What is your favourite folk song?

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

I've just accidentally listened to Dougie McLean singing Green Grow The Rashes (Scots), and realised pretty much all the folk music I know is Irish.

What is your favourite folk song of any nation but sung in a normal voice (no fonny nonny no and I don't want to be picturing morris dancers).

Gordon Lightfoot - the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (although it makes me very sad)

I love Julie fowlis

I'm going to make a list. I'll probably start with the ones most likely to make me cry because I do like that in a folk song .

Are you counting sea-shanties?

Noooooo I had Blaydon Races stuck in my head all last week and I'd just got rid of it 🤣🤣🤣

Watching with interest, I've been listening to a handful of folky type songs on repeat recently and wanting to discover more but I don't know where to start.

If so, South Australia by Fisherman's Friends

Joan Baez Silver Dagger is up there

My favourite song is probably The Dark Island, regardless of singer. I also love The Bonnie Lass of Fife. Smile in Your Sleep must be the ultimate folk tear jerker. Then Killiecrankie for a good knees up !

I'd recommend Rose in June then. There's a great very acoustic version by Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar. Also a Jon Boden one I like less.

I love Shirley Collins. Hares on the mountain (all versions) and the tailor and the mouse

I love Paul Weller's version of Early morning rain!

Kate Rusby - Falling

The Corries - Hush Hush

Show of Hands - The Dive

The Levellers - Levelling the Land album

I'm the opposite! I can't be doing with soppy or maudlin folk songs. I like the more feisty, quirky or cheerful ones! Or at least ones with more dramatically violent or tragic tales rather than tug-on-your-heartstring type ones. I'm the same about pop music though - I'm clearly just a bit cold and heartless .

I'm wondering what happened to the old Fureys and Watersons records at my granddad's house. They probably went into a skip.

Saucy Sailor, All Things Are Quite Silent, Dark-Eyed Sailor especially but most of everything done by Steeleye Span

Everything by Richard and Linda Thompson, even the depressing ones like The Great Valerio.

Kate Rusby, lots of but I really like the Sleepless album.

I love folk music. Bellowhead are amazing - check out New York girls or Yarmouth Town.

Kate Rusby is lovely - not everyone likes her voice but I do.

The Young'Uns are really fun.

But I think my all time favourite is The Pogues and a Pair of Brown Eyes.

Cyril Tawney's 'On a Monday Morning' performed by Daragh Lynch of Lankum.
Radie Peat singing 'My Bonny Boy'.

I really like Ella Edmondson's album 'Hold Your Horses'. She's Ade Edmondson's daughter. Also love Richard Thompson, especially 'Beeswing', mentioned above. DH is a folk musician so I hear so much of it that it kind of blends into one 🤣

Anything by Gordon Lightfoot, bust especially Black day in July

I went to a shanty festival and heard a group singing "The drowned horses of Ameland". It's based on a true story of a community that had to use horses to launch their lifeboats and what happened in 1979 . I won't go on but I was crying , proper snotty bawling , by the end of the song and I wasn't the only one.
This is it , don't say I didn't warn you

But I think my all time favourite is The Pogues and a Pair of Brown Eyes.

🎵 While Ray and Philomena sang of my elusive dream... 🎵

Top notch

I've been enjoying listening to The Water by Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling recently.

And I'd add Flook and This Is The Kit to the list of bands, lots of great ones recommended already.

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All around my hat Steeleye Span

Sweet Sixteen or The Green Fields of France by The Fureys. Or anything by The Fureys for that matter.

Lots of North Eastern (England) folk songs; Cushy Butterfield, My Bonny Lad etc.

We have a lot of people round here who play fiddle, penny whistle etc in local folk bands. Most of them aren't too scathing of Mumford and Sons either if it's a means to getting into folk music.