Resource

Ballads

Bringing You the Ballad
What are they, or what is it? A ballad is simply poetry which, by a rule, includes a refrain or chorus within its text. A refrain or chorus is that which is used in repetition throughout a poem, song, or story to enhance or strengthen the other words or phrases in the work.
Up the hill the hikers hiked.
Hiking was what the hikers liked.
When they came to that fork,
That fork in the road,
One jumped in the car,
Up the hill the hiker rode.
They hiked the hills so very long,
They passed the time with a song.
Everyday they climbed to the top,
With their brother, sister, Mom, and Pop.
The hiker jumped out of the car you see,
Deciding to jump in the lake so freely.
He waited for the others to catch up to him,
So he left the lake calmly and continued with them.
They hiked the hills so very long,
They passed the time with a song.
Everyday they climbed to the top,
With their brother, sister, Mom, and Pop.
The group, now together, approached the top.
They were all victorious once again.
All of them were, so was Mom and Pop.

_______________________________________
Notice in the ballad above how stanzas two and four are identical. This repetition is called a refrain or a chorus. By using the refrain or chorus within a poem, a ballad will have emerged.
_______________________________________
A Few of the Most Recognizable Famous Ballads:
The Ballad of Davy Crockett
The Ballad of the Green Berets
The Ballad of Jesse James

Submitted: 04.13.04
Written by Riker1

A great online example of a ballad:
Ballad Example