Use of song was a popular method of spreading news across a community in early modern Europe; music and lyrics were easier to remember, and thus made it easier to spread than written news, as many people were illiterate during the height of its popularity. Execution ballads were intended as a method of warning the public of the consequences of committing a crime. The subject of the ballad often spoke in first-person and was portrayed as guilty and remorseful, placing an emphasis on begging the listener to learn from their mistake. They were sold on the day of the execution, or sometimes the following days. There was usually no music notation included, only a queue to sing it to the tune of a popular song.