1. |
The Idea Curse
03:58
|
|||
|
Why do all of my ideas want to gel way beyond midnight?
Was I once cursed as a vampire sometime in a lost former life?
I get into my pajamas with intentions for my bed
Then I find myself in front of my computer screen instead
CHORUS:
The idea curse is what I’ve got / Get it down before it is forgot
And sleep ain’t even worth a shot / With my brain tied up in little knots
Channeling songs and story plots
I do not know from whence they come; they always seem to be around
Floating about in the ether waiting to be written all down.
They always linger nonchalant, at the stroke of midnight coalesce
I try to shut them out but it’s a lesson in useless
CHORUS
It's eight a.m. and once again I’m gonna drown in much caffeine
Zombiefied I swear tonight my bedtime won’t be so obscene
I almost make it to my pillow as it softly beckons me
When I'm ambushed by a character telling his life story
CHORUS
Now Tom Smith calls it hamster brain, the wheels will not stop turning
As ideas pop into my brain and begin endlessly churning.
Sword maidens, space ships, pirates, demons,
I just have to get them all penned.
There’s the harpers, ghosts and shuttles,
cats and vacuums -- there’s no end!
The imagery is right .... But the scan is not_ quite ...
Or that damn sword fight ... Needs another rewrite.
|
||||
2. |
Sense of Wonder
04:52
|
|||
|
When a child is born their intellect is quite unbound and wild
The promise of a bright and storied future in each child
But the world we live in does its best to cage, box and conform
Plants the weeds of cynics to choke their promising ideas with thorns
But I swore I would do better from the day my kids were born
CHORUS:
So they were raised on tales of dragons breathing fire as they fly
And they were raised on dreams of aliens who visit from the sky
And how imaginations should be exercised and used
And of how their sense of wonder is far too precious to ever lose.
I taught my children they’d never be too old to play pretend
And their imagination’ s something that never has to end
And wonder is not just reserved for little children’s eyes
And magic is a feeling they don’t have to compromise
CHORUS
BRIDGE:
More than just technology is needed to evolve
We have to look past the confines of what we know
If our species is to survive, if we want to grow and thrive
Then our children have to see beyond the limits we contrive
Now my grown son and daughter still read tales of dragon lore
And of aliens and magic, wizards, castles and unicorns
And they come to cons and play pretend and let their minds run free
And preserve a sense of wonder the mundane world just doesn’t see!
FINAL CHORUS
Yes they were raised on tales of dragons breathing fire as they fly
And they were raised on dreams of aliens who visit from the sky
And how imaginations should be exercised and used
And of how their sense of wonder
Is a priceless treasure - - - they must never lose!
|
||||
3. |
Song of the Wanderer
03:03
|
|||
4. |
Accidental Filk Band
06:01
|
|||
|
We’re an accidental filk band with an accidental crew,
And an accidental melody that’s comin’ right at you.
So come along, join us in song, or sit back, take a rest;
We’ll have a great time .. ‘cause filking is the best.
It was quite a long few years ago, I wandered through Archon.
Saw Suzette Elgin walk the halls, guitar under her arm.
Found the filk room two years later -- They hid it well back then
And thus commenced my linkage to the Sci Fi music Fen.
Found cons at twenty-seven and the filk at twenty-eight,
And with that first chord heard I knew that it was fate.
The music was amazing, just blew my mind away,
And ever since I’ve been so hooked, I knew I had to stay.
Hi I'm Barigato, or ‘Bari’ works just fine,
Saw ‘filk’ in a program long ago; sounds like a grand old time.
I used to be real shy, but finally got the knack.
Now I have such gosh darn fun I’m always coming back!
Well I was raised in fandom; into filking I was born.
And so at merely seven, I started to perform.
Sang Lackey, Fish, and Ecklar, some T.J. Burnside, too
I’ve never felt more happy than here in the filk room.
My name is Mark Ewbank; I’m wandering the con.
I think I hear music as I’m exiting the john.
The sign says “filk room?” ... there’s a circle formed inside.
So I’ll sit down and give this thing a try.
We played together every year, then ev’ry other month.
Kept on gettin’ better ‘cause that makes it more fun.
MoFilker said, “Let’s do a concert.” We said, “It’s worth a shot.”
Staged our circle for our locals, but well rehearsed? ... Not!
DucKon asked, “Come play for us?”
We go, “Wow, we gotta try!”
Practiced every week for months to make our debut shine.
They said, “Way cool! Ya done it good.
We’re glad you were on hand.”
We looked around, and realized, “Whoa, we have a band!”
From virgin to a Filk GoH it's been a lengthy trek
Though old and though decrepit I ain't quite passed dead yet
Bari, Cat, Mark, and Valerie say this band's my fault and shame--
Yeah, blame it on MoFilker and spit it out in the refrain...
We’re an accidental filk band with an accidental crew
And an accidental melody that’s comin’ right at you.
So come along, join us in song, or sit back, take a rest;
We’ll_ have a great time .. ‘cause filking is the best.
Yes, we’ll have a great time .. ‘cause filking is the best!
“Y’all filk back now, ya hear?”
|
||||
5. |
Fire in the Sky
03:49
|
|||
|
Promethius they say brought gods fire down to man,
And we’ve caught it, tamed it, trained it since our history began.
Now we’re going back to Heaven just to look Him in the eye,
And there’s a thunder ‘cross the land and a fire in the sky
Gragarin was the first back in 1961,
When, like Icarus, undaunted he climbed to reach the sun.
And he knew he might not make it, for it’s never hard to die,
But he lifted off the pad and rode a fire in the sky.
Yet a higher goal was calling and we vowed we’d reach it soon,
And we gave ourselves a decade to put fire on the moon.
And Apollo told the world we can do it if we try,
For there was one small step and a fire in the sky.
Then two decades from Gragarin, twenty years to the day,
Came a shuttle named Columbia to open up the way.
And they said she’s just a truck, but she’s a truck that’s aimin’ high,
See her big jets burnin.’ See her fire in the sky
Yet the gods do not give lightly of the powers they have made,
With Challenger and Columbia, once again the price is paid.
Though our nation watched her falling, yet a world could only cry,
As they passed from us to glory, riding fire in the sky.
Now a station stands in orbit, stepping stone as we explore,
And we’ve set our sights on the planet, named for the god of war.
And our reach will not know limits, our passion not run dry,
As commercial craft start flying - see their fire in the sky.
Now the rest is up to us. There’s a future to be won
We must turn our faces outward. We will do what must be done
For no cradle lasts forever, every bird must learn to fly
And we’re goin’ to the stars. See our fire in the sky
Yes, we’re goin’ to the stars. See our fire in the sky!
|
||||
6. |
Tribute
04:22
|
|||
|
Thirty years old is too young to die
Thirty years young look at how she flies
Only thirty years look what she’s done?
No less than the very sky she’s won!
CHORUS:
Columbia and Challenger / Atlantis and Endeavour
Discovery for us you fly / We’ll not forget you ever
We mis-stepped in our compulsive drive,
You remember their precious sacrifice.
Never did you say “the risk is too great.”
Choosing to fearlessly challenge the fates.
CHORUS
You taught us how much was yet to know,
Marveled while watching the Station grow.
Repaired Hubble’s priceless eyes to the stars,
Prepared us to launch past the moon, beyond Mars.
CHORUS
Retire with dignity those who’ve survived.
Continue inspiring our children’s lives.
You stand proving what we can accomplish,
When to the stars we do more than wish!
CHORUS
BRIDGE:
These four decades since Apollo
Came close to lying fallow
But you all stepped in to open up the way.
To the dozens who flew or could
And the thousands who made sure you would
Mankind owes a debt we never can repay!
Thank you, Atlantis ...(English, for US, Canada, UK, Australia)
Gracias, Challenger ... (Spanish, for Mexico, South America, etc)
Merci, Columbia ... (French, for European Union)
Asante, Discovery ... (Swahili, for Africa)
Shukran, Endeavor ... (Arabic, for the Middle East)
Spasibo, Enterprise ... (Russian, for Russia / Eurasia)
Xie xen, NASA ... (Chinese, for China / Asia)
And Domo Arigato to any we might have missed. (Japan, etc)
Enterprise the pattern to follow;
Atlantis flies the ending nightglow.
You proved our power to harness the storm.
Inspire generations yet to be born.
CHORUS
|
||||
7. |
Old Fart Filker
04:10
|
|||
|
He’s an Old Fart Filker and he lives to play the cons
He takes part in the circle from ten p.m. till dawn (or later)
And no, he’s not a rock star or a country music king
He’ll play complex originals or parody something
CHORUS
So - come along - With him in song - And ride on a dragon’s wing
Then take a trip on a pirate ship - Or dance in an Elvin ring
Together we’ll share futures and the alternative past
Imagining the questions others don’t know how to ask
The GOH may be a writer who lives by spinning tales
Strange new aliens and magic realms through which we sail
And though imaginary we live extr’ordinary lives
Suspend our disbelief - as we share their joy and strife
CHORUS
BRIDGE:
Gary’s is a mighty voice inside the Bardic Ring
But Jamie’s word is law he will abide
And she won’t let him drink Blue Shit, as the filk goes on and on
For it makes him lose all sense as he forgets how much he’s drunk
And stumbles to the room, not envisioning his doom
As he wakes her up while giggling long before the dawn
So now we join in song and live the magic of the filk
Some are rough, or sharp or flat and others smooth as silk
But all are welcome here within our circle as it grows
And our wish for our descendants, keep the songs ever ascendant
The music and the magic to posterity will flow.
So come along with him in song - And ride on a dragon’s wing
Then take a trip on a pirate ship - Or dance in an Elvin ring
Together we’ll share futures and the alternative past
Imagining the questions others don’t - - - know how - - - to ask
|
||||
8. |
Ladyhawke!
03:57
|
|||
9. |
The Joker
04:24
|
|||
|
Well, hello my friend, it’s good to see you again, yes it’s
Been much too long, I know.
And if I make you smile, can I stay for awhile, and
Maybe you’d like me to put on a show?
Well, I make people laugh yes, it’s a gift that I have, so they
Like to have me around. But what they
Never can see when they’re looking at me is that
I am lost and I need to be found.
CHORUS:
And if I was crying would you dry my tears, and if
I was lonely would you understand? If I
Showed my true feelings would you still stand beside me, and
If I need friendship would you hold out your hand?
Well I go these places, and I see all the faces, but
Nobody knows who I am. Well, they
Just want the laughter, yeah, that’s all that they’re after, they don’t
Care about me, they don’t give a damn.
Well they all want to see me because I make ‘em happy, I
Put a bright spark in their day. Oh, but
Nobody cares for me, nobody’s there for me
When they’re done laughing they all go away.
And if I’m crying would you dry my tears, and if
I’m lonely would you understand? If I
Showed my true feelings would you still stand beside me, and
If I need friendship would you hold out your hand?
Yes I go around spreading joy up and down, and they
All think I’m such a great guy. Oh, but
I get so weary that I just can’t think clearly,
Sometimes I want to lay down and die.
Well I lock it all in behind a silly old grin, because
Nobody cares who I am. You don’t
See the scars ‘cause you don’t look very hard, you just
See the Joker, you don’t give a damn.
I’m crying and my tears are not drying, I’m
All alone, no one cares about me.
You don’t know my feelings and you don’t even care,
I hurt just like you, why oh why can’t you see?
People stop by me, they pick up a smile from me
Then they go o-on their way. Well,
I’m just the Joker, yeah, I’m the laugh-broker, don’t
Worry ‘bout me, hell, I’ll be okay...
Well, hello my friend, it’s good to see you again, yes it’s
Been much too long, I know. And if
I make you smile, can I stay for awhile, and
Maybe you’d like me to put on a show?
|
||||
10. |
Healing Song
05:21
|
|||
|
She’d been alone for many years, kept herself apart
To try and mend her wounded pride, protect her fragile heart
In her forest glade she’d found a place
Where she could be cocooned and safe
Insulated by her fear and thinking it was smart
A friend of fur and feather kind, they calmed her grieving soul
Uncomplicated unconditioned love to make her whole
Till the day a harper stumbled in
Lost with wounds her art could mend
Compassion outweighed caution, as she reached out to console
With the magic of her greenwood, gentle strength she shared
His wounds she cleaned and bound, then withdrew the poison there
And watched over him as he slept
Her strange and silent vigil kept
Wondering at how his fate had placed him in her care
As days passed kindness he repaid, the only way he could
Composing songs he’d play for her to echo in her wood
The yearning heart she had ignored
Was touched and shaken to the core
The music held a magic which she had not understood
In pain and terrified of love, for years she’d stayed alone
Convinced her troubled heart that the risk should not be born
The harper’s tune unlocked and flew
The butterfly was born anew
His music taught her love should not be scorned
She let go of the pain which had imprisoned her so long
His gentle presence soothed her mind, her trepidation gone
As the heart she thought could never mend
Began to feel alive again
The gift he gave within his healing song
And she ever will be grateful for his gift of healing song.
|
||||
11. |
Circles
04:33
|
|||
|
CHORUS:
And the music of the circle goes round and goes round
Intertwines as the aura of friendships abound
For the magic of circles is they never end
And when we’re apart they draw us in again
Each day is an endless stream of mundane tedium
Of mindless bits unbalancing equilibrium
Muzak soundtracks choreograph lives in cubicles
’Til the music calls us from these muted chronicles
CHORUS
House filk or convention, the music calls us home
Into the growing circle - music welcomes everyone
Strangers become friends greeted congenially
All the lovely filkers who restore our sanity
CHORUS
The music surrounds us, the mundane world fades
Gryphons, starships, dragons fly and aliens invade
For a few short hours we can live in the elsewhere
As tales of many fantastic adventures fill the air
CHORUS
When to the filk circle we bid our farewells
The magic of the circle stays with us until
The music sends out its ethereal call
Return to be charmed and held in its thrall
CHORUS
|
||||
12. |
Planetcide
05:15
|
|||
|
When I was a child I would watch sci-fi movies
Down at the drive-in or the new cinema
There’s an epic space op’ra that’s often remembered
So many times we can quote every line.
Han Solo, won't you take me to the Princess’ planet
To the peaceful green world where paradise lay?
Hey sorry, kid, but you're too late in askin’
The Empire’s Death Star has blown it away.
As I got older and learned about science,
Momentum, energy, power, and force.
Compared hard science fiction to Hollywood simpleness
Began to realize that things were off course.
Father won’t you take me to the Genesis Planet
That peaceful green world where paradise lay?
I’m sorry, my son, but you used proto-matter;
The planet’s unstable and will crumble away.
It may look impressive, but it’s really quite wasteful
And absurd to blow a whole planet to dust.
Takes far less energy to slag the whole surface
And even less to kill everyone.
Daddy won’t you take me to the real science fiction,
The speculative movies with substance within?
I’m sorry, my son, but that’s all science fantasy
For true science fiction better read David Brin.
I wish it stopped there, but of course with one-upmanship
They destroy stars, or galaxies, or the whole universe.
It’s so cheesy and fake and ridiculous
It takes Douglas Adams to show it’s perverse.
It’s the end of the ‘verse as we know it ...
It’s the end of the ‘verse as we know it ...
It’s the end of the ‘verse as we know it ... and I feel fine!
And Zaphod won't you take me back to my London County
Down by the Thames River, where my subburb lay?
Arthur old chap, .. you're too late in askin’
the Vogon Contructor Fleet has blown Earth away.
Daddy can’t we see any good science fiction
Beyond random eye candy and crazed FX zoo?
My son, science fiction works best on the small screen.
Come sit on the couch and we’ll watch Dr. Who.
|
||||
13. |
Crimson and Crystal
03:43
|
|||
14. |
Wild Magic
05:10
|
|||
|
Restless heart and restless mind
Caged tornado pacing at the rising of the moon
The fire sparks within her as it dances ‘cross the runes
Restlessness which she cannot define
CHORUS 1:
Wild magic - wilder heart / By sun and moon, planet and star
By fire, air, earth and rain / The magic pulses in her veins
Wild magic she must learn to tame
Running, chased in endless dreams
Wrongness there she senses in the moonrise energy
Watching as illusion twists to shape reality
The world is never quite what it seems
CHORUS 2:
Wild magic - wilder heart / By chaos, order, light and dark
By essence, void, ice and flame / The magic burns within her veins
Wild magic she must learn to tame
No escape, no chance of flight
Reads the meaning in the runes as storm clouds build on high
Drawing power to her as the lightning rents the sky
The signs and omens clear, midnight strikes
BRIDGE
No one else can see the danger signs,
Sift the truth out of deceptive lies.
Something wants dominion, she can feel it stir
Only wild magic holds the key to keep the world secure.
Can she harness the power? / This world is ripe for taking
Make it answer to her will? / See them writhe as nightfall comes?
Will it be enough to stop him? / There is no one to oppose me
And her destiny fulfill? / They’ll be mine when I am done
Whatever’s touched by magic’s changed
Twists the dreams of mortal men into living nightmares
Without her control reality will be ensnared
She twists back to reason what was strange
FINAL CHORUS:
Wild magic - wilder heart / By sun and moon, .. planet and star
By fire, air, earth and rain / The magic pulses in her veins
Wild magic - wilder heart / By chaos, order, light and dark
By essence, void, ice and flame / The magic burns within her veins
Wild magic she must learn to tame / Or reality will never be the same
Chaos calls her magic /You can’t stop my domination
Fire tempers will /I won’t let you vex my plans
Order shapes wild magic / I control your dreams and nightmares
Wild magic save wild hearts / Against me how can you stand?
Wild Magic!!
|
||||
Cat Greenberg St. Louis, Missouri
Cat Greenberg is a writer and singer/songwriter from the St. Louis, MO area where she lives with cats, a dog and her youngest child, Aidan. Alone, With Friends is her first solo album. Her 2 previous albums are: Romancing the Filk, with her late husband, Bari, and Accidental Filk Band, with their band The Unusual Suspects. Cat also works with Canticles Productions (www.canticlesproductions.com) ... more
If you like Accidental Filk Band, you may also like:
Stunning electroacoustic songs where an intricate latticework of hammered dulcimer and billowy synths mirror an insect’s metamorphosis.
go to album
The Toronto-based sextet make moody, cinematic sounding music that blends psych-folk and post-rock.
go to album
Mind, Man, Medicine
by The Secret Sisters
The Alabama duo's fifth album exults in dusty Americana, showcasing rich vocal harmonies alongside blissful folk instrumentation.
go to album
More contemplative folk from the Minnesota singer-songwriter, sustained by raw full-band arrangements and philosophical lyrics.
go to album
Irish singer-songwriter Oisin Leech's acoustic folk music is characterized by its muted beauty and intimate, solitary quality.
go to album
Various Artists - Gaza Calling
by Nuovo Canzoniere Partigiano
featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 15, 2024
go to album
Space Bath
by Sami Freeman, feat. James Jackson, Beaunoise, Mia Pixley
A gorgeous journey through a kaleidoscopic array of sonic approaches melted together that feels old and new at the same time.
go to album
