English Songs and Ballads — Inside the Classic

Anonymous Beginnings and the Medieval Voice

The anthology opens with 'My Swete Sweting,' an anonymous piece whose title and phrasing—'Ah, my swete swetyng'—echo the earliest English lyric tradition. This is followed by other unattributed songs such as 'The Happy Trio' and 'The De'il's Awa' Wi' the Exciseman,' which mix humor with social commentary. The compiler's decision to include these without author attribution emphasizes their status as folk property, passed down orally before being printed. Readers should note the variation in dialect: some are in standard English, others in Scots, reflecting the regional diversity of the ballad tradition. The anonymous pieces often use refrains and repetitive structures, making them easy to remember and sing. This section of the collection suggests that the 'average person' Crosland had in mind was familiar with both courtly and rustic traditions.

Love and Longing Across the Centuries

Love songs dominate the anthology, from Shakespeare's 'Blow, blow, thou winter wind' to Burns's 'Ae fond kiss, and then we sever.' The treatment of love ranges from playful seduction in 'Come live with me and be my love' to melancholy parting in 'Ae fond kiss.' A recurring motif is the beloved associated with nature: Burns's 'I love my Jean' links the lassie to 'dewy flowers' and 'tunefu' birds,' while 'Lassie wi' the lint-white locks' uses seasonal imagery to frame courtship. The Scots songs often employ dialect terms like 'bonie' and 'lo'e,' which may require glossary consultation for modern readers. Notably, several songs express love from a female perspective, such as 'Whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad,' where the speaker invites her lover despite parental disapproval. This variety in voice and tone gives the collection a conversational quality.

Humor, Drinking, and Social Satire

Not all songs are sentimental. 'The De'il's Awa' Wi' the Exciseman' celebrates the devil dancing away a tax collector, with a chorus that thanks 'the muckle black De'il' for the relief. 'The Happy Trio' describes three friends drinking barley bree, insisting 'We are na fou, we're no that fou' while the moon 'blinkin' in the lift' tempts them home. These songs use dialect and repetition for comic effect. Crosland includes several such pieces, suggesting that the popular taste he aimed to capture included irreverence and carousing. The humor often targets authority figures—excisemen, ministers, or landlords—and reflects a folk tradition of resistance. Readers will find that these lighter songs balance the more earnest love lyrics, providing a varied emotional landscape. The drinking songs, in particular, use rhythmic patterns that mimic the act of raising a glass.

Structure and Selection: What the Arrangement Reveals

The anthology's organization by first lines, not chronology or author, means that a 16th-century lyric may sit next to a 19th-century poem. This arrangement encourages serendipitous discovery but obscures historical development. Crosland's note that the collection is 'not a choice' but a reflection of general taste suggests he prioritized familiarity over innovation. The absence of author attributions in the index (though authors appear in a separate index) further emphasizes the songs as shared cultural property. Readers should note that the excerpts provided include only the opening and closing sections of the book; the bulk of the anthology—over 200 poems—is not shown. The compiler's method implies that the 'average person' of 1902 would recognize these pieces, making the collection a snapshot of early 20th-century popular literary culture. The inclusion of multiple Burns songs confirms his central place in that canon.

Because the excerpts only show the beginning and end of the anthology, readers will encounter the full range of songs only by browsing the complete text. The index of first lines is the best entry point: pick a line that intrigues you, and read the poem aloud to hear its rhythm. Pay attention to dialect words and refrains, which often carry the song's emotional core. Crosland's collection rewards both sequential reading and random sampling, offering a window into what was once common knowledge.

I keep thinking about how Crosland just let those old songs sit together, the way they'd collect in a parlor piano bench, loved for whatever they touched in people. There's a similar quiet honesty in Impertinent Poems — Themes and Context, that same willingness to let a small feeling take up all the space it needs. It stays with you, kindly, which isn't always the same as being loud.