The Story of "The Ballad of English Prairie"
- Mike Johnson
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
Every place has its ghosts. Some have voices that reach across years in an effort to be remembered. “The Ballad of English Prairie” is my attempt to bring one of those voices to life.
This song was inspired by a true and brutal event from 1763, near what is now Muscoda, Wisconsin. Back then, the region was known as English Prairie, a name given by British settlers who briefly claimed the land during a turbulent time of shifting empires and rising tensions with Native nations.
The song tells the story of Abraham Lansing and his young son, who were murdered while trying to establish a home and trading post in the wilderness along the Wisconsin River. Lansing was one of the first English settlers in the area — and also, tragically, among the first to die there. The details are sparse, preserved in local lore and scattered records, but the story stuck with me. Not just for its violence, but for what it represents: the clash of cultures, the arrogance of empire, and the cost of expansion.
I wrote this song as a kind of elegy — not just for Lansing and his son, but for the idea of “manifest destiny” and all the messy, painful truths wrapped up in that chapter of American history.
Musically, the song leans into a stark, folky feel — one voice, one guitar, like a traveler camped on a Wisconsin River sandbar recounting a tale by firelight. The melody is simple and somber, meant to reflect the wide open, uneasy quiet of the prairie itself.
Lyrics Sneak Peek:
And the river whispers, but she don’t speak a word
Of the blood soaked sand, or the violence that occurred
They called it English Prairie, where the golden grasses sway
In memory of the son and father who were shot down one gray April day
Whether you’re a history buff or just someone drawn to songs that echo from the edges of time, I hope The Ballad of English Prairie resonates with you. Sometimes, the land remembers more than we think.
– Michael
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