Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jul 26 - 08:17 PM

I was one of the lucky people who received a copy from Bob Bolton way back in 2006 & I carefully noted the proper pronunciation of "bruh - zeer" on a small yellow sticky paper, put it in a plastic sleeve & eventually forgot about it.

The words surfaced in a recent sort out so I took them to the session on Saturday where everyone apart from a visitor, knew the original & we had fun singing it. Margaret Walters mentioned above also found her copy so typed up the chorus to share around.

It's not on line, so it's a tad complicated to share the words, so I'm not sure how often we'll sing it.

Is it still sung in your bit of the singing universe?

sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Jul 26 - 09:15 AM

No..because many of those who knew of it or knew Mary are not around. I have the special copy, but I've never really learned it. This year at the Getaway, 2 good friends of Mary will be here for the 1st time in several years. I'll try to remember to ask one of them to do it.
    I think it would be ok to post the lyrics here....just not a link to the fancy illustrated version. I 'might', but it would mean typing it all out from the fancy version, and I am a two finger typist. We'll see...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Jul 26 - 10:20 AM

I'm a 3 or sometimes 4 fingered typist!

I'm also surrounded with stuff that needs doing & mess that needs clearing up, so I can do it!

first verse as a sample, it's midnight here & I really need to get to bed soon.

The Ring of the Nibelung (abridged)
By M. E. LaMarca
(to the tune of Barrett's Privateers by Stan Rogers: with apologies to Stan, but not to Wagner ...)

Oh, the year was 1876*
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
When Wagner with his pen did sing
The cycle of songs they call "The Ring"

Chorus:

Gotterdamerung, I was told,
The Nibelung made a ring of gold
You'll feel the fire, shed some tears
When the Valkyries rode with their steel brassieres
And the voice of Siegfried fills your ears


* 1876 was the first year that the full Ring cycle was performed at Bayreuth: it actually took Wagner 22 years to write the operas.

more tomorrow, my eyes are sore

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 13 Jul 26 - 01:30 PM

I was interested to revisit this thread just now, reading Sandra's recent post above.

I still have the lovely email I received from Mary back in 2006 in response to my PM following her kind offer of lyrics earlier in the thread...

I started singing this priceless parody shortly afterwards, mostly to deaf ears and un-savvy folkies, but when Covid arrived, and we were all migrated onto zoom (hallelujah!), it invariably got an altogether more positive, indeed suitably riotous reception from folks across the globe. I sang it by request (more than once!) at the FSGW Getaway in its brief online incarnation, and I continue to sing it on zoom singing sessions. Always duly credited, of course (I have always respected and observed Mary's wishes, and will continue to do so.)

(... and yeah, I DO remember Alberich! ...)

Subject: RE: Lyrics -3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelung
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Jul 26 - 07:33 PM

The Ring of the Nibelung (abridged)
By M. E. LaMarca © 1992
(to the tune of Barrett's Privateers by Stan Rogers: with apologies to Stan, but not to Wagner ...)

Oh, the year was 1876*
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
When Wagner with his pen did sing
The cycle of songs they call "The Ring"

Chorus:

Gotterdamerung, I was told,
The Nibelung made a ring of gold
You'll feel the fire, shed some tears
When the Valkyries rode with their steel brassieres^†
And the voice of Siegfried fills your ears


Now Alberich was the Nibelung king
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
When Loge and Wotan, sly and bold,
Stole back from him the Rhinemaidens' gold.

Chorus

Oh, when Sigmund came to Hunding's hall
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
For his outlawry he was forced to pay
When he got his own sister in the family way.

Chorus

The Valkyries rode from Valhalla high
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
When Brunnhilde became her Dad's defier, ##
He put her on a mountain on a flaming pyre.

Chorus

Now Fafner lived in a dank, dark cave
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
Young Siegfried came to call one day
And with his new-forged sword the dragon did slay.

Chorus

He sucked on his thumb and the birds did speak
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
Siegfried leapt the flames on the word of a dove
And he and Brunhilde sang duets of love.   ##

chorus

But the lovers soon fell to the curse of the Ring
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
Siegfried had a little drink and forgot his wife's name
In the end, then, everything goes up in flames.

Chorus

So here I sit in the twenty-third tier
How I wish I was in Bayreuth now,
A fortune small I've been forced to pay
And to catch the bloody opera takes four whole days.

Final Chorus


* 1876 was the first year that the full Ring cycle was performed at Bayreuth: it actually took Wagner 22 years to write the operas.
† rhyme brassiere = "bruh-zeers" has to rhyme with EARS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(my note ## - different spellings of Brunnhilde/Brunhilde

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Bill D
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 02:16 PM

Oh..wonderful. Thank you, Sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 05:54 PM

now all we need is for more people to sing it!

oops I forgot to mention this absolutely essential matter - rhyme

brassiere = "bruh-zeers" has to rhyme with with EARS - can it be added to my post? I'll ask

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 06:57 PM

This is priceless!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 07:56 PM

sing it & spread it around.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 06:55 AM

& thanks to Stilly for inserting the bruh-zeers rhyme!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 01:13 PM

How do people in other continents pronounce "brassiere"? In Germany it's "Büstenhalter," but that doesn't scan right. And it doesn't have anything to do with the Bette Midler song, "Otto Titsling." Otto is the apocryphal inventor of the brassiere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5OcW4z0mA

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 08:43 PM

From what I recall of studying French, and looking in my dictionary,
What we in English call a "brassiere",
the French call a "soutien-gorge"
which means, I think, 'Holding your throat up.'

And my dictionary says that when the French speak of a "Brassiere,"
they are talking about
an undershirt (US) or vest (UK). Go figure!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 3 minute LaMarca Ring of the Niebelungs
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Jul 26 - 05:07 AM

Unfortunately the on-line version of Australia's Macquarie Dictionary is not freely available,

I googled & as I couldn't see an answer, for once I looked at the AI answer which is WRONG!!!

AI Overview
In Australian English, "brassiere" is typically pronounced bra-ZEER (/br?'z??r/ or /br?'z??/). The stress falls on the second syllable, which rhymes with "near" or "deer".
For daily use, this word is almost always shortened to simply bra (rhymes with "ha").
Would you like help with the pronunciation of any other French-derived words used in Australian English, or are you looking for tips on Australian phonetics?      (NO, I WOULDN'T)

    BRASSIERE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
    brassiere in British English. ('bræs?? , 'bræz- ) noun. a woman's undergarment for covering and supporting the breasts. Often shor...
    Collins Dictionary

NOR DO I WANT THE ENGLISH ANSWER - THE? - which English one is that, Received or regional?    (*mutter, mutter)

================

last time/the only time I inadvertantly read an AI answer (winner of previous year's annual award) it couldn't spell that person's name!

no more AI!!