Dissecting Dragons: Episode 68: Cautionary Tunes - The Fantasy & History behind Folksongs & Nursery Rhymes

Episode 68: Cautionary Tunes - The Fantasy & History behind Folksongs & Nursery Rhymes

 

Folksongs and Nursery Rhymes were doing speculative fiction before it even had a name, but what lies behind the seemingly banal and nice lyrics? This week SFF authors M.E.Vaughan and J.A.Ironside take a look at where folksongs and rhymes really come from. Examining a wide selection of both from Baa Baa Black Sheep to Doctor Foster, from Cam Ye O'er frae France to Scarborough Fair, you might be surprised at the historical, explicit and often political messages hiding in apparently innocent songs.

 

Title music: 'Ecstasy' by Smiling Cynic