Why are there no murder ballads in Australian folksong?
Is it because Australians seem to have killed each other much less frequently than many other nationalities, so there’s not much demand for heart-rending songs about it? We have bushranger ballads, convict ballads, disaster ballads and some about jockeys dying in racecourse mishaps, as well as other joyful ditties. But what about songs like ‘The Red Barn’, the British ballad on the murder of Maria Marten in 1827. What about something like those classic American ‘down in some lone valley’ numbers?
While some imported British and American murder ballads have been collected here (though not many), it seems we’d prefer to make light of criminal demises in local compositions. The notorious ‘Pyjama Girl’ murder of 1934 is commemorated in our tradition in a light-hearted parody of the accused murderer to the jolly tune of ‘Funiculi Funicula’.
There is also a parody of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ relating to the death of Azaria Chamberlain.
Can’t we do better than this?
Or have we?
Maybe you know of a great Aussie murder ballad that has missed the attention of folksong collectors. Send it in, we’d love to include it in our collections.