Ooh, I don't know - perhaps you haven't listened to enough of a variety of songs, Eric, or more likely you haven't registered such songs as male-specific when you heard them.

Traditional folk abounds with songs about explorers and sea-farers, and their trials and tribulations; soldiers, wartime and conflict; sailors (a male prerogative then, and even now mainly a male occupation) and their lives; ditto for occupations like blacksmith, ploughman, miner, poacher etc.

As you come to contemporary songwriting there is even more coverage of male issues. Male growing old ("Silver in the stubble", Sydney Carter), middle-aged intolerance ("A reasonable man", Jeremy Taylor), male shame at not being able to provide for his family ("Empty handed", Andy Irvine sings it).

I don't think you are right. Some might argue for the reverse, with many female-viewpoint songs having been written by men, and therefore possibly inaccurately.

I think that if you look at the history of folk music, you will find many songs celebrating masculinity.
Such genres as cowboy music and labor songs have a great deal of masculine pride. Woody Guthrie has quite a few labor songs celebrating this idea, such as
"The Dying Miner" with its line "Please name our new baby Joe, so he'll grow up like Big Joe", and "Jackhammer John." Cisco Houston sang of "Great July Jones," containing the line "It's dynamite when I hold you tight, 'cause I'm a natural man!" , and "He kisses the girls and they stay kissed!"

Woody even wrote one about the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, and also wrote of the trials and tribulations of all kinds of male laborers. "Waiting At The Gate" tells of mine number five, in which the boss is warned, "You're risking these men's lives in number five."

These are just a few examples of masculine themes in folk music. Thank you for asking this question.

Ever hear of "Joe Hill"? Other E-males are also very good answers.

A few years ago I read somewhere that much of [current] folk music was young girls singing their diaries. It did seem somewhat true then, but also somewhat cynical.

In that vein, perhaps the most doleful song might be the Cowboy's Lament (Streets of Laredo). Currently I like much of Jimmie Dale Gilmore for heartfelt songs

It seems that we're living in times where confessional songwriting has become a dominant form. I'm particularly struck by JH's comments about the "singing of diaries" and I tend to agree with this sentiment. In all candor, this degree of chronic self absorption leaves precious little room for the sort of unique observations and social comment that characterized the folk music that I grew up with and I for one mourn it's passing. On a further note the folk music from my era was generally composed, performed or covered by people like Woodie Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Roberts and Barrand, Tom Rush, Stan Rogers, Gordon Bock, Gordon Lightfoot, Eric Anderson, and others far too numerous to mention and included sea chanties, work and historical songs. I delight in hearing this music occasionally on Folk Alley but frankly it also reminds me of how much has been lost to recent trends.

John Samms, it seems you must be in my generation. I wonder how many of the currnt crop of singers will be as well rememembered in 35-40 years as the ones you cite.
I'm not for sure in knowing what is meant by 'roots music' now, but I guess maybe they qualify.
You know, I hear very little in topical songs now, and those I do are primarily satirical...The Foremen (now defunct?) and The Capitol Steps. Have we become so complacent?
P.S. I did not originate that 'diaries' bon mot.

I think that folk music has, and should continue to include elements of both personal revelation as well as social issues. It is both public and private music, and well, depending on the times, it DOES seem that one or the other may dominate. But the reality is that there is room for all aspects of personal, public, social, economic, and political issues within folk music´s wide range. It is, after all, the music of ordinary people in all their particular stages of development.

I can find much to relate to within what could be considered personal absorption. Many times in my life, these women have been the voices for me when I could not articulate these feelings myself to anyone except my own inner soul. And once understanding myself, I could then reach out to others and be their voice as well.

I believe there is room for all of it. As much a matter of personal taste as well as verifiable historical development, it serves us well to remember that music of the people, by the people, and for the people sometimes JUST IS, defying neatly packaged definiton.

Again, as in a previous e-mail, I refer readers to newer musicology works such as those currently being written by Mark Slobin. It shows that we at Folk Alley are not alone in trying to chronicle and understand the rapidly changing and evolving nature of our particular music. Others are in the same quandry as we are.

I like a little of both the confessional and the topical. John McCutcheon refers to the "short shelf life" songs that are primarily topical and satirical. Those are great, but I don't think he'll be playing "Ashcroft's Army" in 5 years.

The key to writing songs we'll be singing 30 years from now is to strike universal themes. However, imagine the burden that places on songwriters! "Ok, kid, you can be a folk singer/songwriter, but only if you can capture universal truths in the space of a haiku." We wouldn't have a whole lot of music written, now would we?

To the point of the original post, which was manhood in songs--it's there. Some of the songs of John McCutcheon and Si Kahn hit these themes, and the classic "Sing Out Songbook" has a whole section devoted to songs about men. It's a smaller section, by comparision, but you know--size doesn't matter.

I will note with some irony that some interesting/funny songs about men have been written by women--"Sensitive New Age Guys" comes to mind.