'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni

Subject: 'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni
From: CapriUni
Date: 30 Sep 07 - 06:24 PM

I've been working on this song, on and off, for over two years. But try as I might, I just couldn't get it to come together. Then, the other day, I decided to use the scansion of the Irish proverb that inspired it: Is buaine focal ná toice an tsaoil" (A word is more enduring than worldly wealth).

And then, as I thought about it, I realized there was a whole cluster of proverbs that all stemmed from related ideas, I decided to use each of them for different verses, rather than over-extending a single proverb.

The other proverbs are:
The four least useful things: a headache, a bitter mouth, a worried mind, and an empty pocket.

A good word never broke a tooth.

Fame is more enduring than life.

And finally, Mudcatter George Seto shared this one: "An end will come on the world, but music & love will last."

Enduring Tresausre

This coin in my purse, I will soon trade away;
I'll not shed a tear when the time comes to part.
The words that you've spoken are with me to stay:
A treasure, enduring, to keep in my heart.

What use is there, tell me, to a bitter tongue?
What use is there, tell me, to a worried mind?
A word that is gentle will never go wrong.
No harm ever came from a word that is kind.

The life of a man, it is never too long:
From cradle to grave in the blink of an eye.
But we will remember, through story and song.
Our good and our evil will echo through time.

The shiniest pennies will all turn to dust
And glittering palaces tumble and fall
The words that we banter will never be lost   
Our love and our music will outlast it all.

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: Enduring Treasure
C: CapriUni (Ann Magill)
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Q: 1/4=110
K:Bb
z D B,2 B,B,|D2 DD C2|B,C B,3 D|
D2 DD F2|FF E2 EE|D3 D G2|
GG F2 FF|E2 EE D2-|D D B,2 B,B,|
D2 DD C2|B,C B,4|]

Subject: RE: 'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni
From: open mike
Date: 30 Sep 07 - 06:38 PM

good sentiments, Ann, thanks for another good lyrical offering!

Subject: RE: 'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni
From: CapriUni
Date: 30 Sep 07 - 06:49 PM

Thanks, Open Mike... and thank you for being there to share with.

Subject: RE: 'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni
From:
Date: 01 Oct 07 - 03:35 PM

Thanks!!! Love the words and will check out the tune when I finally get home.

Subject: RE: 'Enduring treasure' new song by CapriUni
From: CapriUni
Date: 10 Oct 07 - 02:48 PM

Thanks for the compliment, George Seto!

Though, as usual, after humming and singing this song to myself over the last few days, certain phrases began to sound awkward to my ears, so I've done some lyric rewriting -- mostly to the second verse, though also, a little bit to the third.

Currently, this is how they stand in my Noteworthy Composer:

Oh, what is the value of a bitter tongue?
Oh what is the value of a troubled mind?
A word spoken sweetly will never go wrong.
And troubles all melt with a word that is kind.

("What is the value of" just flows into my ear easier than "What is the use, tell me." And "sweetly spoken" is a better tie-in, I think, to "bitter tongue.")

Oh, this mortal life, it is never too long:
From cradle to grave in the blink of an eye.
But we will remember, through story and song.
Our deeds and our failings will echo through time.

(If it's easy to be gender neutral, why not do so? And "good and evil" just struck me as a bit loaded... the stories we tell of our family and friends rarely rise to heroics or villainy).