A Phantom Ballad for May Day!

Warmth has finally come, the buds are pushing forth, and the rain has finally stopped. We're enjoying a few drinks at a local spot, where the windows and doors are wide open, feeling the warm breezes and the air after the rain has washed the pollen away...

A man gets on the stage with a guitar and sings a few old ballads, including this one...



"The Wife of Usher's Well," like so many folk ballads, has multiple versions and some pretty dark interpretations of its meaning. One interpretation is that the boys had gone away to learn "gramarye," or sorcery, or black magic, and that their reappearance was due to that. Could they have been meant to be vampires, perhaps?

The man plays on, and we listen attentively, perhaps not noticing the strangely pale person walking behind us...