A sacrilegious little chanty...
P.F. Bruns
The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Rights reserved under Creative Commons.
It's a popular song about life going wrong
And of brave sailors deeply imperiled
It's got forty-eight verses, each just like the first
It's the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
It honored the crew, and it told a tale true
Of a big boat made small by a great storm
As a chanty, it's grand but we wish someone'd planned
To memorialize them in short form
I admit, I regret, I once sang it to death
At the end of my shows as a closing
For they'd hear the song start and the crowd would depart
To avoid being lulled into dozing
But one night as the crowd had at last shuffled out
I then saw some men fade into vision
Then on verse twenty-nine, a chill ran down my spine
'Twas the ship's crew come back from oblivion
I soon realized by the look in their eyes
That they clearly weren't happy to be there
So I stopped in mid-song and asked them, "What's wrong?
For your sudden appearance has me scared."
And the captain stepped forth with the cold of the north
In his voice as his words echoed through me.
"Mister," he said, "'s hard enough being dead,
Without hearing you singin' so gloomy.
"The intention is kind; it's the song that we mind.
Gordon Lightfoot's old eulogy bores us.
With 6.5 minutes, you'd think somewhere in it
He could spare us a bridge or a chorus.
"Now, it's been thirty years, and we've seen enough tears
From the friends and the family who mourned us.
But the audience yawns as this song just drones on
And someday people only will scorn us."
His eyes met my gaze as I stared at him, dazed
By his quite unexpected assertion
I finally replied, "Aye, sir, I'm on your side;
I'll sing it no more, that's for certain.
"But, with all due respect, sir, what can you expect?
It's a '70s song about sailin'.
If you'd sunk in the '80s, it's possible maybe
The tale would be sung by Van Halen."
Said the captain, "That's fine, but just keep this in mind;
It's the oath of a man that you've given.
I'm making that plain for we'll meet you again
When you exit the land of the livin'."
Then a punch to my gut put me down on my butt;
I said,"Guess you don't take my position."
But the cook shook his head and he smiled and said,
"No, I just never could stand musicians."
Then he turned slowly gray and he faded away
And his shipmates began fading with him
Since then I've complied, so I say with some pride
That I'll never forget that night's vision
It's a popular song about life going wrong
And of brave sailors deeply imperiled
It's got forty-eight verses, each just like the first
It's the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
I'll ignore any call to perform it at all
No matter how some people miss it
If you don't share my view, just don't sing it straight through
Or the crew might just pay you a visit
--30--
Best,
Perry
******
You're mundane. I bet you think this song is about shoes
Lee Gold
>
> NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
>
> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
> Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
> New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Rights reserved under Creative Commons.
>
--Lee
Joe Kesselman
> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Nicely done! Promote it to alpha!
> So I stopped in mid-song and asked them, "What's wrong?
Nitpicky observation: Could be "and I", for scansion purposes, but it's
fine as is.
> "Mister," he said, "'s hard enough being dead,
Nitpicky dithering: You don't actually need the "'s", and it's easier
for someone who's sightreading the lyrics to sing them without it... but
I think I like it.
> I said, "Guess you don't take my position."
Confused observation: That isn't a phrase I've encountered before. I
presume from context that it means "don't take my word" or something
close to that? (I do like this bit of characterization, though.)
Re the signature:
> You're mundane. I bet you think this song is about shoes
... Someone's leather fantasy?
--
() ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Joe Kesselman
/\ Stamp out HTML e-mail! | System architexture and kinetic poetry
Kip Williams
> NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
> "The intention is kind; it's the song that we mind.
> Gordon Lightfoot's old eulogy bores us.
> With 6.5 minutes, you'd think somewhere in it
> He could spare us a bridge or a chorus.
> "Now, it's been thirty years, and we've seen enough tears
> From the friends and the family who mourned us.
> But the audience yawns as this song just drones on
> And someday people only will scorn us."
Bear in mind I don't know the original (shock!), but my instinct is that
after this verse, the singer would look appraisingly at the audience and
play a bridge of some sort -- something totally different from the rest
of the piece, like part of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," than after this
brief respite, grit those metaphorical teeth and return to the rhythm of
the rest of the song and (sigh) resume singing.
The rhyme of "be there" and "me scared" caught my eye as I went through
the song, but I have nothing better to suggest (beware? -- see what I
mean? it's not better), and in performance, it probably goes right on past.
This looks amusing, though I can't picture the melody, so to speak.
Kip W
John in detroit
> P.F. Bruns wrote:
>> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>
> Nicely done! Promote it to alpha!
>
>> So I stopped in mid-song and asked them, "What's wrong?
>
> Nitpicky observation: Could be "and I", for scansion purposes, but it's
> fine as is.
>
>> "Mister," he said, "'s hard enough being dead,
>
> Nitpicky dithering: You don't actually need the "'s", and it's easier
> for someone who's sightreading the lyrics to sing them without it... but
> I think I like it.
>
>> I said, "Guess you don't take my position."
>
> Confused observation: That isn't a phrase I've encountered before. I
> presume from context that it means "don't take my word" or something
> close to that? (I do like this bit of characterization, though.)
>
>
I would say "Position" could be translated viewpoint or opinion, I have
think in political terms "My position on this issue is (Blather blather
blather) His stated his opinion of the song, and it's clear the captain
did not agree with him.
Wesley Struebing
wrote:
>NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
>
>The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
>Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
>New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Rights reserved under Creative Commons.
>
Oh, lovely!
(hangs head and admits to having sung it al the way through more than
once...)
--
Wes Struebing
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.
Rob Wynne
> Oh, lovely!
>
> (hangs head and admits to having sung it al the way through more than
> once...)
>
It was the first song I ever learned to play on guitar -- being dead easy
to learn with four easy chords, it allows you to sound much better than
you really are (a philosphy that has continued to serve me well ever
since *grin*)
I also filked it around that same time:
http://www.autographedcat.com/songs/last_flight_of_the_cradle_of_commerce.html
(Though I admit the song may make more sense if you read the short story
it's based on. There's a link on the same page.)
--
Rob Wynne / The Autographed Cat / d...@america.net
http://www.autographedcat.com/ / http://autographedcat.livejournal.com/
Gafilk 2008: Jan 11-13, 2008 -- Atlanta, GA -- http://www.gafilk.org/
P.F. Bruns
> P.F. Bruns wrote:
>> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>
> Nicely done! Promote it to alpha!
>
>> So I stopped in mid-song and asked them, "What's wrong?
>
> Nitpicky observation: Could be "and I", for scansion purposes, but it's
> fine as is.
>
>> "Mister," he said, "'s hard enough being dead,
>
> Nitpicky dithering: You don't actually need the "'s", and it's easier
> for someone who's sightreading the lyrics to sing them without it... but
> I think I like it.
So do I. ;)
>
>> I said, "Guess you don't take my position."
>
> Confused observation: That isn't a phrase I've encountered before. I
> presume from context that it means "don't take my word" or something
> close to that? (I do like this bit of characterization, though.)
John in Detroit nailed this one, but the new version (q.v.) is "Guess
you oppose my position." Even that is a bit silly, since the cook, by
punching the narrator, has just put him in a different position.
>
> Re the signature:
>> You're mundane. I bet you think this song is about shoes
>
> ... Someone's leather fantasy?
>
Owie. There's an image that will linger.
For those wishing to perform or archive, here is the final version,
complete with properly allocated permissions.
The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Permission granted to perform or photocopy
for personal or non-profit use. All other rights reserved under
Creative Commons.
It's a popular song about life going wrong
And of brave sailors deeply imperiled
It's got forty-eight verses, each just like the first
It's the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
It honored the crew, and it told a tale true
Of a big boat made small by a great storm
As a chanty, it's grand but we wish someone'd planned
To memorialize them in short form
I admit, I regret, I once sang it to death
At the end of my shows as a closing
For they'd hear the song start and the crowd would depart
To avoid being lulled into dozing
But one night as the crowd had at last shuffled out
I then saw some men fade into vision
Then on verse twenty-nine, a chill ran down my spine
'Twas the ship's crew come back from oblivion
I soon realized by the look in their eyes
That they clearly weren't happy to be there
So I stopped in mid-song and I asked them, "What's wrong?
Your presence gives me just a wee scare."
And the captain stepped forth with the cold of the north
In his voice as his words echoed through me.
"Mister," he said, "'s hard enough being dead,
Without hearing you singin' so gloomy.
"The intention is kind; it's the song that we mind.
Gordon Lightfoot's old eulogy bores us.
With over six minutes, you'd think somewhere in it
He could spare us a bridge or a chorus.
"Now, it's been thirty years, and we've seen enough tears
From the friends and the family who mourned us.
But the audience yawns as this song just drones on
And someday people only will scorn us."
His eyes met my gaze as I stared at him, dazed
By his quite unexpected assertion
I finally replied, "Aye, sir, I'm on your side;
I'll sing it no more, that's for certain.
"But, with all due respect, sir, what can you expect?
It's a '70s song about sailin'.
If you'd sunk in the '80s, it's possible maybe
The tale would be sung by Van Halen."
Said the captain, "That's fine, but just keep this in mind;
It's the oath of a man that you've given.
I'm making that plain for we'll meet you again
When you exit the land of the livin'."
Then a punch to my gut put me down on my butt;
I said,"Guess you oppose my position."
But the cook shook his head and he smiled and said,
"No, I just never could stand musicians."
Then he turned slowly gray and he faded away
And his shipmates began fading with him
Since then I've complied, so I say with some pride
That I'll never forget that night's vision
It's a popular song about life going wrong
And of brave sailors deeply imperiled
It's got forty-eight verses, each just like the first
It's the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
I'll ignore any call to perform it at all
No matter how some people miss it
If you don't share my view, just don't sing it straight through
Or the crew might just pay you a visit
******
"I am Number Two," said Penfold. "You are Number Six."
Aaron Davies
> For those wishing to perform or archive, here is the final version,
> complete with properly allocated permissions.
>
> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
> Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
> New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Permission granted to perform or photocopy
> for personal or non-profit use. All other rights reserved under
> Creative Commons.
You might want to specify which Creative Commons license you mean,
exactly (<http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses>).
Your description above sounds like "Attribution Non-commercial No
Derivatives", the first one on that page. OTOH, that strikes me as a bit
of an odd choice for filk, so you may want one of the next two,
"Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike" or "Attribution
Non-commercial", depending on how you feel about GPL-like viral
licences.
On a completely different note, great song. :-)
--
Aaron Davies
Opinions expressed are solely those of a random number generator.
Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
Ho! Ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Thrust!
P.F. Bruns
> P.F. Bruns <booms...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> For those wishing to perform or archive, here is the final version,
>> complete with properly allocated permissions.
>>
>> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>> May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
>> Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
>> New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Permission granted to perform or photocopy
>> for personal or non-profit use. All other rights reserved under
>> Creative Commons.
>
> You might want to specify which Creative Commons license you mean,
> exactly (<http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses>).
> Your description above sounds like "Attribution Non-commercial No
> Derivatives", the first one on that page. OTOH, that strikes me as a bit
> of an odd choice for filk, so you may want one of the next two,
> "Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike" or "Attribution
> Non-commercial", depending on how you feel about GPL-like viral
> licences.
>
> On a completely different note, great song. :-)
Thankee!
As far as which license, I believe the best license for me is
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, at
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
I greatly appreciate the advice, since it has led me to be much more
specific.
Best,
Perry
******
Just be careful with my head. It's where I keep all my one-liners.
--The Flash (voice of Michael Rosenbaum), "Justice League Unlimited: The
Great Brain Robbery"
Filksinger
> P.F. Bruns wrote:
>> NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
>> "The intention is kind; it's the song that we mind.
>> Gordon Lightfoot's old eulogy bores us.
>> With 6.5 minutes, you'd think somewhere in it
>> He could spare us a bridge or a chorus.
>> "Now, it's been thirty years, and we've seen enough tears
>> From the friends and the family who mourned us.
>> But the audience yawns as this song just drones on
>> And someday people only will scorn us."
>
> Bear in mind I don't know the original (shock!), but my instinct is that
> after this verse, the singer would look appraisingly at the audience and
> play a bridge of some sort -- something totally different from the rest
> of the piece, like part of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," than after this
> brief respite, grit those metaphorical teeth and return to the rhythm of
> the rest of the song and (sigh) resume singing.
>
> The rhyme of "be there" and "me scared" caught my eye as I went through
> the song, but I have nothing better to suggest (beware? -- see what I
> mean? it's not better), and in performance, it probably goes right on past.
>
> This looks amusing, though I can't picture the melody, so to speak.
>
> Kip W
Try http://www.corfid.com/gl/Files/edmund5.mid. It was the best MIDI I
could find of it.
--
Filksinger
AKA David Nasset, Sr.
Geek Prophet to the Technologically Declined
Rich Brown
Steps' "Wreck of the Walter 'Fritz' Mondale"
--
...'E's pinin' for the fnords...
Rich Brown -- Song Assassin -- http://freemars.org/filk/
Joseph Kesselman
> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> If you don't share my view, just don't sing it straight through
> Or the crew might just pay you a visit
If you must sing it straight through... with very slight editing for
scansion, _Wreck_ can be turned into a patter-song that scans to the
Nightmare Song from Iolanthe. Like most patter-songs, that would take
some serious rehearsal to get through at speed... but it certainly cuts
down on the performance time and oseness of the story.
(g, d, rvf...)
--
Joe Kesselman / Beware the fury of a patient man. -- John Dryden
Joseph Kesselman
http://www.camille-west.com/camille_west_lyrics-the_nervous_wreck_of_edna_fitzgerald.htm
Rob Wynne
> P.F. Bruns wrote:
> > The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> > ...
>> If you don't share my view, just don't sing it straight through
>> Or the crew might just pay you a visit
>
> If you must sing it straight through... with very slight editing for
> scansion, _Wreck_ can be turned into a patter-song that scans to the
> Nightmare Song from Iolanthe. Like most patter-songs, that would take
> some serious rehearsal to get through at speed... but it certainly cuts
> down on the performance time and oseness of the story.
>
> (g, d, rvf...)
>
And of course, Steve Macdonald and Daniel Glasser pointed out some years
ago that you can sing Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald to the tune of Stan
Rogers's "Free In The Harbour" with no modifications. (Well, one --
they wrote a chorus, since Lightfoot neglected to provide one...)
Filksinger
> NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
>
> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
> Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
> New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Rights reserved under Creative Commons.
I now have the urge to have someone sing this at a con, have someone
else defy the song and sing the original. Two verses in, I'd have people
dressed as the undead come in and drag the second singer away.
P.F. Bruns
> P.F. Bruns wrote:
>> NB: This song is in BETA. Suggestions welcome.
>>
>> The Ghosts of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>> May be sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
>> Original music and lyrics ©1976 Gordon Lightfoot.
>> New lyrics ©2007 P.F. Bruns. Rights reserved under Creative Commons.
> <snip great song>
>
> I now have the urge to have someone sing this at a con, have someone
> else defy the song and sing the original. Two verses in, I'd have people
> dressed as the undead come in and drag the second singer away.
>
>
That was the urge that caused me to write my parody in the first place.
*SEG*
Best,
Perry
******
Catch of the day: Carp Diem
Wesley Struebing
wrote:
>Filksinger wrote:
<grins hugely>
That would be cool! At least Murray and I only butchered "Polly Von"
(well, he butchered it; I was the straight man...) - and no one shot
arrows at either of us!
Kip Williams
> That would be cool! At least Murray and I only butchered "Polly Von"
> (well, he butchered it; I was the straight man...) - and no one shot
> arrows at either of us!
Would they have taken you for Flanders and Swann?
Kip W
Filksinger
Hopefully not. I don't know about Kip, but I am endeavoring to wait many
years before singing my Swann song.
Wesley Struebing
Kay Shapero
> And as a follower, may I suggest (even though it's folk rather than filk)...
>
> http://www.camille-west.com/camille_west_lyrics-the_nervous_wreck_of_edna_fitzgerald.htm
>
>
--
Kay Shapero
Signature munged - to email me use kay at domain of my website, below.
http://www.kayshapero.net
Filk FAQ at http://www.kayshapero.net/filkfaq.htm