Christmas Special

Christmas Special

An Every Folk Song chronology of some of the major Christmas songs in history. From The Friendly Beasts to Frosty the Snowman and more! Matt takes a break from pure folk songs to bring you this look into the history of some of your favorite Christmas songs. This is a long one, so I advise you listen in chunks.   Happy Holidays! http://everyfolksong.xyz/

15 - The Cruel Ship's Carpenter

Roud 15 is called "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter," but if you know it, it would probably be as "Pretty Polly." And old English song about a brutal, calculated murder which became an American bluegrass standard, this song has a well-traced history behind it. In this episode, I bring along Paul Slade of http://www.planetslade.com/ [http://www.planetslade.com/] to talk about it with me.   http://everyfolksong.xyz [http://everyfolksong.xyz/]

The Wratten Murders

A little diversion from the normal path down the Roud Folk Index, Matt sets off on a quest to solve a mundane little mystery and discovers a horrific and little known true crime story with twists and a turns which consumes his life.  Thanks to the Daviess County Historical Society and Museum and Don Cosby: https://www.daviesscountyhistory.com/ [https://www.daviesscountyhistory.com/] Thanks to Paul Slade: http://www.planetslade.com/ [http://www.planetslade.com/] And HUGE thanks to The Windfarmers: https://soundcloud.com/user-485899048 [https://soundcloud.com/user-485899048] And Adam Gordon: https://youtu.be/dpiQuuFz8DU [https://youtu.be/dpiQuuFz8DU] http://everyfolksong.xyz

14 - The Daemon Lover

Roud 14, "The Daemon Lover." Or "The House Carpenter." It's a song that epitomizes a literary and cultural motif that's been expounded on in depth by people a lot smarter than me, but I try to capture the ideas here. A lot of people helped with this episode, so thanks to all of them, and all of your for listening. http://everyfolksong.xyz [http://everyfolksong.xyz/]

13 - The Dowie Dens of Yarrow

Roud 13 is called "The Dowie Dens of Yarrow." It is as much about a small area of Scotland and its history as it is about a man betrayed and the woman who mourns him. http://everyfolksong.xyz [http://everyfolksong.xyz/]