Music is a powerful way to communicate. In the traditional folk ballad “Bonny Barbara Allen,” the use of syllables makes the poem more interesting. The rhythm gives this poem a musical feeling. Furthermore, the examples of alliteration and rhyme tie the poem together, and enhance its musicality. The poem uses poetic sounds to create a more interesting musical quality. The ballad’s syllables enhance interest in the poem. The first and last stanzas both have the same number of syllables per line, which is expressed nowhere else in the poem; this creates a sense of harmony at the end of the poem (1-4, 49-52). Conversely, the variety of syllables per line allows the song to have a complex tune. However, most lines are either 7 or 8 syllables,