Topic summary
Traditional song
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Folk music.
Subject matter
Sometimes, as in the triumphant Song of Deborah found in the BiblicalBook of Judges, these songs celebrate victory. Laments for lost battles and wars, and the lives lost in them, are equally prominent in many traditions; these laments keep alive the cause for which the battle was fought. The narratives of traditional songs often also remember folk heroes such as John Henry or Robin Hood. Some traditional song narratives recall supernatural events or mysterious deaths.