This month, I've been taking part in the online LiveJournal community National Art Making Month, where the challenge is to complete a new piece of art every day for the month of August.

For the 23rd, I took a stab at that archive of Irish proverbs and came up with "The life is the strange son [of the world]."

I was only able to come up with a rough draft within the 24-hour time limit, so I used that as the base for a stand-alone picture.

In the meantime, while working on other "na'arts," I've been polishing the song, and here it is (quite probably, still a work in progress; it says all the things I want it to say. I'm just not sure it says them in the right way. So I'm submitting it to Mudcatters' refined ears):

Strangest Friend

Oh, Life is a taskmaster, some people say
With sorrow and pain, he drives us through the day.
But other folk say he's a lover so fair,
And the dreams that he dreams
make the world that we share.

Chorus:
When I meet with Life, I greet Brother and Friend,
For he keeps me in good company.
He sings me a new song, around ev'ry bend
Without any reason or rhyme.
He wears his motley the wrong way 'round;
his shoes are oft untied.
But when there's trouble at my door
Then it's Life that I want by my side!

Oh, they've often told us, since our youngest days
to study and toil and never to stray.
But when our plans falter, as plans often do,
It's the rovers and dancers who gain something new.

Chorus

Oh, riches are spent, and our beauty will fade.
And worries will plague us at end of the day.
But just when we think that our joy's at an end,
we will find a new treasure around the next bend.

Chorus

Oh, Life is a taskmaster, some people say
Or a fool who is dreaming the time all away.
But I see a brother and friend for to greet,
though the strangest of friends
that I ever will meet.


To hear what this tune sounds like, copy the bold text below, paste it into the text window of the ABC Convert-o-Matic, and click [submit]. That will bring up a page where you can click to hear a simple midi.

(If, for some odd reason, you computer fails to cooperate, try turning off your pop-up blockers. I've heard rumors that that can help).

X:1
T: Strangest Friend
C: CapriUni (Ann Magill)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
Q: 1/4=110
N:
N: Made for the 23th day of Native Art Making Month
N:
N: A song based on the Irish proverb: "Life is the strange son (of the world)"
K: F
z D G2 GG A2|GF E2 FE D2|z D C2 CC E2|
EE F2 EF D2|z F F2 FF G2|GG A2 BA G2|
GG E2 EE D2|DD C2 DE F2|z3 C F2 FF|
G2 GG A2 BA|G2 GG F2 FF|E2 DE F2 z2|
F A2 AA B2 A|G F2 GA G2 z|F E2 EE D2 D|
D C2 z2 C F2|F G2 GG A2 G|F2 F A2 A B2|
A G2 z G D2 D|F2 F E2 D C2|CC D2 DD E2|
EE F4 z4|]