1.The song “After the Ball” talks about an upper-middle class man who attended a ball and lost his love. Written and released by Charles K. Harris in 1891, only people wealthy enough had the ability to attend balls. Middle class people as well as the upper class also had the opportunity of going to a ball. The conflict in the story is in the man losing his sweetheart after seeing her kiss another man who actually turned out to be her brother. Thought the woman he loved tried to explain, the man did not listen. In the 19th century a person’s behavior was very temperate, talking, commenting or asking people something very personal was not as accepted as it is nowadays. We clearly see it in the lyrics “Many a heart is aching, if you could read them all”(Harris, After the Ball). 2. “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” became one of the most popular songs in the 1900s for its touching lyrics and depiction of many women those days. In particular, the songs is a story about a beautiful woman who got married to a man not because of love, but money. 3. “Bill Bailey, Won 't You Please Come Home”, written in 1902, was one of the most popular ragtime songs. With its cruel lyrics and a clear depiction of the time period, the song shows the difference between country and city life. Bill – a city boy and musician, and Sarah – a country, farm girl were a couple who couldn’t get along together because of the difference and Bill’s unfaithfulness to his wife Sarah. The entire song, chorus and verses