Dark Corners interpreted traditional American, English, and Celtic ballads through images of the contemporary South. Davis noted that the folk songs that are native to the South provided him with a familiar narrative and a human history that connects to his own background. In his view, the stories may be old, but, “one only has to pick up a newspaper to see that they remain fully contemporary.” Davis described the songs as close to his heart and identifies the folk music of the American South as something that has provided him with a direct connection to the Southern landscape for more than half of his life.