This work is an examination of songs and the social comment they contain. Part anthology, part social history, the book considers the relation between the popular song and the events that gave rise to it over the last 400 years. On subjects as diverse as crime, pastime, war, politics and industry, the song has always been a vehicle of the expression of popular feeling, often as the voice of the oppressed or the minority. More recent examples include songs about unemployment and the miners' strike. The discussion concentrates on the overlapping categories of oral songs, street ballads and the work of singer/song-writers who employ a largely traditional idiom. 54 songs are given in full (40 with music).