Burden of a Song
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A line repeated at intervals so as to constitute a refrain or chorus. It is the Fr. bourdon, the big drone of a bagpipe, or double-diapason of an organ, used in forte parts and choruses.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Burden of a Song” mean?
A line repeated at intervals so as to constitute a refrain or chorus. It is the Fr. bourdon, the big drone of a bagpipe, or double-diapason of an organ, used in forte parts and choruses.
Is “Burden of a Song” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.