Remember the golden, good ol’ days?

A time of innocence, strong moral values. The times when our grandparents were growing up, so naive and good natured, unlike modern times. You know, it’s because they didn’t have violent video games, sexy music videos with suggestive lyrics, and a culture that idolizes criminal subcultures.

Right? Snicker…anyway, I found a great cache of free music files from the fist half of the 20th century. Country and folk songs recorded by musicians you’ve never heard of. Each song is accompanied by lyrics and occasionally by sheet music and a midi file. So you can search on content for “murder” and find a long list of great ballads about killing your true love and watching her die.

Here are a few examples.

The Waxweed Girl

VERSE 15
Come all you young people
Warning take from me
Don’t murder your true lover
Fer no cruelty

VERSE 16
For if you do they’ll bother you
Until th day you die
And finally, they’ll hang you
Upon a gallows high

Adaptation. Performed in 1958.

Pretty Polly

VERSE 4
She threw ‘er arms around ‘im, she cried into tears
She threw ‘er arms around ‘im, she cried into tears
How can I be a poor girl
An’ love you so dear

VERSE 5
He stabbed her thru her heart an’ th blood it did flow
Stabbed her thru her heart an’ th blood it did flow
While down in that big grave
Her body did go

Adaptation. Performed in 1969.

If you’re at all interested in old American country and folk songs, this site has hundreds of them in AIFF, Real, and midi formats.

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