Mountain ballads have been a part of American mountain culture since the earliest English and Scottish settlers moved there more than 200 years ago. They were passed down through the oral tradition, as they were in reporter Laurin Penland’s family –but that tradition is close to extinct in the U.S.

…Adams is a musician and writer. She learned the ballads the old way: by spending time with singers like Inez Chandler.

There are hundreds of ballads that have been passed down from generation to generation. Adams asks her grandson to sing “Jerusalem Mourn,” but to Ezra it’s “Jerusalem More,” because that’s the way he understands the song: “Don’t you hear Jerusalem more? / Don’t you hear Jerusalem more? / Thank God there’s a song that’s singing in my soul / Don’t you hear Jerusalem more?”

The small change Ezra makes to the lyrics is a good example of how songs morph as they’re passed down through the oral tradition. The ballads survived 300 years of being passed down solely through the oral tradition.

The Evolution Of Oral Tradition In Mountain Ballads : The Record : NPR

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