Who Killed Cock Robin? : British Folk Songs of Crime and Punishment

Author: Sedley, Stephen

United Kingdom, Great Britain

Published on 1 April 2024 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 280 pages
214 x 139 x 22 | 354g

Folk throughout the centuries have found themselves entangled with the law: abiding it, breaking it and being punished by it. Who Killed Cock Robin? is an anthology of folk songs of crime and punishment, with songs drawn from manuscripts, broadsides, old songbooks and oral tradition. Each section contains a historical introduction, and every song is presented with a melody, its lyrics and an illuminating commentary that explores its origins and sources. This is a unique, sometimes comic, often tragic, and always colourful insight into the past that preserves an important body of song for future generations.