Murder Ballads

I have a (perhaps morbid) fascination with a folk song phenomenon I call "Poor Ellen Smiths" after the first example of it I heard. These ballads about men who murder their girlfriends--out of jealousy, madness, drink, what have you--have many common themes, but what interests me is the tone of the songs. They are usually told from the killer's POV, and they are always oddly sympathetic with him, even as they describe, often in gruesome detail, the murder itself. Collecting these songs is an ongoing pet project of mine.

• "Poor Ellen Smith"
• "Knoxville Girl"
• "Little Sadie"
• "Down In The Willow Garden"
• "Tom Dooley"
• "Pretty Polly"
• "Banks Of The Ohio"
• "Jealous Lover"
• "Delia's Gone," Johnny Cash
• "Omie Wise"