Winter is drawing in. Today it rained and rained. COVID is keeping us under our roofs. It’s time to hunker down around our hearths, be they fireplaces or flatscreens, kitchen stoves, turntables or tablets.

Hearths are places for stories, the oral tradition, passed on tales. And nothing conveys a story more than a bed of music – prompting the next verse, stirring and prompting reaction, locking down inevitable conclusions with half-expected rhyme.

I got to thinking – there must be a lot of story songs that have a special place in Afterworders’ hearts – be they folk ballads, rap battles, ponderous prog rock pottering or snappy punk flick of the wrist. Can I unlock a flow of recollection and anecdotage?

Ground rules What I want are posts with connections, a little scattering of descriptive context. This ain’t the place for scattershot spraying of countless URls. Less is more. We’re tellin’ stories, here, not selling encyclopaedias. Please one clip max per post, and wait your turn.

Come at me with your best!