Folk Files

This episode of Folk Files discusses songs involving infanticide. “The Well Below the Valley” and “The Cruel Mother” stand at the center of this heartbreaking voyage through historical records, Scandinavian folklore, and murder ballads.

Host: Olivia Harding

Join the Folk FIles Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast

Special Thanks To: Aaron J. Morton

Note: Because it’s always true in folk songs, when I refer to pregnant people in general, I say “women”. However, the difficulties I discuss (postpartum maladies, access to medical care, etc.) affect people of all genders.

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Christy Moore

WORK: Well Below the Valley

SOURCE:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylZGw7tfAHI

ARTIST: Polly Paulusma

WORK: The Maid and the Palmer

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUILSHtxYWI

ARTIST: Sähköpaimen

WORK: Mataleena på Källebro

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAk_knoRDdE

ARTIST: Brass Monkey

WORK: The Maid and the Palmer

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIeZ953yUc4

ARTIST: Hack-Poets Guild

WORK: Cruel Mother

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pzvqeBHsSg

ARTIST: Alasdair Roberts

WORK: The Cruel Mother

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIOANdvjRqY

ARTIST: Bryndís Sveinbjörnsdóttir

WORK: Móðir mín í kví, kví

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtKTkSMO5Us

ARTIST: Shirley Collins

WORK: The Cruel Mother

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3DuJrjwts

ARTIST: Ewan MacColl

WORK: Sheath and Knife

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=787wXkYcdHY

ARTIST: Nick Hart

WORK: Lucy Wan

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TihjH0G_0H0

Episode 9 is all about birds! Embark on a journey around the world to sample bird songs and birdsong. Along the way, listen to the mockingbird, help the blackbird find his missing pieces, and rumple up the cuckoo’s nest. Note: This was recorded on the road (away from the studio) so please excuse any loss of audio quality!

Host: Olivia Harding

Join the Folk FIles Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Beatrice Harrison

WORK: “Actually recorded in Beatrice Harrison's Garden, Oxted”

SOURCE:  https://youtu.be/QPxT95WwIBM?si=wreVzzkJVYWt6kWt

ARTIST: Recorded by the BBC

WORK: “Nightingales Sing As RAF Bombers Fly”

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_MHqW5KVds&t=4s

ARTIST: Sam Lee

WORK: Blackbird

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDQMVFgRv10

ARTIST: Unknown

WORK: Sarika Keo Euy

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-jcF5jr6Ic

ARTIST: Cote Godoy

WORK: En Un Lejano Bosque

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-buGB5jM_IE

ARTIST: Savanna Tríóïð

WORK: Sa ég spóa

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoiihIzaD5g

ARTIST: Mohamed Fawzi

WORK: Zahab al-leil

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdPNR47biiI

ARTIST: The Brown Madrigal Singers

WORK: Of All the Birds That I Do Know

SOURCE: 2010 Holiday Concert

ARTIST: Steeleye Span

WORK: Drink Down the Moon

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sGBhvJuNBw

ARTIST: Oberkirchen Choir

WORK: Kuckuck, Kuckuck

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/s8J8aGe0Pe8?si=RM3Wrkz8fjCdbbK6

ARTIST: Rising Appalachia

WORK: Cuckoo

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/h6ow2Z5Jh9Y?si=0mi84w2KziN1hBtv

ARTIST: Cosmo Sheldrake

WORK: Cuckoo Song

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/cbQyFZmuA58?si=UgLUJ7K6o9B5VHAF

ARTIST: Tonton Dezirab

WORK: Ti Zwazo

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/b5zzeW6YuJc?si=NNm7daTxNo0LONaq

ARTIST: Mitamaiyu Primary

WORK: Kanyoni Kanja

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x4nSfjchvg

ARTIST: Dolly Parton and Stuart Duncan

WORK: Listen to the Mockingbird

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/vqYYkWwfYhs?si=PU0fHePemEcx4jko

ARTIST: Music the Gathering

WORK: Misirloucuckoo’s Nest

SOURCE: https://www.musicthegathering.com/store/lvl-3-digital-album-esexe

“Shady Grove” is an Appalachian folk song that is often linked to the English ballad “Matty Groves”. But what is the actual relationship between them? This episode of Folk Files discusses the meaning of “Shady Grove” and untangles the origins of these two songs.

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to: Aaron J Morton.

Join the Folk Files Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Doc Watson

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0f-dCMSVKQ

ARTIST: Jean Ritchie

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFw78zP39Y4

ARTIST: Jennifer Goree

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.ghostmeat.com/jennifergoree.html

ARTIST: Michael Johnathon

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvsTIvwgNI0

ARTIST: Jerry Garcia and the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZBuFXlISkQ

ARTIST: Billy Strings

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGScvVTHqQo

ARTIST:The Kingston Trio

WORK: Old Joe Clark

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS7dH-CYed0

ARTIST: Kentucky Thorobreds

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46eBbMhB-TI

ARTIST: Hedy West

WORK: Barbara Allen

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzTAsbdztMY

ARTIST: Music the Gathering

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.musicthegathering.com/store/lvl-3-digital-album-petnc-8c8hy

ARTIST: Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl

WORK: Matty Groves

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdyUqIfGa1Y

ARTIST: Martin Carthy 

WORK: Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt7-hYd7PdM

ARTIST: Fairport Convention

WORK: Matty Groves

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1it7BP5PckI

ARTIST: Music the Gathering

WORK: Shady Grove

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aacCgKWGoWg

This month’s episode focuses on folk songs from the British Isles where the main character dresses, acts, or lives in a way that challenges gender norms. It also offers a glimpse into the work of “Queer Folk”, an English organization that highlights traditional songs with LGBTQIA+ themes.

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to: Shiloh DeFabia, Lafayette Matthews, and Aaron J Morton.

Learn more about Queer Folk: https://www.queerfolk.co.uk/

Join the Folk Files Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Sophie Crawford and George Sansome (Queer Folk)

WORK: Jack Went A-Sailing

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sRO-DVLprA

ARTIST: Philip Langridge, arr. Benjamin Britten

WORK: Sweet Polly Oliver

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7ulITPfqs

ARTIST: Gog Magog Molly

WORK: The Polychromatic Parrot (at Sidmouth)

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVELKeXEf8Q

ARTIST: TransAction Theatre

WORK: The Ballad of the Female Husband

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKZuYRL5VM&t=0s

ARTIST: Sophie Crawford (Queer Folk)

WORK: Our Captain Calls All Hands

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9e7nWijLR0

ARTIST: Ian Robb

WORK: The Female Rambling Sailor

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdWBhmsktJU

ARTIST: Gavin Atkin

WORK: Short Jacket and White Trousers

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FDJsEtgrns

ARTIST: A.L. Lloyd

WORK: Sovay the Female Highwayman

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_KXPXmgI8

ARTIST: Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise

WORK: Billy Taylor

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34HIv_MgH54

ARTIST: Finbar Furey

WORK: New York Girls

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGqSEFaa94Y

ARTIST: Nic Jones

WORK: Barrack Street

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nmS1iCbqe4

ARTIST: Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones

WORK: The Tailor’s Breeches / New Year’s Day
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqjiL7PWUZA

ARTIST: Amy Thatcher and Holly Clarke (Queer Folk)

WORK: That Lulu Business

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx6ecSBsjPQ

April is dead and summer is a-coming in! This episode of Folk Files explores the tradition of May songs and festivals, specifically focusing on Hal an Tow and the Flora Day celebrations in Cornwall. Morris dancing, maypoles, and the origin of May Day are also discussed.

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to: Stephen Winick, Donna Smith, Aaron J. Morton, The Soup

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Marc Block

WORK: Hal an Tow

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgBzSNOc3A8

ARTIST: Ranarim

WORK: Maj vare välkommen

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wXcJiGH-o

ARTIST: The Halekulani Girls

WORK: May Day is Lei Day

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3GuJp2PZPU

ARTIST: The Watersons

WORK: Hal an Tow

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5kyvYoiS8c

ARTIST: Helston Flora Day, recorded by artcornwall.org

WORK: Hal an Tow

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rftBZKbZRg

ARTIST: Shirley Collins And The Albion Country Band

WORK: Hal-an-Tow

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5vUj6j8hjI

ARTIST: David Hansen

WORK: The Helston Furry Dance

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tGk9RODnRw

ARTIST: The Ashdown Forest Morris Men, recorded by Britclip

WORK: May Day 2024

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXhh8ClqDaw

ARTIST: Lillian Short

WORK: Robin Hood

SOURCE: Vance Randolph Collection AFC 1941/001: AFS 5263 B2 (https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2022/05/more-about-hal-an-tow-early-evidence-of-a-may-song/)

ARTIST: Roger Miller

WORK: Oo-De-Lally

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsyG3-IlY3Y

ARTIST: Richard Thompson

WORK: Sumer Is Icumen In

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKikjYdf1DA

ARTIST: Lisa Knapp

WORK: Till April is Dead

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe-WWMHQASg

Wayfaring Stranger is the featured song in this episode of Folk Files, which explores the history of Appalachia, shape note tradition, and the difficulties of tracing the origins of early American folk music. 

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to: Aaron J. Morton, Jo Morton, Lucas "Whiskey Richards" Husted, and Mary White-Harding

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Jack White

WORK: Wayfaring Stranger

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25P08So3rfI

ARTIST: Cherokee National Youth Choir

WORK: North Wind

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_7j3qx-Qrs

ARTIST: Detlef Korsen

WORK: Ich Bin Ein Gast Auf Erden

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ia7MiVqRc

ARTIST: Ireland Sacred Harp Convention

WORK: Wayfaring Stranger

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dL4AVKA6tM

ARTIST: The United Shape Note Singers of West Georgia and the Associated Note Singers of Atlanta

WORK: What a Happy Time

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwHIEb19Ug

ARTIST: Texas Sacred Harp Singers

WORK: What Wondrous Love

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRpV9H9ZpB0

ARTIST: ARRR!!!

WORK: The Ballad of Captain Kidd

SOURCE: Let’s Get Kraken: https://arrr-pirates.bandcamp.com/album/lets-get-kraken

ARTIST: Rhiannon Giddens

WORK: Wayfaring Stranger

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Z4PAZX9Bs

ARTIST: Ewan McColl

WORK: Dowie Dens of Yarrow

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NfTplWa0mg

ARTIST: Second Wind

WORK: Wayfaring Stranger

SOURCE: Deco Lounge, April 6 2024

This episode of Folk Files traces the roots of popular sea shanties to Black work songs and African folk traditions.

Full list of referenced works: https://jmp.sh/gcOBH83N

To jump into the Black origins of country music, start here:

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/10/black-country-music-legacy/671818/

https://time.com/5673476/ken-burns-country-music-black-artists/

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to Cherie and Michael Albert

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Paul Clayton and the Fo’c’sle Singers

WORK: Haul Away Joe

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x73TAgmZYAM

ARTIST: The Longest Johns

WORK: Spanish Ladies

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3wzlHYzsg8

ARTIST: Ed Lewis and Prisoners from Parchman, Mississippi

WORK: I Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/C-zlSq4mWiE?si=fnGu-f8ZgGbMmv0-

ARTIST: Music the Gathering

WORK: Sundown Below

SOURCE: LVL 1

ARTIST: Assassin’s Creed: Rogue

WORK: Donkey Riding

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgfLP3gMh0Y

ARTIST: David Coffin

WORK: Roll the Old Chariot

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJtgjG0x9Mw

ARTIST: Planxty

WORK: Sally Brown

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Bq4-fCH0c

ARTIST: Sam Lee

WORK: Knock a Man Down

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NoUAQhY-g8

ARTIST: Bernard Wrigley et. al.

WORK: Haul Away for Rosie

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1DugYkOOd0

ARTIST: Coon Creek Girls

WORK: Jim Along Josie

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztG-7-P_G-w

ARTIST: Lead Belly

WORK: Haul Away Joe

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEoHm1GBQtU

ARTIST: The Barroualie Whalers

WORK: Tinnego

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwL5lpVt1Mk

ARTIST: The Menhaden Chanteymen

WORK: [Title Unknown]

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geAJI6he75I

Ahoy! This episode of Folk Files explores the strange history of Mingulay, the island at the center of the Mingulay Boat Song. The episode also delves into the difference between sea shanties and fo’c’sle songs and discusses the tradition of naming songs “[Scottish Island] Boat Song”. 

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton, Asia Lupo, Marc Mills, Arne Parrott, Joseph Maurer, Cherie Hopton Albert, and Michael Albert

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: ARRR!!!

WORK: Mingulay Boat Song

SOURCE: Scourge of the Open Waters

ARTIST: Tom Sullivan

WORK: Paddy Lay Back

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLLf4eC5pRA

ARTIST: Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival demonstration on the Joseph Conrad

WORK: Blood Red Roses

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syAn2xv5HSU&t=48s

ARTIST: The Longest Johns

WORK: Mingulay Boat Song

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDt81x1B8nk

ARTIST: Robin Hall & Jimmy McGregor with the Galliards

WORK: Mingulay Boat Song

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF3CpSf7NxQ

ARTIST: Harbottle and Jonas (from Folk at the Corner House)

WORK: Mingulay Boat Song

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecuxgrISx0A

ARTIST: The Kilt Lifters

WORK: Queen Mary’s Escape

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7XpB1I-FSk

ARTIST: Mairi MacInnes

WORK: Cuachag Nan Craobh

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=298ngsE8dTY

ARTIST: Bear McCreary (feat. Griogair Labhruidh)

WORK: The Skye Boat Song

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnsVFslhy6I

ARTIST: Music the Gathering

WORK: Mingulay Boat Song (WIP)

SOURCE: Soon to be released on LVL 3. Check here for updates: https://www.musicthegathering.com/

In this holiday episode of Folk Files, we explore the old, wild, wonderful world of wassailing. Wæs hæl!

Host: Olivia Harding

Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton.

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: The Brown University Madrigal Singers

WORK: Wassail Song, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams

SOURCE: 2010 Holiday Concert

ARTIST: Magpie Lane

WORK: The Somerset Wassail

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhWNp9vh39E

ARTIST: The King’s Singers

WORK: Here We Come A Wassailing

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YUGXr8FcdY

ARTIST: Ian Giles

WORK: God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nppGaVz_8cw

ARTIST: Electra Women’s Choir

WORK: Yorkshire Wassail

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCXM9G9uyt4

ARTIST: Unknown, recorded by Smithsonian Folkways

WORK: John Canoe Music

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nIdRnL7vRU

ARTIST: Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldridge, and Sid Goldsmith

WORK: Cornish Wassail

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo1aGvEUtcI

ARTIST: Phil Tanner

WORK: The Wassail Song (Gower)

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqCxKtHr778

ARTIST: Rhodri McDonagh

WORK: Deck the Halls (Welsh version)

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGuTncYncbU

Welcome to Folk Files, a podcast hosted by Olivia Harding that seeks to uncover the mysteries of folk music throughout the ages and dive deep into the tangled history of murder ballads, sea shanties, rebel songs, and other music that has withstood the test of time!

In this inaugural episode, we will discuss the meaning of "folk music" and explore the origins of the song "Health to the Company".

Special thanks to Misti Bernard, Jerry Barry, and Aaron J. Morton.

ARTIST: Sherrill Milnes, Liberty Tree Wind Players, American Fife Ensemble, Jon Spong

WORK: Liberty Song

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZI1MJuszYM

ARTIST: Vin Garbutt

WORK: We May Or Might Never All Meet Here Again

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Hg5V5YWWg

ARTIST: The Chieftains

WORK: Here's a Health to the Company

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkuDYhdVers

ARTIST: The Minstrels of Mayhem

WORK: Health to the Company

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7PVJuo4yw4

ARTIST: Owain Phyfe

WORK: A Health to the Company

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcS88F1jR4U

ARTIST: Winnie Ryan

WORK: I Am a Poor Girl and My Life it is Sad

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goAyQLQA1xg

ARTIST: Silly Wizard

WORK: If I was a Blackbird

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXi_uYP0tlM