A remodeled folk song

[gurdonark]

I like to take familiar songs and make up different words for them.
Let's try one to the tune of "Red River Valley":

"We don't know where the heck we are going.
We've been making it up for a while.
No matter how often we rally,
We never quite reach someplace new.

Come and sit with the map and and console me,
Do not ask me--I haven't a clue
Why we ever left out on this journey,
or the time it will finally be through".

A silly pastime, really, but one that takes up my time.
I posted a number of masterpieces of sheet music up for ebay auaction today:
"Blue Suede Shoes", "Material Girl", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" (parenthetically, I'm more a "Knock Three Times" man, myself), "From a Distance" and "Happy Talk" (after all, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?).

My investment in this treasure trove of entertainment is one dime each work--we'll see if I become an ebay millionaire.

Comments

[uscwriter.livejournal.com]

"Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me/
twice on the pipes means you'll meet me in the hall(?)"

I remember that song, sung by Billy Crash Craddock in my head. I don't know if he was the original singer, or if it was featured on Billy Crash Craddock's tv Ronco album.

My husband never knows the words to songs. He always makes them up. John Boy and Billy (radio guys) have a term for that- they call it "chronic lyritosis." One of the funniest things I've ever heard was John Boy singing "Gypsies, Tramps and Theives" by Cher- he sang
"Gypsies, tramps and thieves
We hear it from the people in town/
they call us gypsies, tramps and thieves/
But at night the men would come around
and lay the monkey down..."
It makes me giggle now.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I believe that twice on the pipes meant the answer is "no". Tony Orlando and Dawn spawned a hit with this "classic". gregwest98 used to do the most amazing things with the song repertoire of the band Bread, lyrical alteration-wise. I love your husband's addition of the monkey to the Cher song, and think that somehow Gabriel's Shock the Monkey gets a little more interesting, I don't know why....

[gregwest98.livejournal.com]

I don't remember that! Why don't you *not* remind me - I'm sure it was tasteless.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

One I remember clearly that you devised was to the tune of the Bread song "If". Your rewrite went:

"If your sister is so beautiful, then why do I date you?

It's not that you're that bad--you're all I've really had".

A bit tacky, but enjoyable at the time.

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Hmm I'm not familiar the song "Red River Valley". Where is it from?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Red River Valley is a 19th C. American song, which is co opted into our culture generally, in the way "Greensleeves" is. I'll see if I can't find an online place to hear it, because you probably know the tune, but just call it something like "Canberra magpie waltz". :)

[laruth.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* More like "Canberra Mapgie Swoop"!

[heymaggie.livejournal.com]

I love those old songs. My Mother sang them all day long when I was growing up so they are definately a part of my history. But your words really slay me. They are so funny. Now I want to try my hand at lyric changery. You are such an inspiration to me. I think of you almost everytime I do something and wonder what you would think of it. I am sending you some ATCs that I made this week and hope to inspire you to do some too and maybe start collecting and trading ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). Thanks for enlarging my world.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

What a kind thing to say. I keep meaning to do more mail art and in particular ATC's and maybe now I'll take the prompt and design one.