Seed, bud, flower, fruit

[mirrorshard]

While I was looking around for some folk lyrics, I found this interesting FT article on folk music and constructions of Englishness, focusing on Show of Hands and their song Roots.

Attempts to write English national songs tend to founder on the question of conservatism: does English identity mean no more than an insistence that nothing should ever change?

Well, obviously the answer to that is "no", but I think there are some interesting questions about moving forwards involved. They're basically not in favour of SoH's approach, but I think that ignores one of the most important strands of folk history & practice, which is the protest song.

Comments

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Oooh, interesting!

Are you aware of Andrew King at all?

[yoyoangel.livejournal.com]

Interesting article.
Given that, as you say, protest songs form an important part of the English folk tradition, it's interesting that the article gives Billy Bragg's Half English as a contrast to Roots, when in many ways they fall into the same sub-category of folk and have, at least partly, the same message.