Great topic, Creekster. And I like your three choices.
Some songwriters just have a knack for storytelling. One of my personal favorites is Steve Earle. Tends to pick harsher themes, but they are excellent tunes. A few of my favorites:
Billy Austin - Song about a guy on death row. Live version is best.
(
http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B.../lyrics/557366)
Tom Ames Prayer - Story about a gunfighter/desperado looking back on his life and pondering whether there is a god.
(
http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/2000801)
Ben McCulloch - Story of two brothers who fought for Ben McCulloch in the Civil War. I get a kick out of this one because Ben McCulloch is a hero in Austin (and Texas in general), but Steve doesn't paint such a pretty picture.
(
http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B...lyrics/1021436)
Tecumseh Valley - Sad, yet beautiful song about a miner's daughter. This one has been covered by other artists.
(
http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/1021424)
Of course, when just reading the lyrics you don't get the full effect.