Ballad vs. Burden — What's the Difference?

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dance songs".

Something that is carried.

A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain.

Something that is emotionally difficult to bear.

The music for such a poem.

A source of great worry or stress; weight

A popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature.

A responsibility or duty

A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.

A principal or recurring idea; a theme

A slow romantic song.

A drone, as of a bagpipe or pedal point.

(obsolete) To make mention of in ballads.

(Archaic) The chorus or refrain of a composition.

(intransitive) To compose or sing ballads.

(Archaic) The bass accompaniment to a song.

A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.

The amount of cargo that a vessel can carry.

To make or sing ballads.

The weight of the cargo carried by a vessel at one time.

To make mention of in ballads.

The amount of a disease-causing entity present in an organism.

A narrative song with a recurrent refrain

To cause difficulty or distress to; distress or oppress.

A narrative poem of popular origin

To load or overload.

A heavy load.

A responsibility, onus.

A cause of worry; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.

The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry.

(mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.

(metalworking) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.

A fixed quantity of certain commodities.

A birth.

(medicine) The total amount of toxins, parasites, cancer cells, plaque or similar present in an organism.

(music) A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.

The drone of a bagpipe.

Theme, core idea.

(transitive) To encumber with a literal or figurative burden.

(transitive) To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

That which is borne or carried; a load.

That which is borne with labor or difficulty; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.

The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.

The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.

The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.

A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.

A birth.

The verse repeated in a song, or the return of the theme at the end of each stanza; the chorus; refrain. Hence: That which is often repeated or which is dwelt upon; the main topic; as, the burden of a prayer.

The drone of a bagpipe.

A club.

To encumber with weight (literal or figurative); to lay a heavy load upon; to load.

To oppress with anything grievous or trying; to overload; as, to burden a nation with taxes.

To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

An onerous or difficult concern;

Weight to be borne or conveyed

The central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

The central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

Weight down with a load

Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to;