Talk:Execution ballad

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. Track your hook after promotion. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Beta Beta Beta (talk) 20:01, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

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• ... that there is type of ballad that details the fictionalized last words of executed people?

• Source: ...The vast majority of execution ballads, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, follow a similar model: as described earlier, they open with a ‘come-all-ye’ incipit; the criminal (whether described in third person or singing in first-person voice) is portrayed as undoubtedly guilty of the crime for which they are being executed, and the justice of the case is unquestioned; they are nearly always fully repentant, offering a model for listeners of a ‘good end’ where all sins have been confessed and God’s mercy is sought; and an account of their life is provided, often opening with praise of the ‘good Christian’ upbringing they received from their parents and their subsequent descent into crime... ...Their last words are an appeal to God to save the criminal’s soul, and the last verse is almost always a warning to listeners of the ballad—who are often targeted explicitly in the opening lines, with lyrics such as ‘Come all ye young maidens’ or ‘Venez brave bourgeois’—to avoid sin and crime so as to avoid such a gruesome ending....

• • ALT1: ... that Italian execution ballads have different meters used, whether the executed person is a noble, a commoner, or a minority? Source: Italian songs about execution fall into three groups: the first are those in terza rima metre, the stanza form associated with Dante that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme (aba bcb cdc). These songs are invariably about the execution of a nobleperson, and are often presented as a first-person confession... The second group of such songs are those in ottava rima, a metre associated with the singing of epic tales such as Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, and consisting of eight-line stanzas rhyming abababcc (see Ex. I.1). In terms of narrative style and characterisation of the criminal, these songs are more akin to execution ballads of criminals in other languages... A barzelletta (which translates as ‘jest’) tends to be a lively and dance-like song with a stress on the cadences, and a repeated refrain encourages participation by its listeners. Execution ballads in this form are often about criminals who were already judged as outsiders, such as Jews or Moors, and the songs gently mock their final moments.
  • Reviewed:
  • Comment: 4th time I'm here, closer to the 5th, in which I'll review something, but not today! This is my first shot expanding an article into the tens, so bear with me. Copyediting the article heavily recommended. Also, alot of citations from the article are from one single book, so keep that in mind.

5x expanded by DoNothingEveryday (talk). Number of QPQs required: 0. Nominator has fewer than 5 past nominations.

DoNothingEveryday (talk) 08:27, 27 June 2026 (UTC).

• I think "A fictionalized last words" is grammatically incorrect; shouldn't it be "the fictionalized last words"? Otherwise, the article is in good shape, without evidence of copyvio, and is pretty dang interesting. It is indeed eligible from recent 5x expansion, and the hook checks out with the source. Generalissima (talk) (it/she) 03:22, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

@Generalissima Already fixed! Thanks! DoNothingEveryday (talk) 03:57, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

• Looks good to me! Generalissima (talk) (it/she) 03:59, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

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