Questions tagged [folk]

For questions about folk music, both traditional as well as contemporary.

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A country/folk song with a special manner of singing I have trouble to describe. How is Can't Stare Down A Montaineer from The Crooked Jades singular? [closed]

I haven't a lot of culture about the manners of singing available across the U.S.A. I enjoyed Can't Stare Down A Mountaineer from The Crooked Jades. It's a country/folk song, but the way of singing it ...
Marc Le Bihan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
32 views

"Whiskey in the Jar" - which version is 'canon'?

Of course folksongs have no canon version, but at least in this case two "main", very different variants exist: The depressive one (e.g. Thin Lizzy, our highwayman ends up in prison charged ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
28 views

How do you make a arabic sounding flute in reaper or bandlab?

I'm making an Arabic jazz album for a music class project, that's kinda like the astounding eyes of rita album by Anouar Brahem, and in the album there's a lot flute and Arabic percussion in the album,...
INDO_GEMENG's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
516 views

Am I confused about the message of the "Monday Morning" folk song?

I've listened many times to this: I recognize that I may be completely wrong, and probably are (judging by how often I've misinterpreted lyrics in the past), but is ...
A. Tanigawa's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
90 views

Does anyone have the lyrics and meaning of Kulusizi by Dixie Kwankwa?

Dixie Kwankwa was popular in Ghana and Zambia in the 1960s. I've tried to find the lyrics for Kulusizi but nobody seems to have it online as she doesn't have much of a following today. Extra points ...
Twilight Sparkle's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

The Irish Rovers - Wasn`t that a party lyrics

I've been going through the mentioned song's lyrics and got stuck on a few phrases: They were sittin' in my back yard, blowing on a sireen From somebody's police car. What does blowing on a sireen ...
HappyLemon's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
519 views

Is there a connection between talking blues and hip hop/rap?

Is there some connection between the talking blues of the sixties (e.g. Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues) and its folkier predecessors such as Guthrie and Leadbelly and the rap and hip hop lyrics? I ...
Three Diag's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
60 views

Is there a term for this style of ethnic European folk song?

The style features verses that are slow, sometimes speeding up, but ending with a rallentando and often a fermata, then going into a chorus that begins slowly (sometimes very slowly) with a gradual ...
Robusto's user avatar
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0 answers
147 views

Were royalties paid in the USA folk scene in the 60's? -- The Bob Dylan example

Taking as an example the album Bob Dylan, released in 1962 by Columbia, how likely is it that the fees for covering famous folk songs were paid and that original authors actually received the fees? ...
Clément's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
1 answer
474 views

Where can I read information about the English folk song "Monday Morning"?

I'm talking about this song: For years now, I've tried to find a Wikipedia article on it, or any information at all. Oddly, I've been unable to. All I know is that a ...
D M's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
72 views

What traditional songs do parents and close family sing to their young (birth - 4) children? [closed]

Background I met a boy, about five years old, from a Persian family, and wanted to teach him some familiar (to him) songs on the piano. However, the children's songs familiar to me were not familiar ...
Aaron's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
40 views

Does anyone know of any bagpipe albums I could buy that have just 2 or 3 bagpipes performing together?

Does anyone know of any bagpipe albums I could buy? Not massed pipes (i.e. lots of pipes, sometimes up to 100), but 2 or 3. I really like the Triumph Street Band, from Canada, but I don't think they ...
user24353's user avatar
  • 221
3 votes
0 answers
91 views

In the folk song "The Wild Rover," how did the narrator get the money he has in the tavern?

In the Irish folk song "The Wild Rover," the narrator has been spending his money on beer for a long time, many years (and maybe living nomadically). He regrets this very much and resolves ...
user24353's user avatar
  • 221
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

What do these lyrics in "Angeline the Baker" mean?

In the song "Angeline the Baker," the lyrics go: Angeline the baker, age of 43 Fed her sugar candy, but she still won't marry me What does "fed her sugar candy" mean? Is it referring to sweet ...
John's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is Santiano's "Mädchen von Haithabu" intentionally very similar to Tha Mi Sgith?

An excerpt from this Wikipedia page: Santiano is a German band from the northern region of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, whose genres include Irish folk, sea shanty, and schlager music. The name ...
Micah Windsor's user avatar
4 votes
6 answers
2k views

Other than the electric guitar, which plucked chordophones (guitar-like instruments) originated in the United States?

Many countries all around the world took inspiration from stuff like the Lute, the Baroque Guitar, and the Classical Guitar to develop new forms of guitars, that deeply shaped the folklore of the ...
NPN328's user avatar
  • 4,322
8 votes
3 answers
36k views

Origin and meaning of "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby"

Most famously heard in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou", the traditional lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" is performed by artists Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and ...
James Shewey's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
245 views

Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" origin

I recently found this band that plays Jewish folk songs or uses motives from them in their own material. They're called Black Ox Orkestrar. One of their songs called "Tsvey Tabelakh" seemed very ...
egst's user avatar
  • 131
2 votes
1 answer
14k views

Are "Londonderry Air", "Danny Boy", and "You Raise Me Up" the same song?

I notice that the Irish air Londonderry Air, the ballad Danny Boy by Frederic Weatherly, and You Raise Me Up by the band Secret Garden sound pretty much the same (or at least similar) when I listen to ...
user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
12k views

What's the difference between Bluegrass and Country?

I'm diving into North American folklore music of the 20th century, and two of the staples are the Bluegrass and Country genres / styles. They seem to be intimately connected though, so: How are they ...
NPN328's user avatar
  • 4,322
4 votes
1 answer
469 views

What's the difference between Cuban Son and Mexican Son?

Both are very important folkloric, traditional, styles in their respective countries. They sound very similar, but seems that they developed somewhat independently, at least at their beginnings. Here ...
NPN328's user avatar
  • 4,322
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Who is Johanna in this Joan Baez song - The Winds of the Old Days

In this song, The Winds of the Old Days, by Joan Baez, the last stanza is: And get you down to the harbor now Most of the sour grapes are gone from the bough Ghosts of Johanna will visit you there ...
Mahathi Vempati's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
341 views

The inspiration behind the song: What Have They Done To My Song, Ma

I recently came across this beautiful song, but could find very little about what inspired this song. Any details about what inspired it, any other information about it, would be appreciated.
Mahathi Vempati's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
122 views

End of AVICII's The Nights: Why is the end of the sound wave not centered around zero?

This is the end of AVICII's The Nights (YouTube) viewed in Audacity: Question: Is there a particular purpose for keeping the wave out of the center? I guess it does not change the sound (or at least ...
Nicolas Raoul's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
16 views

Does anyone know examples of old Danish rowing songs?

Some friends of mine told me they were on a trip with an old viking dragonboat when some of the girls started to sing some ancient rowing song. To be able to have some imagination how that might have ...
mschenk74's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote
4 answers
597 views

What is going on in the lyrics of Kate Rusby's song “The Lark”?

What is going on in the lyrics of Kate Rusby's song “The Lark”? This song is moving but cryptic—it's hard for me to tell what's going on. There may have been a breakup between the narrator and the ...
user24353's user avatar
  • 221
3 votes
0 answers
357 views

Original "Glory To The Sun" Russian folk song used as a theme in Beethoven String Quartet No. 8 and others

In String Quartet No. 8, Beethoven made use of a Russian theme based on the folk song (or hymn) "Glory To The Sun". Other composers also used this song as a theme: Mussorgski in "Boris Gudunov", ...
John Warren's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
50 views

Roma 2018 - Alfonso Cuaron - beach wedding song

I'm trying to identify the title of the simple beach wedding music, performed by a local Mexican orchestra in Roma (the great movie on Netflix, Venice festival winner, from Alfonso Cuaron) It is not ...
fastrell's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
605 views

What's the origin of the phrase "Rise Up Singing"?

There's a famous song book called "Rise Up Singing." That expression appears in the lyric of Summertime, from Porgy and Bess. I wonder whether that's the whole story of the phrase (it was created by ...
Chaim's user avatar
  • 173
1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Song used on "Maps that Will Change the Way You See Russia" video

Does anybody know what is the name of this music? I find it very interesting. Thanks
Zhetdudf's user avatar
4 votes
5 answers
3k views

"I Riden Så" (Ye Ride So Carefully) Interpretation

There are lyrics of a song that I'd love to understand better: "I Riden Så" (Ye Ride So Carefully) by the Finnish band Gjallarhorn My questions are: How is the singer related to Silibrant and his ...
Martin Eckleben's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
74 views

"Are you going to leave me here alone and forsake your own country?" [closed]

I'm trying to remember a folk song I heard (recorded, sung by a man with a guitar) as a child. The only part I can remember now is from the refrain, which goes Singing Jimmy, dearest Jimmy, On ...
MissMonicaE's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
167 views

What does characterize "dirty" folk?

As different to "normal" folk? Is it so because of "dirty" sounds? Example https://youtu.be/_ILe0_DovlU
J. Doe's user avatar
  • 125
1 vote
2 answers
87 views

How could Iron and Wine open for Jason Isbell in concert

I recently went to a concert in Canandaigua, NY, in which Iron and Wine opened for Jason Isbell. Iron and Wine seems to be a much more established artist. A quick glance at Wikipedia shows that ...
Sam Weisenthal's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
66 views

Name for commercial song which becomes accepted as folk song?

Is there a term for a commercial song, in a folk/roots style, which gets accepted as an authentic folk original ? I'm thinking of a song like The Wheel of the Wagon is Broken. Country/Western Swing ...
Angst's user avatar
  • 4,242
1 vote
0 answers
44 views

The connection between Kurdish music and the sound of horses galloping?

The characteristic background rhythm of Kurdish music (like this) is very similar to the sound of horses galloping. Given that horses were domesticated by Indo-Europeans, it seems likely there could ...
Houman's user avatar
  • 111
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

What Do The Lyrics Of "O Shenandoah" Refer to?

I've been looking at some arrangements of "O Shenandoah", and am utterly confused about the lyrics. First of all: None make too much sense. I always thought it was about a river, but a good number of ...
Benjamin McAvoy-Bickford's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
140 views

Australian or NZ bands like Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.?

I am looking for Australian or New Zealand bands like Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.? This may not exist. I am also interested in any bands with a similar sound from other languages or ...
jakethedog's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
87 views

Lyrics to Jake Bugg song 'Swept Away"

I have seen several different transcriptions of the lyrics to this Jake Bugg song. And I was wondering if anybody had seen a physical copy of the lyrics like sometimes come in the case when you by a ...
Aeolanyira's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the meaning of this line in Loch Lomond?

This verse of Loch Lomond is usually sung as : The wee birdies sing And the wild flowers spring And in sunshine the waters lie sleeping But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring again ...
cat40's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
132 views

Name of Irish-like Christmas song?

I was watching this video to get some ideas on what to play on an informal Christmas concert. From 0:21 to 0:56 the boy plays a song that sounds quite good. It looks like and Irish song , but I don't ...
user1868607's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Meaning of "Blowing in the Wind"?

The song Blowing in the Wind has the following lines How many roads must a man walk down Before they call him a man I have no clue what this means How many seas must a white dove sail ...
cat40's user avatar
  • 789
3 votes
2 answers
74 views

Where does the 5th line in Wild Mountan Thyme go?

The song "Wild Mountain Thyme" (or "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go", "The Blooming/Purple Heather" or any other line you'd like to pull out of it) has this verse/chorus structure: Oh the summer time is ...
cat40's user avatar
  • 789
3 votes
1 answer
404 views

Russian folk song sung in the movie Russkies?

Approximately 30 minutes into the 1987 film "Russkies" the main character, Mischa, sings what I assume to be a Russian folk song. A clip is available on YouTube at this link. Can you name that tune ...
Einar's user avatar
  • 51
1 vote
0 answers
600 views

Are there any records of Woody Guthrie's FBI verses to "Acres of Clams"?

In Pete Seeger's Introduction to Acres of Clams, he states that he and Woody Guthrie once improvised verses to it, including the verse: They asked, "would I fight for my country?" I answered the ...
cat40's user avatar
  • 789
2 votes
2 answers
796 views

Sponge Cake in "True Blue" by John Williamson

In the famous Australian folk song "True Blue" written by John Williamson, he asks "If they sell us out like sponge cake, Do you really care?" Is this referring to anything in particular? For example, ...
Ziggy Z's user avatar
  • 21
4 votes
1 answer
224 views

What are the two hornpipes in "Two Hornpipes" from the Pirates of the Caribbean [closed]

In the soundtrack to the second Pirates of the Caribbean, there is a track titled "Two hornpipes" (Video). I can only hear one in it, and it sounds rather similar to the Lamplighter's Hornpipe, but ...
cat40's user avatar
  • 789
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Japanese Folk Song "Sunayama"

There is a Japanese folk song called Sunayama and I think it is very beautiful but I cannot find any reliable information upon it. I know there are a few songs on iTunes of it but pretty much nothing (...
Neo Scott's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
190 views

How the celtic music were evolved? What is the true meaning of 'Celtic'?

I am a very big fan of celtic music and i often listen to them for hours straight. But how did these music evolve, like what are the main occasion for these musics, what purpose these music served etc....
Racs Chisty's user avatar