What is the most beautiful folk song you’ve ever heard? Herewith I offer a list of 25 of my top candidates, with links to brief audio clips. For this purpose, I am defining a “folk song” to be something that would likely be filed in the “folk” section of a Barnes and Noble music department. Note that the criterion is “most beautiful”, not “favorite”, though of course there’s quite a large overlap between the two. I am aware that my choices might be colored by the circumstances in which I first heard these songs as well as by their intrinsic merit. I also acknowledge, without a shred of embarrassment, that some might consider the overall tenor of this list to be shockingly lowbrow. Nevertheless, I believe every song on this list to be stunningly beautiful in its way. Do tell me what I’ve overlooked. , written and performed by Phil Ochs. , by Aaron Zeitlin and Sholom Secunda. The version linked to here is sung by Joan Baez, who spells it “Donna Donna”. , by Luigi del Puppo and TinoChumlovich, though often misattributed to Utah Phillips. Sung by Fred Holstein on magnificent CD. (I am intentionally not linking to the highly inferior Tom Paxton cover.) by Randy Newman. Sung by Judy Collins. by Lord Burgess, incorporating traditional melodies. Sung by Harry Belafonte. , traditional. Sung by Paul Robeson. , traditional. Sung by Paul Robeson. There are of course many beautiful recordings of this song. The tune, called “Londonderry Air”, predates the lyrics. On the Robeson recording, the song is called “Londonderry Air”. , an English translation of , by Mordechai Gebirtig. There are many beautiful recordings of this song in Yiddish (the one linked to here is by Leo Fuld), but as far as I know this is the only recorded English translation. The performers are Eclectricity (Willy Schwarz, Miriam Sturm and Robert Lucas); I believe, but am not sure, that the translation is due to Schwarz. , written and performed by Judy Collins. , by Barney Rush. The link is to a lovelyrecording by Cu Chulainn, though there are many lovely recordings of this song, including . , by Utah Phillips. I’m not sure which I love more, the Fred Holstein cover I’ve just linked to (from the ) or the (from the CD). I’ve intentionally not linked to the original Utah Phillips recording, which is far less beautiful. . I have a vague sense that this was written by Woody Guthrie, though I’m not sure why I think this, and at least one web site says it was Travis Edmonson. Be that as it may, I was in love with this song decades before I’d ever heard of Fred Holstein, and when I was compiling this list, which is already quite Holstein-heavy, I was surprised to learn that he’d recorded it—and that like several other songs on this list it’s on the CD. I’m not thrilled with this version (I’d really prefer to dispense with the singalong aspect) but can’t find a better one. The only alternative I’m aware of is a rather by the Highwaymen, which Amazon seems to have mislabeled as “Chanson deChagrin”. , written and performed by the magnificent Diane Taraz. , written by John Denver and performed by Mary Travers. , written and performed by Diane Taraz. This is the title track from her , which is a treasure from beginning to end. , another masterpiece written and performed by Diane Taraz. . “Simple Gifts” is a Shaker hymn written by Elder Joseph Brackett. “Lord of the Dance” is a much later hymn written by Sydney Carter, to a very similar tune. This recording by Bill Crofut and Benjamin Luxon interweaves both songs. (Follow the link and skip down to the last track. Though all the other tracks are good too.) , by Charles Badger Clark, performed by Judy Collins. , written and performed by Ralph McTell—though the Fred Holstein cover is even better. , by Michael Smith. I never make it through this one without an emotional crisis. There have been many beautiful recordings of this heart-wrenching song, by Anne Hills, Liam Clancy and others. The one I’ve linked to here is by SteveGoodman, who recorded this song several times. This is the good one. , by David Mallett. Performed by Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy. , by Tom Paxton. Performed by Joan Baez. , by Phil Ochs. Performed by Joan Baez. I like the original recording too. by Amanda McBroom. Performed by Bette Midler. by Randy Sparks. This version is performed by John Denver. Why did Peter, Paul and Mary never cover this one? The most beautiful version I’ve ever heard was by (of all people) Dick Smothers, but I can’t seem to track down a copy.