: Where are the songs about it? | The Death of Fan McCoy | RBW |
| 1881 | The end of the confusing life of Billy the Kid. Or whatever his real name was. | Billy the Kid (I) | RBW |
| 1884 | The founding of the Bald Knobbers, who brought vigilante law to southern Missouri for several years | The Bald Knobber Song | RBW |
| 1892 | Alec Whitley lynched in North Carolina for a murder in Arkansas | Alex Whitley | RBW |
| 1894 | The hanging of John Hardy for murder | John Hardy [Laws I2] | RBW |
| 1800s? | Some ship captain, somewhere, tortures a sailor to death | Captain James (The Captain's Apprentice) and The Captain's Apprentice (II) | BS, (RBW) |
| 1903 | It wasn't even his feud, exactly, but J. B. Marcam still ended up dead | J. B. Marcum (A Kentucky Feud Song) [Laws E19] | RBW |
| 1904 | The death of Harvey Logan, the wildest of the "Wild Bunch" | Harvey Logan [Laws E21] | RBW |
| 1906 | Petty criminal Chester Gillette finds a way to deal with a pregnant girlfriend he doesn't want | Grace Brown and Chester Gillette [Laws F7] | RBW |
| 1908 | Not even a house fire can conceal the victims of Indiana's greatest murderer | Belle Gunness | RBW |
| 1912 | The Allen Family of Virginia learns that shooting a judge is not a good way to prove your innocence. | Sidney Allen [Laws E5] | RBW |
| 1922 | The hanging of Frank Dupre for murder | Dupree [Laws I11] | RBW |
| 1930 | Otto Wood, one of the most curious outlaws of all time, finally meets his fate | Otto Wood the Bandit | RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 1876 | Muff Lawler helps send many accused Molly Maguires to death | Muff Lawler, the Squealer [Laws E25] | RBW |
| 1876 | Jimmy Kerrigan also did his part to convict the Mollies | Jimmy Kerrigan's Confession | RBW |
| 1877 | On "Black Thursday," Thomas Duffy and nine other possible Molly Maguires are executed | Thomas Duffy; Michael J. Doyle; The Doom of Campbell, Kelly and Doyle; Hugh McGeehan | RBW |
| 1892 | The Homestead Strike | The Homestead Strike | RBW |
| 1893- 1894 | The Pullman Strike and the American Railway Union | A. R. U | RBW |
| 1902 | A strike leads to (slightly) better conditions for sealers | The Sealer's Strike of 1902 (The Sealers Gained the Strike) | RBW |
| 1912 | The Lawrence Factory Strike produces a labor anthem | Bread and Roses | RBW |
| 1913-1914 | A Colorado coal strike results in many deaths, but was Woody Guthrie right about who was responsible? | The Ludlow Massacre | RBW |
| 1915 | The state of Utah executes songwriter Joe Hill. If he didn't commit robbery and murder, who did? | Joe Hill | RBW |
| 1929 | The Gastonia-Loray Strike and the murder of Ella Mae Wiggins | Chief Aderholt | RBW |
| 1930 | The death of Mary Harris "Mother" Jones | The death of Mother Jones | RBW |
| 1947 | Death of James Larkin, who early in his career campaigned for worker's rights and independence in Ireland, but went into exile, then returned and spent many years as a relatively minor M.P. | Jim Larkin, R.I.P. | BS, RBW |
| 1959 | Poor loggers in Newfoundland try to improve their situation, turning the government against them | The Loggers' Plight | BS, RBW |
| Dates | Subject | Song | Author |
| 379 | Theodosius I becomes Roman Emperor | The Imperial Throne When Theodosius Held | RBW |
| 1027 | Gunhild daughter of Cnut is betrothed to Henry of the Holy Roman Empire, and is charged with a crime she did not commit. Did this inspire a ballad -- or was it the tale of Joseph? | Sir Aldingar [Child 59] | RBW |
| 1591 | Death of Sir Richard Grenville, Elizabethan corsair and non-supplier of colonies. | In Praise of Seafaring Men, in Hope of Good Fortune | RBW |
| 1685 | Did Charles II's courtiers really get compared to crows? | Carrion Crow | RBW |
| 1720 | The South Sea Bubble. The real First Stock Market Manipulation Crash | For Our Lang Biding Here (A South Sea Song) | RBW |
| 1759 | Third time's the charm: The third Eddystone lighthouse inspires many imitators and at least one goofy song | The Keeper of the Eddystone Light | RBW |
| 1782 | The Royal George has a very bad day in port. | The Sinking of the Royal George | RBW |
| 1791 | The Lady Washington, attacked by Indians, returns the favor with interest. | The Bold Northwestern Man [Laws D1] | RBW |
| 1791 | Arthur St. Clair's army smashed by Indians -- but, somehow, he keeps his job. | Saint Clair's Defeat | RBW |
| 1794 | George IV's second marriage is an even worse disaster than his illegal first marriage | Queen Caroline; also, The Ass and the Orangeman's Daughter | RBW, (BS) |
| 1797 | The Nore Mutiny. British sailors attempt a strike for better conditions. Eventually the attempt collapses, and the ringleader Peter Parker is tried and executed | Poor Parker | RBW |
| 1825 | The Kentucky Tragedy: Two lovers try to cheat the hangman by killing themselves | Colonel Sharp | RBW |
| 1828 | The Burke and Hare Murders. Two Irishmen in Scotland commit multiple murders in order to sell the bodies to doctors. Only one of them is executed. | Burke's Confession | RBW, BS |
| 1828 | The murder of Maria Marten by her ex-lover. | The Murder of Maria Marten | RBW, BS |
| 1832 | The Rival, carrying volunteers to Portugal, sinks with many casualties | The Brave Volunteers | JM, BS |
| 1838 | American Congressman Jonathan Cilley killed in a duel that isn't even with the correct opponent | The Death of Cilley (The Duelist) | RBW |
| 1844 | The murder of Patsy Beasley by... someone. | The Murder of Patsy Beasley | RBW |
| 1846- 1847 | The Mexican War service of the Mormon Battalion, in which they fight a great battle against... wild bulls. | Mormon Battalion Song | RBW |
| 1855 | How Woody Guthrie put his own spin on the Yakima War -- then retracted it | Roll On, Columbia | RBW |
| 1855-1866 | Cyrus Field lays the Atlantic Cable. Again, and again, and again. | The Atlantic Cable (How Cyrus Laid the Cable) | RBW |
| 1857 | A party of settlers headed for California is slaughtered by Mormons disguised as Indians. To this day, it is not entirely clear who was responsible | The Mountain Meadows Massacre [Laws B19] | RBW |
| 1862 | Joseph Morris has visions of the second coming -- but somehow can't see how much trouble he's in with the law | The Morrisite Massacre | RBW |
| 1866 | Somebody killed poor Laura Foster. But was it Tom Dula? | Tom Dooley | RBW |
| 1868 | Te Kooti, imprisoned without trial or charge, escapes and puts New Zealand in fear. | Te Kooti | RBW |
| 1872 | Horace Greeley's Presidential campaign | Does Your Mother Know You're Out? | RBW |
| 1878 | Death of Orrin Porter Rockwell, widely believed to have been a Mormon strong man | Old Port Rockwell | RBW |
| 1881 | The amalgamation of the Cameronian Regiment | The Tam O'Shanter Hat | RBW, BS |
| 1881 | The murder of James A. Garfield and the trial of his assassin | Charles Guiteau [Laws E11] | RBW |
| 1883 | The death of Lydia Pinkham, the woman whose face launched a thousand dirty jokes | Lydia Pinkham | RBW |
| 1885 | The Siege of Khartoum. The British defenders under "Chinese" Gordon are defeated and killed just days before they can be rescued | Andy McElroe | RBW |
| 1885 | Professional gambler Harry Hayward murders Kitty Ging for insurance, but is detected and executed | The Harry Hayward Song | RBW |
| 1885? | Great Lakes race between the Moonlight and the Porter | The Crack Schooner Moonlight | RBW |
| 1889 | The Johnstown Flood: An earthen dam fails and destroys several towns below it at a cost of over 2000 lives | The Johnstown Flood [Laws G14] | RBW |
| 1889 | The Nebraska Farmers' Alliance can't win the fight against the two parties with their votes, so Mrs. J. T. Kellie takes up the fight with her pen | Marching for Freedom | RBW |
| 1889- 1893 | Johnson County, Wyoming is the site of a cattle conflict -- but who was on which side of the "War"? | The Blood-Stained Diary | RBW |
| 1893 | HMS Victoria is rammed by the Camperdown and sinks | When the Flagship Victoria Went Down | RBW |
| 1894 | Coxey's Army gets disciplined | A Song of the Times (III) | RBW |
| 1896 | Percy French had never been to London, but he wrote about a trip there anyway | The Mountains of Mourne | RBW |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan rides the slogan "Free Silver" to the Democratic Presidential Nomination | Free Silver | RBW |
| 1898 | The murder of twelve-year-old Emma Hartsell results in vigilante justice in North Carolina | Emma Hartsell [Laws F34] | RBW |
| 1900 | The Galveston Hurricane produces one of the worst disasters in American history to this time | Mighty Day (Wasn't That a Mighty Storm) | RBW |
| 1901 | Disappearance of Nell Cropsey. Her boyfriend takes the blame, but the facts remain unclear. | Nell Cropsey (I) | RBW |
| 1905 | Assassination of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg | Harry Orchard | RBW |
| 1912 | It makes no difference if he is a hound, You gotta quit kicking Champ Clark around | The Hound Dog Song | RBW |
| 1912 | Election of Woodrow Wilson (re-elected 1916) | President Wilson | RBW |
| 1913 | The Murder of Mary Phagan: Was Leo Frank really responsible? And what is the history of the song? | Mary Phagan [Laws F20] | RBW |
| 1915 | The state of Utah executes songwriter Joe Hill. If he didn't commit robbery and murder, who did? | Joe Hill | RBW |
| 1916 | The Great North Carolina Flood kills many. Who did it kill on Jack's Branch? | The Brushy Mountain Freshet | RBW |
| 1917 | The Halifax Explosion: A ship collision causes a load of munitions to blow up, nearly destroying the city | The Halifax Explosion [Laws G28] | RBW |
| 1921 | Betty loves DuPre. She loves diamonds even more. | Dupree [Laws I11] | RBW |
| 1856- 1922 | Life of Thomas E. Watson, populist, presidential candidate, reformer, bigot.... | Thomas E. Watson | RBW |
| 1925 | Floyd Collins gets trapped in a cave, and Andrew Jenkins isn't much help | Floyd Collins [Laws G22] | RBW |
| 1927 | The Mississippi Flood produces a lot of damage -- and a lot of songs | Mighty Mississippi | RBW |
| 1928 | What happens when Calvin Coolidge encounters the Wisconsin wilderness? | I Do Not Choose to Run | RBW |
| 1929 | A cheap liquor adulterant results in an epidemic of paralysis | Got the Jake Leg Too | RBW |
| 1937 | Death of champion rider Pete Knight | Pete Knight | RBW |
| 1958 | The third great disaster in the Springhill mines finally results in the closing of the coalfields | Springhill Mine Disaster (1958) | RBW, (PJS) |
| Dates | Subject| Author
| 1855? | Where and when was the Antelope lost? And which Antelope?
| The Loss of the Antelope | RBW, Sol Foster | 1885? | Great Lakes race between the Moonlight and the
Porter | The Crack Schooner Moonlight | RBW
| ? | Just which schooner was filled with Red Iron Ore? | Red Iron Ore [Laws D9] | Sol Foster and RBW
| ? | The real story of the Bigler | The Bigler's Crew [Laws D8] | Sol Foster, RBW, etc.
| |
| Subject | Song | Author | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Freemason's take on the Bible | The Building of Solomon's Temple [Laws Q39]| RBW
| Beware of Magoi Bringing Gifts.... Also, MS. Bodleian Eng. Poet. e.1 (29734) | The Golden Carol (The Three Kings) | RBW
| Jesus, Mary, and the miraculous fruit | The Cherry-Tree Carol [Child 54] | RBW
| The Embellishment of the Judas legend and the evolution of ballads | Judas [Child 23] | RBW
| Non-canonical tales of Jesus
| The Carnal and the Crane [Child 55] | RBW
| Glory to God in the... what's that again?
| Angels We Have Heard on High | RBW
| Judas sells Jesus for... some amount of money | Thirty Pieces of Silver | RBW
| Babylon is Fallen -- again? How many times is that now? | Babylon Is Fallen (I) | BS, RBW
| The Massacre of the Innocents and the Mystery Plays
| The Coventry Carol | RBW
| Jews, innocents, miracles, and pogroms
| Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter [Child 155] | RBW
| Dancing and Christianity | My Dancing Day | RBW
| For Saint George and England! | Padstow May Day Song | RBW
| The Corpus Christi Mystery | The Corpus Christi Carol | RBW
| Did other singers know the legend in Judas [Child 23]? | My Heart Is Woe (When That My Sweet Son Was Thirty Winter Old) | RBW
| |
| Date | Subject | Song | Author |
| c. 975 | The Earliest English Ballad? [I] | Edward the Martyr | RBW |
| c. 1025 | The Earliest English Ballad? [II] | Merie Sungen the Muneches Bennen Ely (Merry Sang the Monks of Ely) | RBW |
| c. 1050? | The Earliest English Ballad? [III] | The Cursed Dancers of Colbeck | RBW |
| c. 1200 | The Earliest English Ballad? [IV] | Judas [Child 23] | RBW |
| c. 1200 | The Earliest English Ballad? [V] | Wolle Ye Iheren of Twelte Day | RBW |
| c. 1225 | The Earliest English Ballad? [VI] | Mirie It Is While Sumer Ylast (Merry It Is While Summer Lasts) | RBW |
| c. 1400 | The Earliest English Ballad? [VII] | Sir Aldingar [Child 59] | RBW |
| Subject | Song | Author | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Embellishment of the Judas legend and the evolution of ballads | Judas [Child 23] | RBW | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Arthurian Legend as found in English Ballads | King Arthur and King Cornwall [Child 30]| The Gawain Legend and the Loathly Woman
| Marriage of Sir Gawain, The [Child 31] | RBW
| Feeling blue, or just wearing it? | Woad | RBW
| Who is that Guy who just slew that dragon/giant/whatever? | Guy of Warwick | RBW
| Incest and the circumstances under which it occurs: Do they explain
ballads such as "Babylon," "Edward," "Lizie Wan,"
and "Sheathe and Knife"?
| Babylon, or, The Bonnie Banks o Fordie [Child 14] | RBW
| Women in disguise serving as soldiers: Some examples
| The Soldier Maid | RBW
| Who was Captain Wedderburn? | Captain Wedderburn's Courtship [Child 46]
| RBW
| The evolution of the Robin Hood legend
| Please note that this article is now superseded by a separate publication.
A Gest of Robyn Hode [Child 117] | RBW
| The oldest Robin Hood ballad? Are you sure?
| Robin Hood and the Monk [Child 119] and
Robin Hood and the Potter [Child 121] | RBW
| Did Robin Hood fire a last arrow at his death, or did he just borrow it from someone else?
| Robin Hood's Death [Child 120] | RBW
| Robin loves Marian. But which Robin and which Marian?
| Robin Hood and Maid Marian [Child 150] | RBW
| Robyn loves... Gandelyn? Are these Robin Hood characters?
| Robin and Gandelyn [Child 115] | RBW
| The back story of Adam Bell and Friends
| Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly [Child 116] | RBW
| Where did they lay the Laidly Worm? |
The Laidley Worm of Spindleston Heughs | RBW
| Who was John Audelay and how did he welcome Yule? | Welcome Yule | RBW
| The Life of Geordie. And the other Geordie. And the other....
| George of Oxford | BS
| The "Alba" or Dawn Song: Are there English examples?
| The Grey Cock, or, Saw You My Father [Child 248] | RBW
| The Middle English romances and the story of Floris and Blancheflour
| Blancheflour and Jellyflorice [Child 300] | RBW
| The Middle English romances and the tale of King Horn
| Hind Horn [Child 17] | RBW
| The evolution of the Orpheus/Orfeo legend
| King Orfeo [Child 19] | RBW
| Blood brotherhood in ballad and romance | Bewick and Graham [Child 211] | RBW
| Which Duke Was It? | Six Dukes Went a-Fishing | AS, PJS, RBW
| Rosemary Lane, Ambletown, Falmouth Town, The North Country -- Who
got whom pregnant, and where? | Rosemary Lane [Laws K43] | DGE, PJS, RBW
| The Knight of the Burning Pestle: an early source of song fragments | Three Merry Men | RBW
| The Balou/Baloo/Balowe Lullabies and their antecedants
| Lady Anne Bothwell's Lament | BS
| What the Man in the Moon does when he comes to earth. | The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon | RBW
| The history of "Annie Laurie" | Annie Laurie | MS
| The Mormon Church and its establishment in Utah | Brigham Young
| RBW
| Banjo Paterson and "Waltzing Matilda":
Just what was his role in the making of the song? | Waltzing Matilda | MK, RBW
| Who were the Newfoundlanders who found themselves in such trouble
on the Canadian railway? | The Roving Newfoundlanders (II) | BS
| Drimon: A dead cow or a lively symbol? | Drimindown | BS
| The traditions and heroes of the United States Navy |
The Countersigns | RBW
| Sperm competition and human sexual behavior
| Nine Times a Night | RBW
| The age and translation of "Veni Emmanuel."
| Veni Emmanuel (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel) | RBW
| The origin and meaning of the name Mother Carey
| Mother Carey's Chickens | RBW
| The origin of the Paul Bunyan legends
| Paul Bunyan | RBW
| The guano trade, nitrates, and the history of Ilo and Callao
| Tommy's Gone to Hilo | RBW
| The Massacre of the Innocents and the Mystery Plays
| The Coventry Carol | RBW
| The sources of "The Carnal and the Crane"
| The Carnal and the Crane [Child 55] | RBW
| The relationship between "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" [Child 74]
and "William and Margaret" | William and Margaret (I) | BS
| Just what were those mermaids doing down there?
| The Mermaid [Child 289] | RBW
| Comparing the impossibilities asked in "Things Impossible"
| Things Impossible | BS, RBW
| Older wife, younger husband: Can it work, even in a song?
| A-Growing (He's Young But He's Daily A-Growing) [Laws O35] | RBW
| Why is the wren the king of birds? | The Wren (The King) | RBW
| Just what were they eating when they wrote "Nottamum Town?"
| Nottamun Town | PJS, RBW
| Hey! What's in this drink?
| The Man that Waters the Workers' Beer | RBW
| Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Owls | Of All the Birds | RBW
| The Knight of the Burning Pestle and
"Go From My Window" | Go From My Window (I) | BS
| Away, Musgrave, Away! I Want Sir Gawain Instead!
| Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard [Child 81] | RBW, BS
| Who was that masked man, anyway? | Glasgerion [Child 67] | RBW
| Don't you recognize the Duke of York? One of them....
| The Noble Duke of York | RBW
| I Want Your Body -- on My Dissecting Table.
| The Black Cook | RBW
| What happened on the Flanders Shore?
| The Flanders Shore | BS
| Mummers' Plays and Courting
| Sweet Moll | BS
| The Clerk's Tale | The Clerk's Twa Sons o Owsenford [Child 72] | BS
| The Afterlife of John Barleycorn and his kin
| Allan o Maut (I) (Why should not Allan Honoured Be) | Allan o Maut (II) (How Mault Deals With Every Man) John Barleycorn (I) John Barleycorn (II) (The Little Barleycorn) John Barleycorn (III) (The Bloody Murder of Sir John Barleycorn) BS
| When the Devil collects a cursed soul, the curse must be "from the heart." | The Devil and Bailiff McGlynn | RBW
| Just what did Bishop Percy do with the Heir of Linne? | The Heir of Linne (II) | BS
| How many magpies does it take to predict your future? | One for Sorrow (Counting Magpies, Telling Fortunes) | RBW
| What's in a final E? Which Bickerstaff(e) wrote about which miller? | The Miller of Dee | BS, RBW
| How many gates to the road to Babylon's babies? | How Many Miles to Babylon? | BS, RBW
| The Evolution of a Folk Song: One More Kiss Before I Go | One More Kiss Before I Go | BS
| Who are you and where do you land when you jump Jim Crow? | Jump Jim Crow | RBW
| Was there a London Bridge that fell down? | London Bridge Is Falling Down | RBW
| It's the wrong words. It's the wrong tune. It's The Doxology. | Old Hundred | RBW
| Who is John Crow and why is he stealing clothes? | Wheel and Turn Me | BS
| Do you need rum and Coca-Cola to learn calypso? | Rum and Coca-Cola | BS
| Can't find a husband? Did you look in the forest? Or the zoo? | The Forgotten Wife (The Black Bull of Norroway; The Red Bull of Norroway; The Brown Bear of Norway) | BS
| How a chapbook poem became an Irish folk song in the Tunney family | Sheila Nee Iyer | BS
| Who was Charles R. Thatcher and why was he asking about licenses? | Where's Your License? | RBW
| Harrigan and Hart: More than just a comedy team | Babies on Our Block | RBW
| The March of Progress for Harrigan and Hart | The Mulligan Guard | RBW
| So who really did love that Flat River Girl? | Jack Haggerty | RBW
| How Edward Harrigan made that woodpile move. | Hold the Woodpile Down | RBW
| The laurel grows... green? blue? red? Or is it a lilac? | Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs) | DGE, BS
| Sewing up the tale of Gammer Gurton's Needle | Jolly Good Ale and Old (Back and Sides Go Bare) | RBW
| That bird must have one tough beak to take down that mountain! | Land of Odin | RBW
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The Ballad Index is copyright © 2023 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.