narrative ballad
C25918
concept
A narrative ballad is a song or poem that tells a story, often in simple language and regular rhythm, typically focusing on dramatic, emotional, or historical events.
Observed surface forms (20)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| traditional folk ballad | 9 |
| traditional ballad | 4 |
| narrative song segment | 3 |
| traditional English folk ballad | 2 |
| Chinese ballad | 1 |
| Chinese narrative poem | 1 |
| Scottish border ballad | 1 |
| child ballad | 1 |
| comic ballad | 1 |
| fictional narrative song | 1 |
| lyrical ballad | 1 |
| melancholic ballad | 1 |
| narrative song tradition | 1 |
| narrative songs | 1 |
| narrative verse | 1 |
| river ballad | 1 |
| storytelling ballad | 1 |
| traditional British folk ballad | 1 |
| traditional English ballad | 1 |
| traditional narrative folk song | 1 |
Instances (35)
| Instance | Via concept surface |
|---|---|
| Things Are OK in Oyster Bay (Brenda and Eddie section) | narrative song segment |
| The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie | narrative song segment |
| The Death of Queen Jane | traditional English ballad |
| La Belle Dame sans Merci | — |
|
the ballad "The Battle of Otterburn"
surface form:
The Battle of Otterburn
|
traditional ballad |
| Ballad of Mulan | Chinese narrative poem |
| ballads of Robin Hood | narrative songs |
| Oh My Darling, Clementine | traditional ballad |
|
“Patches” by Clarence Carter
surface form:
"Patches" (song)
|
storytelling ballad |
|
“Dorsey, the Mail-Carrying Dog”
surface form:
Dorsey, the Mail-Carrying Dog
|
narrative song segment |
| Brennan on the Moor | — |
| Forever Autumn | melancholic ballad |
| The Trees They Do Grow High | traditional folk ballad |
| The Lily of the West | traditional folk ballad |
| Silkie | traditional folk ballad |
| Once I Had a Sweetheart | traditional folk ballad |
| Barbara Allen | traditional folk ballad |
| The Cherry Tree Carol | traditional English folk ballad |
| Railroad Boy | traditional folk ballad |
| Mary Hamilton | traditional ballad |
| Henry Martin | traditional folk ballad |
|
Isis
surface form:
Isis (song)
|
— |
|
“Geordie”
surface form:
Geordie
|
traditional British folk ballad |
|
“Matty Groves”
surface form:
Matty Groves
|
traditional English folk ballad |
| Jack-A-Roe | traditional folk ballad |
| Song about a Friend | lyrical ballad |
|
“The Dowie Dens o Yarrow”
surface form:
The Dowie Dens o Yarrow
|
traditional ballad |
| Border ballads | traditional narrative folk song |
| Otto Titsling | fictional narrative song |
| Scottish songs and ballads such as "The Skye Boat Song" | narrative song tradition |
| Across the Wide Missouri | river ballad |
|
song "Finnegan's Wake"
surface form:
Finnegan's Wake
|
comic ballad |
|
Pancho and Lefty (song by Townes Van Zandt)
surface form:
Pancho and Lefty
|
— |
|
"Bullocky Bill" verse
surface form:
Bullocky Bill
|
narrative verse |
| Peggy-O | traditional folk ballad |